“‘Light pollution is preventable and reversible. I am an advocate with the International Dark Sky Association, headquartered in Tucson, AZ. We work to restore the night sky for the health of humans and wildlife, energy savings, improved public safety with effective lighting, and the heritage of dark night skies. 80% of the world lives where the Milky Way is no longer visible. Find information at dark sky.org and join us. State chapters in the US and many international chapters as well. #idadarksky”
Most people’s sleep issues can be solved by simply prioritizing sleep and making a few changes. Turn off the phone at night, pick a bedtime and stick to it, get more light during the day, eat dinner early (or not at all), stay physically active, don’t let the day’s anxieties and tasks build up and accumulate and weigh on your mind. Basic stuff. Not easy for everyone to follow, but it’s a standard roadmap you know will work if you follow it.
What if your sleep issues are out of your control? What if you’re a night shift worker who has to stay awake when you’re supposed to sleep and sleep when you’re supposed to be awake? You can’t just switch jobs—you and your family need food, shelter, and money. There’s no easy way to say it: night shift work has no easy solution.
We evolved with a circadian rhythm that hews to the day-night cycle, and staying up at night and maintaining cognitive alertness when we’re supposed to be sleeping has longterm ramifications to our health and happiness. That’s just a fact.
Night shift work has been linked to a number of health issues:
It’s a tough situation, balancing the physiological demands of a diurnal mammal (you) with the demands of a job in direct opposition to the former. What can a shift worker do, save finding a new career path?
Embrace Your Situation
For all intents and purposes, this is your life. It may change down the road, but you are a shift worker for now. Accept it. It’s not ideal, but it will be a lot worse if you go about your days (er, nights) lamenting your situation. Even just looking in the mirror every day and verbally reminding yourself that “I am a shift worker and I’m going to get through this” will help. Fighting or avoiding the reality of a situation, instead of accepting and working with it, will only heap more stress and cortisol on your shoulders (and more fat on your belly).
Much of the link between shift work and obesity can be explained by stress. One study found that among Brazilian shift workers, work-related stress was responsible for the majority of shift work-related obesity.6 Minimize stressing out about your predicament and you’ll mitigate the issue.
Be Strict About Your Diet
Hew as closely as you can to the Primal eating plan. Don’t give in to vending machine wares and stale day-old donuts lurking in greasy pink boxes leftover from the dayshift. Get even more serious about putting quality fuel in your body than ever before. If that means cooking your own food exclusively to avoid gluten and seed oils, so be it. In your circadian misaligned state, your sensitivity to bad food will be heightened.
Adhere to a Healthy Lifestyle
Eating right and exercising regularly become absolute non-negotiable when you’re doing shift work. Studies show that many of the health conditions linked to night shift work can actually be minimized if you adhere to a healthy lifestyle.7 The problem is that most night shift workers do not adhere to a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, the circadian misalignment makes unhealthy food harder to resist and daily exercise harder to stick with. You have to rise above your lot in life and be better. Luckily, you are better. Right?
Train Wisely
You are starting from behind. Lifestyle stressors beset you on all sides. Your body’s abilities to recover and perform are dampened, and the last thing you want to do is add another couple heaping tablespoons of stress to the mix. As such, you must choose your workouts wisely. If it were me working night shifts for an extended period of time I’d mostly skip metabolic conditioning. No long CrossFit WODs, no extended Tabata sessions, no half marathons, nothing that spikes cortisol and leaves you breathless and on the verge of puking.
Once-a-week sprints with full recovery? Sure. Long walks? Great. Heavy lifting? Go for it, but keep it heavy and intense and keep the volume low. If you’re doing PBF style bodyweight exercises, consider adding resistance and keeping the reps low.
Two days a week of lifting is perfect; three may be too much. Keep an eye on how you feel. If you stall on the same weight twice, drop the weight or the volume. If you can’t recover in between sprints, make them shorter by ten yards until you can.
As for timing, it’s probably a good idea to train before your shift starts. Train, eat a big meal to recover, and then start your shift. Or, train after you wake up in the “morning.”
Trick Your Body
This is probably the most important strategy. Your body expects light when awake and darkness when asleep. You can’t totally replace sunlight and nighttime, but you can get pretty close.
When you’re at work, keep the lights on. If you work outdoors at night—say, as a cop, a security guard, or in the military—consider light therapy.
Two hours before your shift is up, put on some blue blocking orange goggles to make your body think it’s “night” and prepare for bed. Keep them on when you venture out into the light and don’t remove them until you’re ready for bed.
Keep your bedroom shades drawn, block out any light sources, and keep your bedroom as dark as possible. The idea is to mimic daytime light conditions during your waking hours and nighttime light conditions during your “evening” and sleeping hours to the best of your ability.
Fast During Your Shift
Here’s how the typical shift worker handles food: They snack constantly. They eat junk. Donuts in the break room, vending machine chips. Big massive meals just to keep the boredom at bay and reduce the stress they’re feeling from being up in the middle of the night.
Here’s what happened in a recent study of shift workers:8
One group ate normally. They ate their regular food during their shift as they always do. As expected, their glucose tolerance suffered and they had very high blood glucose responses when they ate a meal after their shift. They also suffered a circadian misalignment between their central and peripheral body clocks.
Another group fasted during their shift. They ate no food at all while on night shift. Their glucose tolerance was better and they had normal blood glucose responses when they ate a meal after their shift. There was no circadian misalignment between their central and peripheral body clocks.
As you can see, fasting during the night shift didn’t just improve glucose tolerance. It also improved circadian alignment, which may have a beneficial or protective effect on many of the physiological systems night shift normally disrupts.
Go Low-Carb During Your Shift
If you have to eat during your shift, go low-carb or keto. Your glucose tolerance is going to be poor no matter what you do—you can’t get around the circadian disruption of glucose tolerance—so you’d better just reduce the amount of exogenous glucose in your diet. Think of yourself like a type 2 diabetic who can’t handle glucose during your shift, and eat accordingly.
Use Melatonin
Melatonin has been shown to improve shift workers’ sleep and wakefulness patterns.
In one study, compared to placebo and no treatment at all, 5 mg melatonin taken at “desired bedtime” improved the sleep and alertness of cops working a night shift.9 They got better sleep when they wanted it and felt more alert at night while on the beat.
A later study had similar findings. Increasing dosages of melatonin (up to 3 mg) in patients undergoing simulated late shift work was actually able to shift their circadian phases (as evidenced by changes in body temperature and melatonin secretion). Sleep and alertness (at the right times) also improved. They took fewer naps.
If I were taking melatonin to deal with a night shift, I would take it as soon as I got off work to help me prepare for sleep at home. The quicker you can take it after your shift and get to sleep, the more aligned you’ll be.
Take at least 3 mg melatonin at your desired bedtime, and be consistent with it.
Don’t Go Crazy on Coffee and Embrace Black Tea
Don’t rely on coffee, especially if you display the hallmarks of cortisol problems: belly fat accumulation and poor performance in the gym. Or, at least cut way back. Consider going for black tea instead, which has been shown to normalize cortisol.10 If you keep drinking coffee (let’s face it, it’s delicious), try not to rely on it. Have a cup at the start of your shift – since it’s “morning” for you – but no more.
Ultimately, what the human animal does best is adapt, often to some pretty horrible conditions. Consider how many people go about their days without apparent problems and live long lives eating the modern processed diet. Consider the amount of unimaginable cruelty, war, genocide, and famine occurring today and throughout all history, and still people live on. So you can handle shift work. Maybe not for the rest of your life, maybe not for ten years without serious ramifications to your health and quality of life, but you can handle shift work now and in the near future. Just don’t get complacent. Start, today, working toward the goal of getting off shift work, because no amount of supplementation, smart training, diet perfection, and artificial light trickery will make up for a lifestyle that contradicts your basic physiology.
Any shift workers in here? What’s worked for you? What hasn’t? Let us know in the comment section!
You’ve probably seen a BOSU exercise ball at the gym. It’s that piece of equipment hanging out by the free weights that looks like half of an inflated beach ball about two feet in diameter attached to a flat disc. You know the one. But do you know what to do with it? Have you ever incorporated a BOSU ball into your workout?
The BOSU ball is actually one of the more versatile items in the gym. This one apparatus can train the upper body, lower body, core, balance and stability, and it even provides a great cardio option if you know how to use it to get your heart rate up. When you’re traveling, if all the meager hotel gym has is a BOSU ball and a mat, it’s easy to devise a total body workout that will have you sweating.
Get started with this list of 12 simple exercises you can do with just a BOSU ball and your body weight, plus variations to make them easier or more challenging according to your fitness level. As always, check with your physician if you have concerns about starting a new exercise program. Folks who struggle with their balance may want to ask a trainer or coach to help get them started.
12 BOSU Ball Exercises
These are roughly broken down into core exercises, upper body exercises, lower body exercises, and “cardio.” The beauty of the BOSU ball, though, is that every exercise is really a full-body exercise. The BOSU’s instability (I believe “wobbliness” is the technical term) means that muscles throughout your body are called upon to stabilize and help you hold each position. Make sure to keep your core contracted throughout each of these exercises.
Each exercise has a suggested time or rep range that constitutes one set. Adjust these to your capabilities. Options for using these exercises to create a whole body workout are in the next section.
Note: “Platform side down” means the flat side of the BOSU is on the ground, dome (ball) facing up. “Platform side up” means the dome side is down, flat side facing up. The BOSU is obviously more stable when the platform is on the ground, making exercises easier. Be advised that the BOSU ball has a weight limit of 300 to 350 pounds (136 to 159 kg), depending on the model.
Core exercises
BOSU BALL PLANK
Place the BOSU platform side down. Put your elbows on top of the ball at approximately shoulder width. Keep your shoulders directly over elbows as you walk your feet back until you are in a plank position with core contracted. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
Variations: If this is too difficult, place your knees on the ground. Place your hands on the ball instead of elbows. To make it harder, alternate lifting one foot at a time off the ground. For an advanced version, turn the BOSU over so its platform side up. (See push-up section below for position.)
BOSU BALL SIDE PLANK
Place the BOSU platform side down. Place your right elbow on the ball and walk your feet out so you are in a side plank position with left foot stacked on top of right. Left hand can be on your hip or extended towards the ceiling. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
Variations: Dip your bottom hip toward the ground and return to plank position. Keep doing this for the duration of the set. To make this easier, bend your bottom leg and rest your bottom knee on the ground.
BOSU BALL V-SITS
Place the BOSU platform side down. Sit on top of the ball with your hands slightly behind your hips. Bring your knees to your chest. Keep your feet together as you extend your legs out in front of you, then bring your knees back into your chest. Repeat for 30 to 60 seconds.
Variation: Really challenge your balance and core by reaching your arms straight out in front of you instead of using them for support.
Upper body exercises
BOSU BALL PUSH-UP
The push-up is one of the Primal Essential Movements, along with the plank. Place the BOSU platform side up. Start in a plank position with hands flat or gripping the edges of the platform. Lower your chest toward the platform using control to try to keep the BOSU from wobbling too much (it will wobble a little no matter what you do). Aim for 8 to 20 reps.
Variations: For an easier version, place your knees on the ground. To make it harder, alternate lifting one foot at a time off the ground. Place your toes on the BOSU and your hands on the ground instead.
BOSU BALL STAGGERED PUSH-UP
Place the BOSU platform side down. Place one hand in the middle of the ball and the other hand on the ground so they are slightly wider than shoulder width. Assume the plank position and lower your body towards the ground as in a traditional push-up. Aim for 8 to 20 reps.
Variations: Drop your knees to the ground to make it easier. This is already a very challenging exercise, but you can dial it up even more by alternating hands every time. Start with your right hand on the ball and left hand on the ground. Do one push-up. Then bring your left hand onto the ball and walk your right hand down to the ground. Adjust your feet as necessary, then do another push-up. Continue to walk your hands back and forth over the ball, alternating push-ups on each side.
BOSU BALL QUADRUPED HOVER
Place the BOSU platform side up. Kneel in front of the BOSU with your feet flexed so you are resting on your toes instead of the tops of your feet. Grasp the edges of the platform with your hands so you are in something like an all-fours position. Lift your knees off the ground, making sure to keep shoulders over wrists. Hover for 30 to 60 seconds.
Variation: Lift one foot at a time an inch or two off the ground and hold it for a few seconds before switching sides.
Lower body exercises
BOSU BALL SPLIT-LEG LUNGE
Place the BOSU platform side down. Stand about 12 inches in front of the BOSU. Reach back with your left foot and place the toes in the middle of the BOSU ball. Keep most of the weight in your front (right) foot. Adjust your stance so you are in a comfortable position to lunge, then bend your knees and lower down until your right thigh is parallel to the ground, keeping your right knee tracking over your toes. Stand back up. Do 15 to 20 lunges on the right leg, then switch sides and repeat.
Variation: Stand facing toward the BOSU. Place your front foot in the center of the BOSU ball and keep your back foot on the ground instead. Lower and stand slowly and with control because this version is considerably less stable.
BOSU BALL SIDE LUNGE
Place the BOSU platform side down. Stand about 18 inches to the side of the BOSU. Step on the ball with the foot closest to the BOSU, landing your foot in the center of the ball. Keep your standing leg mostly straight and lunge toward the foot that is on the BOSU ball, tracking your knees over toes. Push up to return to standing. Do 15 to 20 squats on one side, then switch sides and repeat.
Variation: Lunge toward the foot that is standing on the ground instead. Turn this into a squat by bending both legs and sitting down toward the ground instead of lunging to the side.
BOSU BALL GLUTE BRIDGE
Place the BOSU platform side down. Lay on your back with knees bent, feet resting in the center of the ball, and hips close to the BOSU. Press into your heels to lift your hips until your torso and thighs form a straight line. Lower your hips back down to the ground with control. Do 15 to 20 reps.
Variations: To make this easier, lie with your upper back on the BOSU ball and your feet flat on the ground with knees bent. To make this harder, try single-leg bridges. Lift one foot off the ball and straighten that leg. Do 15 to 20 reps on the first side, then switch feet and repeat. Expect to feel it in your hamstrings the next day! Keep your arms straight by your sides, hands palm down for stability as shown. Or, for more of a challenge, raise your arms straight toward the ceiling.
Cardio exercises
BOSU BALL MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
Place the BOSU platform side up. Hold on to the edges of the platform and assume a plank position as if doing a push-up. Bring one knee toward your chest, then return it to starting position. Do the same with the other knee. Go back and forth for 30 to 60 seconds. Speed it up to increase the intensity.
Variation: Instead of driving your knees straight forward towards your chest, bring them across your body towards the opposite shoulder. This will target the obliques more.
BOSU BALL SIDE-TO-SIDE HOP OVER
Place the BOSU platform side down. Stand about 12 inches to the side of the BOSU with your right foot in the middle of the ball, knees slightly bent. Push into the right foot to travel, or “hop,” over the ball. You will end up standing on the opposite side of the BOSU with your left foot on top. Alternate back and forth for 30 to 60 seconds. Go slower or faster to vary the intensity.
Variation: For an easier version of this exercise, stand with the BOSU in front of you and alternate tapping your right foot then your left foot on the BOSU.
BOSU BALL BURPEE
Everyone’s favorite exercise! Place the BOSU platform side up. Start in the push-up position holding on to the sides of the platform. Step or jump your feet close to your hands. Stand up and do a shoulder press to lift the BOSU over your head. Reverse the motion and step or hop your feet back to plank position. That’s one rep. Keep going for 30 to 60 seconds.
Variation: Take out the shoulder press and just do a traditional burpee where you let go of the BOSU as you stand up and jump straight up in the air. Bend forward, grab the edges of the platform, and step or hop your feet back to plank position.
BOSU Ball Workouts
Always start with a warmup of at least five to ten minutes of easy movement—walking briskly or using a stationary bike, elliptical, or stair climber, for example—to elevate your body temperature and wake up the muscles and joints, so to speak. Follow this with some dynamic stretching movements such as hip circles, arm circles, easy lunges, and pulling your knees toward your chest.
Once you’re warmed up and ready to go, there are numerous ways you could formulate a workout out of the 12 exercises above. Here are three ideas:
Full-body BOSU workout:
Pick one core, one upper body, one lower body, and one cardio exercise from the lists above.
Do one set of each exercise, doing the four exercises back to back. That’s one circuit.
Rest for a minute or two, then repeat.
Do a fixed number of circuits (four to six is a good target), or do as many circuits as you can in 20 or 30 minutes.
Full-body BOSU ladder:
Pick one core, one upper body, one lower body, and one cardio exercise from the lists above. Do each of the four exercises back to back for 60 seconds each. Then do them again in the same order for 50 seconds each, then 40 seconds each, 30 seconds, 20 seconds, and 10 seconds.
That’s your descending ladder. This is higher-intensity than the full-body workout above because you are going non-stop for about 15 minutes, but you can also rest for 30 seconds to a minute between circuits (or “rungs”) if you need.
If you want even more work, do ascending and descending ladders. Start by doing each exercise back to back for 10 seconds each, then 20 seconds, then 30 seconds, and so on up to 60 seconds, then work your way back down.
Tabata-style workout:
Choose any of the exercise above. Do the movement for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this pattern—20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest—eight times for a total of four minutes. That’s it!
What do you think, folks? Do you use a BOSU ball in your workouts already? What’s your favorite way to use it?
Looking for a warm and cozy meal? Our beef stew is the perfect meal to cook for a dinner spent inside. Filled with plenty of vegetables, such as radishes and carrots this stew can be cooked on the stovetop or in the oven for ease. Not only is this Keto Beef Stew great on its own, you can easily top it on cauliflower rice or mash.
How to make keto beef stew
In a bowl, toss the stew meat with garlic, black pepper and salt. In a dutch oven or heavy oven-safe pot, heat a tablespoon of oil on your stovetop over medium-high heat. Once hot, add some of the stew meat to the pot in a single layer – don’t overcrowd the pan! Sear the meat on each side for 4-5 minutes, then remove the meat with tongs and set them aside. Add half of a tablespoon of oil and let it heat up, then repeat with the remaining stew meat until all of it is seared and browned on the outside. Set the meat aside but leave any oil or juices in the pot.
Place the pot back over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and radish to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies just start to soften. Add the meat back to the pot along with the broth and fresh herbs and stir to combine.
Cooking keto beef stew on stovetop
To cook on the stovetop, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover the pot. Check after an hour and give the stew a stir, then replace the lid and cook for an additional 1.5-2 hours, or until the meat is tender. You may need to add a little more broth when cooking on the stovetop.
Cooking keto beef stew in the oven
To cook in the oven, place a lid on the pot and place it in the oven for 350 degrees for about 3 hours, giving a stir at about the 1.5-2 hour mark. Continue baking in the oven until the meat is tender.
Uncover the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste, and add more fresh herbs if you’d like. Top with fresh parsley and serve over cauliflower rice or mash or on its own.
Looking for a warm and cozy meal? Our beef stew is the perfect meal to cook for a dinner spent inside. Filled with plenty of vegetables, such as radishes and carrots this stew can be cooked on the stovetop or the oven for ease.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp Primal Kitchen Avocado or Olive Oil
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into ~1.5 inch pieces (we used chuck roast)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups chopped celery (about 3–4 stalks)
1.5 cups chopped radishes
¾ cup chopped red onion
¾ cup chopped carrot
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1.5 cups beef broth (we used low sodium)
Chopped parsley
Instructions
In a bowl, toss the stew meat with garlic, black pepper and salt.
In a dutch oven or heavy oven-safe pot, heat a tablespoon of oil on your stovetop over medium-high heat. Once hot, add some of the stew meat to the pot in a single layer – don’t overcrowd the pan! Sear the meat on each side for 4-5 minutes, then remove the meat with tongs and set them aside. Add half of a tablespoon of oil and let it heat up, then repeat with the remaining stew meat until all of it is seared and browned on the outside. Set the meat aside but leave any oil or juices in the pot.
Place the pot back over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and radish to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies just start to soften. Add the meat back to the pot along with the broth and fresh herbs and stir to combine.
Continue cooking on the stovetop by bringing the mixture to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and cover the pot. Check after an hour and give the stew a stir, then replace the lid and cook for an additional 1.5-2 hours, or until the meat is tender. You may need to add a little more broth when cooking on the stovetop.
Uncover the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste, and add more fresh herbs if you’d like. Top with fresh parsley and serve over cauliflower rice or mash or on its own.
Notes
After Step 3 you can also cook this stew in the oven. Simply place a lid on the pot and place it in the oven for 350 degrees for about 3 hours, giving a stir at about the 1.5-2 hour mark. Continue baking in the oven until the meat is tender.
on the following day: stay active with low-risk activities (hiking, walking…) outdoors.
Power-nap (20 min max) around noon, go to bed early, no alcohol, no carb-excesses (seems to massively impair REM sleep for me).
Hey folks, Board-Certified Health Coach Erin Power is here to talk about social media triggers and tidying up your feed. If you find social media hurting your well-being, we’ve got strategies, tips, and backup! Have a question you’d like to ask our health coaches? Leave it below in the comments or over in the Mark’s Daily Apple Facebook group.
Annie asked:
“I switched to Primal a few months ago, and it’s going pretty well. Before that, I had a long history of on-and-off-again dieting and calorie counting. FINALLY, I’m starting to feel like I can just eat real food and let the weight watching go (without gaining weight in the process). The problem: Part of what helped me go Primal was following hashtags on Instagram like #paleo #primal #keto, etc. This actually helped me stick with it and feel part of a community of people eating this way and loving life. BUT lately I’ve noticed myself getting super triggered by certain posts. Usually these are women who are super thin (maybe anorexic) using paleo and keto hashtags. While I’ve come a long way, I don’t look anything like that. It triggers old habits around food and body image. How do I deal with this but keep the good parts of social media inspiration? Sorry for the long question lol.”
First, welcome to the Primal eating crew, and congratulations on your conscious efforts to surround yourself with supportive messaging and community. Creating a supportive environment is HUGE when it comes to implementing and sticking with habit shifts and healthy change efforts.
I’d like to acknowledge you, as well, for noticing what’s NOT working when it comes to social media and your well-being. That awareness is an overlooked first step of self-care. In the end, we are our number 1 caretakers. By recognizing what is helpful and what is not, you can take steps to choose what truly nourishes you.
Tidy your feed, tidy your mind.
As you mentioned, social media can be a tremendous support for Primal eating and living. In a world where so much messaging (online and IRL) is NOT health conscious, it’s nice knowing you can go online and see or even connect with the many people embracing healthy lifestyles and having fun along the way. Good for you for seeking out community as you make supportive shifts.
That said, social media is a mixed blessing. You never know who or what might enter your feed. This is the case whether you follow certain hashtags or if the platform feeds you “recommended” or “suggested” posts and ads based on your previous activity.
As a Primal Health Coach, I work with many clients who have a history of eating disorders or other unhelpful patterns related to food, eating, and weight loss culture. One of the first things I do is recommend that they take a close look at what content and messaging they’re consuming on a daily basis—including on social media. Is it helpful? Or not so much?
I notice this myself on Instagram from time to time and take immediate, proactive steps to edit out what’s triggering or not serving my best interest. I even have a saying: Tidy up your Instagram feed. Tidy up your mind.
If Instagram is recommending posts that you find triggering and unhelpful, make sure to flag them as “Not Interested.” You do this on the post itself, by clicking the three dots in the upper-right corner to see your options. Of course, if you follow the triggering account, unfollow! You can do so on the person’s profile page or by simply clicking those dots up top for the “Unfollow” option. If a particular hashtag seems to bring lots of triggering posts your way, unfollow that too. If the post is “sponsored,” you’ll see an option to stop seeing the ad.
Put simply: Anytime anything or anyone makes you feel badly about yourself or is derailing your healthy change efforts, take the power back and simply make it disappear. We’re focusing on Instagram, but this applies to all social media as well as other content you’re consuming online or in person. Unfortunately, you will have to do it again and again because this stuff always seems to creep back in. But there is something intentional and empowering about this exercise! If you do this often enough your feed DOES change.
Say no thanks, with care.
Current beauty ideals have come far but still have a long way to go. A lot of social media content tries to convince us to be as lean and light as possible (whether through overt messaging or through what’s implied in images and captions).
Since you’re already embracing a Primal lifestyle, you know that achieving a particular size or shape is not what we’re about. Yes, many folks reach their ideal body composition by eating a nutrient-dense diet comprised of real, whole, minimally processed foods; high-quality protein; healthy fats; fruits and veggies; and high-fat dairy. But the bigger picture is enhanced health, longevity, and vitality inside, regardless of how we look on the outside.
This is true, AND, so long as there are not underlying health conditions and so long as the 10 Primal Blueprint Rules are generally applied with at least 80% consistency, desired changes in body composition tend to happen naturally—without calorie counting or struggle.
As a Primal Health Coach, I see this as the norm with my clients, rather than the exception. I also see it as something that helps many step out of old, unhelpful patterns around food: At long last, they can eat delicious, healthy food in abundance and not worry about unwanted weight gain or trying to fight their body and biology. For most, this is the definition of food freedom.
I want to mention this, in part, because we can never know what people posting on social media are actually going through. I suspect many who post “triggering” content around weight and dieting are actually caught in their own places of suffering and struggle. They have not found the sort of “accidental food freedom” that comes along with the Primal approach to eating, moving, and living.
Rather than blame or shame them (or leave unkind comments), I try to send compassionate thoughts, remove them from my feed, and move on. I’m NOT saying this is easy or that I don’t stay triggered or even angry at times. Truthfully, it can be so, so hard to let a triggering image, caption, or comment go.
But the more we manage to remember that these are humans too, with their own vulnerabilities and places of struggle reinforced by widespread diet and beauty ideals, the more we are actively contributing to changing the current culture.
But back to you, Annie: You’re your number 1 caretaker and need to first and foremost take care of you. I just find considering the wider context helpful in softening the power of triggers, taking empowered action, and moving on.
Social Media Strategy & Support
To sum up:
DO follow accounts and hashtags that are supportive of your health, lifestyle, and food choices. They are a great source of inspiration, motivation, and community!
DON’T follow accounts or hashtags that make you feel bad about yourself or otherwise undermine the empowering, healthy changes you’re making.
Edit your social media feeds regularly, keeping what’s helpful and removing the rest.
Remember our shared humanness and proceed from a place of compassion and kindness whenever possible. We have no idea what others are going through behind the filtered lens of Instagram and other social media channels.
For anyone needing extra backup amidst the diet culture and unhelpful messaging, consider working with a health coach one-on-one. Imagine if you could take all the tips in a post like this and allllll the information that you’ve been gathering over the decades…and reliably and consistently implement them. That’s where coaches help!
External accountability truly is a game changer, and we can help you stay the course with your goals and navigate tricky social situations online and off. Visit myprimalcoach.com to learn more and get started!
Do you find social media helpful or harmful in your wellness journey? Have any tips to share? Let us know and drop your favorite, most supportive Instagram accounts in the comments!
The average person spends thousands of dollars a year on skincare products—lotions, creams, serums, tonics, and ointments designed to moisturize, heal, and fend off the outward signs of aging. For most people, the foremost consideration when choosing skincare products is, “Does it work?” However, the growing popularity of so-called clean beauty products indicates that more people are also caring about the quality of the ingredients they slather so liberally over their faces and bodies.
Why does it matter? Skin is the largest organ of the human body. It is also permeable. Anything we put on our skin makes its way inside, so we certainly don’t want to be applying harmful substances to our skin. We also rely on our skin to provide a barrier with the outside world, keeping harmful organisms where they belong. When it’s healthy, skin plays an important role in the immune system. In part, it does this by housing its own microbiome. The skin microbiome is distinct from the one you might be more familiar with in the gut, but just like the gut, the skin microbiome can be disrupted. When that happens, a host of health issues can follow 1 Thus, we want to protect the skin microbiome, and one way we do that is by not applying harsh, even toxic, substances.
And of course, we want our skin to feel good. Dry, itchy, painful skin will make a person miserable. Even when it doesn’t cause physical discomfort, skin conditions can cause embarrassment. After all, it’s the outer shell that we present to people. Granted, other people don’t judge us as much as we think they do (they’re too busy worrying about how other people are judging them), but it’s natural to want to put your best foot—or best face—forward.
All this is to say, we want safe, effective, and affordable ways to care for our skin. Here’s where I’d start.
Choosing the Best Skincare Products
If you walk into your local drugstore and pick up any skincare product or cosmetic off the shelf, you’ll see a mile-long list of unpronounceable ingredients. Unpronounceable doesn’t automatically mean bad or harmful, but it can be hard to distinguish between ones you feel good about putting on your body and those you’d be better off avoiding.
More and more companies are making an effort to produce safer skincare products to meet consumers’ increasing demands. Labels proudly display buzzwords like natural, green, clean, non-toxic, and earth-friendly. The problem is, none of these terms are regulated by the FDA, so ultimately, they could mean anything… or nothing. The FDA does have a short list of banned or regulated ingredients, and “it’s against the law to use any ingredient that makes a cosmetic harmful when used as intended.”2 Beyond that, each manufacturer or retailer gets to decide for themselves what constitutes “clean” skincare.
Therefore, it’s up to the consumer to find trustworthy brands and to scope out the ingredients in the products they buy. You can really go down a rabbit hole here; some skincare companies list literally thousands of suspect ingredients they’ve banned. If that’s too overwhelming—and I wouldn’t blame you if it is—here are the top four I’d recommend avoiding.
Common skincare ingredients to avoid:
1. Parabens
Parabens are ubiquitous in personal care products including shampoos, conditioners, makeup, toothpaste, lubricant, shaving gel, moisturizers, and sunscreens. They are controversial due to their potential estrogenic effects3 and the possibility that they could be linked to various health problems. Although the evidence for their harm is inconclusive, public anti-paraben sentiment is strong enough that many companies have removed parabens from their products.
What to look for: Any word with “paraben” as the suffix in the ingredient list. Look for “paraben-free” on labels.
2. Phthalates
Being plasticizers, phthalates are abundant in plastics, but they also show up in most cosmetics, especially nail polish (to keep the polish from becoming brittle on the nail) and synthetic fragrance (as a preservative). Like most other plastic compounds, phthalates are endocrine disruptors. In humans, epidemiological studies have linked phthalate exposure to an alarming array of issues including insulin resistance and diabetes, obesity, allergies, asthma, and poor sperm function.45 Kids and adults are both at risk.
Now, correlation does not necessarily imply causation, but the observational studies coupled with potential physiological mechanisms (endocrine disruption) make me pretty suspicious of phthalates. Of course, much of our exposure comes from plastics and the ambient environment, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t limit exposure through cosmetics, too.
What to look for: Fragrance almost always contains phthalates. Sometimes, ingredient names will have the suffix “phthalate,” but you can’t always rely on that. You know what? Just be wary of that “phth” (how the heck do you even pronounce that?) because it shows up in the middle of words, too. As with parabens, many manufacturers are now letting you know when phthalates are absent in their products.
3. Fragrances
Fragrances are exactly what they sound like: synthetic compounds added to products to make them “smell good” (subjectively—I often despise them). And they’re everywhere.
The real problem with fragrance is that fragrance recipes are considered trade secrets. Companies don’t have to disclose the chemicals contained in a particular fragrance. Unfortunately, most synthetic fragrances contain phthalates, which I’ve already covered, and synthetic musks, which have been shown to impair endogenous cellular defense mechanisms.6 Basically, synthetic musks may hamper our cells’ ability to detoxify. Many fragrance ingredients are also allergens.
What to look for: Fragrance, parfum, aroma.
4. UV-filtering chemicals
Many sunscreens use UV filters like benzophenone and oxybenzone for their UV-blocking properties, but they also come with a cost: endocrine disruption. Certain forms of benzophenone, for example, inhibit the action of thyroid peroxidase, an enzyme necessary for the production of thyroid hormone.7Chemical sunscreens frequently contain parabens and other problematic ingredients, as well.
If you’re looking for safer sun protection, opt for a hat and a lightweight cover-up, or go for a mineral sunscreen instead.
What to look for: Benzophenone, oxybenzone (benzophenone-3), octyl-methoxycinnamate, para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), 3-benzylidene camphor (3-BC), 3-(4-methyl-benzylidene) camphor (4-MBC), 2-ethylhexyl 4-methoxycinnamate (OMC), homosalate (HMS), 2-ethylhexyl 4-dimethylaminobenzoate (OD-PABA). These are different chemicals with similar effects.
How to Promote Healthy Skin
Healthy skin is more than what you rub on it. Your lifestyle is reflected in your healthy glow—or lack thereof.
Sleep
When you don’t sleep enough, your skin suffers. Insufficient sleep leads to impaired skin barrier function and accelerated skin aging.89 Sleep deprivation has a direct impact on the integrity of the skin, including the production of collagen.10 The result is saggier, more wrinkle-prone skin, a sallow complex, and under-eye circles to boot.
If you’re dehydrated, so is your skin. To maintain skin elasticity, make sure you’re drinking enough water.
And avoid drinking too much alcohol. Alcohol abuse has long been associated with various conditions of the skin, including jaundice, hyperpigmentation, flushing, and psoriasis.11 While I doubt most readers take their alcohol consumption to abusive proportions, these extreme cases indicate that alcohol isn’t particularly skin-enhancing.
Build a Healthy Gut
The state of your gut biome is central to basically every aspect of your health, so why not your skin? Scientists acknowledge that the state of your gut affects you skin via the “gut-skin axis.” Rosacea, for example, can be a sign of underlying H. pylori infection.12 Gut dysbiosis—too many undesirable microbes and/or too few of the good guys—leads to leaky gut and systemic inflammation that in turn contributes to skin afflictions like atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and alopecia.13 Folks with these skin conditions also tend to have higher rates of ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel disease. It’s all connected.
If the idea of researching and choosing safe skincare products has your head spinning, here are some ways you can use simple items you probably already have in your home to nourish your epidermis.
Scrub with sugar or sea salt: Finally, a good use for sugar. Be careful using abrasives on the face, but these are great for the neck down.
Moisturize with avocado oil: Avocado oil is packed with good-for-your-skin nutrients, like carotenoids, healthy fat, and vitamins A, D and E. Together, they can boost collagen production, fade age spots, calm inflammation, and treat sunburns. Pour a few drops in your hand and work it into clean, damp or dry skin.
Dab on apple cider vinegar: The acidity of apple cider vinegar can potentially help with acne, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis. Just make sure you dilute it first.
Moisturize with shea butter: Shea butter—packed with stearic, palmitic, linoleic, and oleic acids, as well as vitamins E and A—smooths dry skin like no other. It’s best when used in its purest, rawest form, so seek out unrefined shea butter.
Make your own deodorant spray: I’ve had many readers tell me they no longer need deodorant after going Primal, but if you want something for your pits, mix equal parts vodka and distilled water in a small spray bottle. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (lavender and tea tree are nice), and voila.
To Shower or Not to Shower?
Water, the most basic element of hygiene. How could we possibly go wrong there? Grok, for his part, had access to mineral-rich, relatively pristine lakes, rivers, and springs. To really emulate Grok, we’d have to wash ourselves with pure, unchlorinated water (sorry to all those readers who have city water) and abandon all soaps, shampoos, toners, cleansers, and lotions.
Now I know some hardcore individuals who have given up showering and all personal care products. I’m not saying you have to, I’m saying it’s possible. But I also don’t blame you if that’s a bridge too far. That said, if your water is chlorinated to the point where you can smell it, or if you have chronic skin conditions of any kind, consider fitting a water filter to your shower head. And ease up on the soap lathering. Your skin was designed to produce its own oils to provide natural protection against the elements, and a good lather is going to reverse all that hard work. Wash off the dirt, sure. Subject your skin microbiome to an aggressive sand-blasting, no.
Thanks for stopping by, folks. What changes have you seen to your skin since going Primal? What kinds of practices and products do you use for good skin health? Also, what have you stopped doing or buying that made a positive difference?
You’ve probably seen a BOSU exercise ball at the gym. It’s that piece of equipment hanging out by the free weights that looks like half of an inflated beach ball about two feet in diameter attached to a flat disc. You know the one. But do you know what to do with it? Have you ever incorporated a BOSU ball into your workout?
Looking for a warm and cozy meal? Our beef stew is the perfect meal to cook for a dinner spent inside. Filled with plenty of vegetables, such as radishes and carrots this stew can be cooked on the stovetop or in the oven for ease. Not only is this Keto Beef Stew great on its own, you can easily top it on cauliflower rice or mash.
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The average person spends thousands of dollars a year on skincare products—lotions, creams, serums, tonics, and ointments designed to moisturize, heal, and fend off the outward signs of aging. For most people, the foremost consideration when choosing skincare products is, “Does it work?” However, the growing popularity of so-called clean beauty products indicates that more people are also caring about the quality of the ingredients they slather so liberally over their faces and bodies.
