The Primal Challenge

Start right now.  Just one month.   Why not give it a shot!

1. Spend time outside every day.  Shoot for at least 15 minutes, more if you want. Try to stay in the sun.  Avoid burning of course. Be leisurely:  No working or stressful stuff.  Phone and gadgets turned off.  Just playing, exercising or laying around.  Maybe a fun game.  By yourself or with buddies.   Ideally barefoot.   Think about how much fun it was to play outside in the grass barefoot as a kid.  It’s just as fun as an adult.

2. Watch at least one sunrise and one sunset.   At least one each sometime during the month.   Ideally, from a point where you can see the sun pass over and under the horizon.

3. Get lots of sleep.   Shoot for 50+ hours a week.   Try to go to bed early enough that you don’t need an alarm clock to wake up.  No glowing rectangles during the hour before bed.  That’s TV, alarm clock, computer, phone & anything else made by Steve Jobs.  Consider a warm bath.  No lights in bedroom.

4. Learn a little bit about health every day.  Spend some time on the sites listed in our Blogroll.  Read about The Unconquerable Dave.  Sign up for Mark’s free weekly e-newsletter and review the Start Here page.  Consider bookmarking the Definitive Guide, the Primal Blueprint 101, and the home page.  For extra credit, print up a few of our Top Links and check out this post by Tim Ferriss.

5. Get your 10 basic measurements.   Weigh yourself on the day you start.  Write down your weight and post it somewhere you will see every day, like your frig or a bathroom mirror.   Next to it, post your dream weight.  Take a few photos and get your WHR (waist-to-hip ratio).  That’s all for the beginning.

Sometime during the month, figure out your basic blood numbers and body fat %.  If you’ve had blood drawn lately from the doctor, you should be able to get these five numbers from your results:  Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose, C-Reactive Protein, Cholesterol, Triglycerides.   All five of these should be in your blood panel.

If you haven’t had blood drawn recently, go sometime during the one month challenge and ask for a basic check up PLUS test for Testosterone.  Ideally, get your ten measurements and keep them in a place that you won’t lose them.   (Weight, photos, WHR, Body Fat %, Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose, C-Reactive Protein, Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Testosterone)

6. Follow the 80-20 rule.   Don’t be too strict on yourself.  Don’t over-analyze.  Take breaks and break rules.   Try to follow the guidelines about 80 percent of the time.    This includes eating.   Shoot for 80 percent Primal.   This is less strict than Paleo and still super healthy and fun.  Our site and our blogroll have all the resources you need.

7. Be a part of a healthy team.   Join us.  Or start your own group. Have supportive buddies that you chat with regularly. By being a part of a healthy team, we certainly improve our odds of achieving our goals.

That’s the whole reason behind this humble little blog.   By sharing our thoughts and ideas and suggestions, and encouraging each other, we can work together to get into the best shape of our lives.

That’s it!

Accept the challenge and when you succeed, we’ll send you a framed Certificate of Awesomeness, with your name on it, mailed right to your house, absolutely free.

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