In the large amount of free time that I have on this island I have found myself getting into some new things. Primarily starting a steady habit of working out and surprisingly, especially to me, eating healthy.
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| EATING PRIMAL like we did 10,000 years ago |
I'll start with the working out. As a MAN, once you hit that age of around 16 & get your drivers license you seem to want to work out. And why not. You are in high school. One of the most impressionable time in someones life. And how you look, especially to other people is important. Being 25 now I have gone on and off to the gym. Mostly off. For the majority of the time I find it rather boring being at a gym and counting out your reps of 8-10, doing 3 sets and working on 3-5 different machines/routines/techniques. Boring, Boring and Boring. So that has been on and off for years.
HOWEVER, living in Antigua (which is a 2nd world country i've just found out, not a 3rd.) you are not exposed to the probably Billion dollar health craze that America is full of. Here, we hardly have a gym to workout at. At first glance of the 'gym' you see a few machines. Treadmills and a few elipticals. A rack of dumbells, pull up bar and a benchpress machine in the back and thats it. Literally. "What a surprise", I said. But after a while I thought to myself, "this is exactly what I need." I dont need 50 different machines, that is what I was used to in America for years and I was bored with that. I was ready for something new and I sure as hell have the time to figure it out.
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| @ CFNH working with a kettlebell |
A few months before I left I participated in the first 'on-ramp' class for 30 days at Cross Fit New Haven...C.F.N.H. And in that 30 days I sure learned a lot more about body mechanics, pure strength, olympic lifting, proper technique and diet than I ever thought I would. I realized that I/you dont need all this fancy EXPENSIVE equpitment and machines they have at your high priced gym that you never go to. I dont need that to try to make myself feel better about going to the gym. Learning many movements and techniques that are so basic was amazing to me. They teach you a different style of training and thats what I love about Crossfit. AND it is fun. You are with a group of people in this warehouse, literally, working out together. And the coaches are very good at what they do. It has a very fundamental basis of making you learn proper technique so you dont hurt yourself.
SO what I am really trying to tell you is that living on a island with minimal workout epuiptment I can still get an awesome workout. Actually a better workout that I did in America in my opinion. One thing I hate to hear is other people saying, "hey man, what are you working on?" and they reply, "back and bi's." That may be good for them but not me. I try to workout many parts of the body with minimal equiptment and get a better workout than they do. A great quote i've heard is, "you look at guys who go to the gym for 2 hours and get a 30 minute work out, then you see others who go for 30 minutes and get a 2 hour workout." Thats what I am aiming for. Not the span of time I am there but what it is I am doing in that time I am there. BOOM BABY. I try to keep the intensity up and not spend too much time in between exercises.Two great websites where I get my daily routines from is SEALFit and US Crossfit HQ. They are run by US Navy Seals who will beat the shit outta you and make you come back for more.
-SEALFIT
-US CROSSFIT
Everyday I go to these sites for my workout and awesome tips on nutrition and reading material. Great things to get you motivated to get going.
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SECOND
on the topic of nutrition. Nutrition, in my personal opinion is the key factor is weight training, muscleObuilding ,endurance, etc etc etc. Sure anyone can go to the gym and workout, but what really counts is what you do with the rest of your day. I can remember when one of my good friends and I would go to Planet Fitness in Connecticut and after a really hard set of whatever we would get so mad and say, "we gotta get the fuck outta here" Then go directly to taco bell. Now I sure as hell wish there was a Taco Bell on this island. But what I am trying to say, as millions have said is its all about what you eat. And this blog being titled 'LIVING PRIMAL' That is what I will talk about. The book I was talking about earlier, "The Primal Blueprint" is awesome. Although I have only read the first chapter, it is still very good and makes one think. Like WHAT really did our ancestors eat. And what the hell did they do with the rest of their day. And what I got from the 1st chapter is that all they ate was MEAT< INSECTS AND PLANTS. Now, dont get me wrong, the insects part sounds gross. But what else did they know. Its food, and its all about survival of the fittest. Sure you dont have to eat those moths and you can die or you can shut the hell up and eat them and live. But I have a feeling that 10,000 years ago there were no pre-concieved notions about anything. If it could be ate, it was.
So what am I doing here? Opposite to America, the healthier food here is cheaper. The chicken is cheap, the fish is cheap and vegetables are cheap.And that is, for the most part what I am eating on a daily basis. And all we have in the way of 'Fast Food' is a subway and a KFC. I will say though, in being here for almost 9 weeks I have had the KFC and the chicken is ALOT better here than in America.
So after getting new workout routines down and using many crossfit daily workouts down I am trying my hand at eating healthier. First, what I have added to my diet is more protein. For the majority of thw week I eat a few fried eggs for breakfast on a rice cake. It is very low in carbs, which I am avoiding. When I used to eat eggs I would eat it on two pieces of bread. First off, this felt like way too much bread and hardly anything inbetween. And second alot of carbos in the morning is a bad start to living primal.
For lunch I will eat a sandwich of turkey maybe some bacon pickles bannana peppers tomatoes lettuce and pickles. I try to add in the veggies and subtract wheat.
Throughout the day I try to drink about two nalgene bottles of water. Which is around 2 litres. Sometimes more in the hot Caribbean sun. Later on in the day Ill have a snack of nuts sunflower seeds maybe an apple or something in that area. And for dinner it is mostly chicken or fish. Cooked in a variety of ways. Grilled, baked, fried, smoked, broiled, etc etc etc. I try an limit the red meet consumption for its health risks. But dont get me wrong I love steak and I eat maybe one every 7 days. Grilled is my fav. In addition to the chicken and/or fish I almost always sautee' vegetables. It is actually very east and comes out great. A delicious combo is bell peppers and mushrooms sauteed with garlic was well. Fast, easy and simple. A usually try to add more vegetables to subtract for a usual side of pasta or potatoes.
The low carb thing I am working on is a new thing to me because I love bow-tie pasta. And it is hard. When you have your chicken and some veggies and thats it. No pasta, or spaghetti or potatoes to fill you up. But after a few weeks of this so far you seem to get used to it and adjust. That is what it is like here, a lot of adjusting. And something the Primals had to deal with everyday.
So all this shit is new to me. You try new things and adjust. You see what works and what doesnt. You see what you can live with and what you can't. BUT never forget to treat yourself. Youll go insane if you dont have some rewards after a hard day.
And below are a few pics of the delicious looking 'Spicy Chicken and Bacon Poppers' I got from the
TRIDENT CROSSFIT website.
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| BEFORE |
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| AFTER |
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