Friday, August 7, 2015

FRIDAY RECIPE: Banana Almond Pancakes!


I'll be the first to admit that transitioning from a SAD (Standard American Diet) way of eating, to fueling your body, mind and spirit with the real food you are evolved for isn't entirely devoid of challenges, especially in the beginning.  For some, the first hurdle is the so-called "carb flu," characterized by a temporary period of brain fog, mental fuzziness, and a general sense of fatigue.  This is completely normal, and something that many people experience as their body's metabolism switches from one that is dependent upon frequently consumed grains/sugars as its primary source of energy, to one that efficiently and chiefly burns fat, as it was made to do (both recently consumed fat and/or the stored fat already hanging out in the general vicinity of the nation's stockpile of butts, bellies, and thighs).  Rest assured that this too shall pass!  Some people don't experience the carb flu at all, whereas others might go through a period of it lasting from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the severity of their carb addiction.

Even after the carb flu has passed, however, you will still sometimes get a hankering for old favorites, and it can be a great help to have some "paleo-friendly" versions standing by to get you through it.  Not only that, but there are literally thousands of delicious dishes available for people who choose to eat primally, most of which far surpass their conventional counterparts in terms of both taste and healthiness.  Case in point:  banana almond pancakes.

These are just as easy (if not easier) to make as the standard wheat flour variety, they taste better, and they're incomparably more healthy for you.  This is my preferred flapjack, and one of those food items that made learning to eat for Evolutionary Power a real pleasure.

INGREDIENTS:
2 bananas (preferably not green)
1 large egg
A big, heaping tablespoon of almond butter (add a bit more for an even fluffier pancake)
Optional: a bit of vanilla extract and/or a dash of cinnamon for extra goodness
Butter, coconut oil, or olive oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS:
Mash the bananas with a fork.  Stir in the egg and almond butter (and vanilla and/or cinnamon, if desired), mixing all ingredients well.  Drop a spoonful of batter into a medium-hot skillet that's been well-greased with butter, coconut oil, or olive oil, forming a pancake about 4-inches in diameter.  Brown on each side and serve warm.  These taste great plain, or you can add a drizzle of honey, a bit of pure maple syrup, or top 'em with berries to taste.  Makes about half a dozen 4-inch flapjacks.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Food!

For those of you who might be less interested in the scientific details, and more interested in simply how to get real world results, here's the short version of how the nutritional aspect of Evolutionary Power works.  We'll discuss physical activity and other essential healthy components of a healthy lifestyle soon.  (And for those who are interested in the science, stay tuned for future posts!)


 "You must empty your cup, so that it can be filled."  (~Zen proverb)

Okay, first things first.  Forget pretty much everything you've ever learned about "healthy" nutrition and exercise, especially if what you've learned is that consuming fat and cholesterol causes obesity and heart disease, or that too much protein is bad for your kidneys and bones, or that eating large amounts of grains (even "whole grains") and performing chronic, moderate cardiovascular exercise are good for you.  None of these bits of conventional wisdom are true.

At the very least, please try to suspend your belief in these myths long enough to test them against what we now know--and what the best scientific research has proven--is true:  We are, for all intents and purposes, genetically identical to our hunter-gatherer ancestors.  The dietary and behavioral patterns for which they evolved and upon which they thrived up until just 10,000 years ago are still the optimal ways in which to fuel and move our own bodies.

Still there?  Good.  Then, without further ado, I present to you, in short form... the simple truth behind eating for Evolutionary Power!

1.)  Don't eat grains or refined sugar, because they're bad for you.

Whereas certain species of birds and rodents have evolved for the consumption of grains, humans have not.  Unlike other living things that have developed more exciting ways to protect themselves against being eaten (claws, fangs, thorns, horns, shells, smells... you get the idea), the best that grains (grass seeds) could come up with is an insidious variety of poisons and anti-nutrients, most of which build up in the system over time and eventually cause the animal that consumes them to fail, suffer chronic illness, and die.  

This, combined with grains' high levels of simple carbohydrate (which causes humans who eat them to experience dramatic surges and drops in insulin levels, leading to increased body fat storage and chronic states of inflammation), and their relatively low levels of beneficial nutrients (vitamins and minerals), makes them a comparably unhealthy food choice for members of our species.  Same goes for refined sugar, especially the man-made poison known as high-fructose corn syrup.

Here's the news flash that Big Agriculture doesn't want you to see:  High-fat diets are not causing the chronic diseases that are killing most members of industrialized society today; a grain-based and high-sugar diet is the source of this modern plague.

Remember, your body doesn't get anything it needs from grains that it cannot get from healthier, more nutrient-dense vegetables, fruits, nuts, and animal sources!  If you can internalize this truism and put it into action, you will be 80% of the way toward optimizing your health.

To put it another way, why eat this...
... when you could eat this, instead?


2.)  Eat lots of animals--and plants that aren't grass--because they're good for you. 
 
The consumption of large amounts of animal fat is what allowed our hominid ancestors to develop the amazing reasoning, problem-solving brains we enjoy today.  Additionally, fat is approximately twice as calorie-dense as the other macronutrients (protein and carbohydrate), making it the energy source of choice for hunter-gatherers who weren't sure when their next meal was coming.  As it was for them, so it should also be for you, the modern hunter-gatherer-in-training.

"But wait!" you might say.  "If fat has twice as many calories, shouldn't I eat less of it if I want to lose weight?"  You'd think so, but I'm afraid it's not that simple.  Now, I promised to not get too science-y in this post, so I'll keep this part relatively short, but it's important for everyone reading to at least have a cursory understanding of how this works.  To be concise, calories in do not necessarily equal calories out, due to the manner in which they are metabolized, and the ease with which they are converted and stored as body fat.  It works like this...

--Carbohydrate:
When you eat a gram of carbohydrate (which is just a chain of sugar molecules), it gets broken down almost immediately into its component sugar molecules and carried into your bloodstream as "blood glucose".  Blood glucose is toxic, so your body's response is to use it up or lock it away as quickly as possible.  In order to do this, your pancreas secretes insulin.  The natural and intended function of insulin is to act as a "key," allowing glucose and other nutrients to enter the cells of your body's muscles and organs, and to transport the excess blood glucose into your fat cells.

If you are physically active, your body's muscles and organs will metabolize ("burn") some of this glucose in order to meet its immediate energy needs.  Any remaining glucose that is not burned fairly quickly is converted and transported (again, via insulin) into your body's energy storage system--fat cells--and saved for the day that your body thinks you might be starving.  The result for most people?  More body fat.

[As an aside, the hyperproduction of insulin triggered by eating high levels of carbohydrate, coupled with a lack of physical activity, over time, diminishes the cells' sensitivity to it (they become "insulin resistant"), and the pancreas eventually begins to suffer from serious job burn-out.  Voila... we have now invented Type 2 diabetes!  The resultant high blood sugar (which, as you remember, is toxic) results in damage to the body's peripheral nerves and blood vessels.  This is why uncontrolled diabetics eventually go blind, have their limbs amputated, and die of kidney failure.  As if this wasn't bad enough, the presence of excess insulin also has a powerful, systemic inflammatory effect, leading to conditions ranging from arthritis and allergies, to eczema, cancer, and heart disease!

Okay, enough of the doom and gloom.  At this point, it's important to note that eating for Evolutionary Power does not necessarily mean following a "low carbohydrate" diet.  It just means eating the right kinds of carbohydrates (primarily complex/fibrous and unprocessed), from the right sources (vegetables, fruits, and some nuts), and probably less than you're used to overall, with the majority of your energy needs being met by mostly animal-sourced fat.

Whereas the typical American consumes more than 300 grams of carbohydrate per day (quite frankly, a deadly amount over time), the recommendation for losing weight at a healthy, sustainable rate is 50 to 100 grams of carbohydrate daily (or even as low as 0 to 50 grams temporarily, to help speed up the process).  If you are already at a healthy weight, eating 100 to 150 grams of carbohydrate daily will suffice to maintain this virtually effortlessly.  If you start creeping into the 175 to 300 range, though, be prepared to start looking for bigger pants again.


--Fat:
In contrast to consuming carbohydrate, when you eat a gram of fat (or protein), it takes longer for the body to break it down and convert it into glucose.  This means your body experiences a more gradual release of insulin, resulting in increased insulin sensitivity (a good thing!), greater satiety (i.e., you don't get hungry again as quickly), and sustained, consistent energy levels (no more highs and lows throughout the day).

Even better, once you've weaned your body off of high levels of carbohydrate, your cellular metabolism will have reset itself and returned to its natural state, a mechanism designed to burn fat as its primary source of fuel.  Interestingly, whether it's the fat from a nicely marbled steak or an egg yolk you just wolfed down, or the wad of fat dangling under your chin or over your belt, your body can't tell the difference in terms of what it's burning for energy.  All it knows is that fat is available to metabolize as its preferred energy source, and that's just what it will do.

Next up on the list of popular myths, "But won't eating all of that fat (or dietary cholesterol) give me high cholesterol?"  Short answer:  Nope, and even if it did, high serum cholesterol levels don't cause heart disease.  Rather than reading what I have to say about it, just click here to watch a short video regarding the lies we've been fed about cholesterol and heart disease for the past 60-plus years.  The bottom line is that fat and cholesterol aren't bad for you, but the grains and grain products heavily subsidized by the government are, and--along with smoking--are the primary causes of heart disease, along with countless other preventable diseases.

We'll get into specifics regarding the various types of fat at another time.  For now, just keep in mind that fat from animals (i.e., fatty meat) should be your primary source of energy.  Butter, ghee, and full-fat dairy (if you aren't lactose intolerant) are good, too.  Avocados, coconuts, and nuts are excellent sources of plant-derived fats, as are coconut and olive oil.  Stay away from "vegetable oil," be it canola, corn, soy, or peanut.
 
--Protein:
Which brings us to protein!  One of the most common questions regarding this vital macronutrient is, "How much do I need?"  Anywhere from about 0.6 to 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body weight is plenty.  If you're trying to gain muscle, consuming up to 1.5 grams per pound of lean body weight can be helpful.  Again, the majority of your protein should come from animal sources (meat, fish, fowl, and eggs).

One common mistake often made when reducing dietary carbohydrate is attempting to replace it--as a primary energy source--with protein.  This often culminates in ravenous hunger, unhealthy feeding binges, frustration, and a painful belly flop as one falls off the wagon.  Remember, although adequate, high quality protein is essential for muscle building/ maintenance, immune function, and various other bodily functions on the systemic and cellular levels, it is not your body's preferred primary source of caloric energy.  If you're feeling low on energy due to reduced carbohydrate consumption, don't jump to protein as the replacement.  Remember, not only is buying extremely lean cuts of meat more expensive, but it is also not in the best interest of your health... eat that fat!  Add some coconut oil to your coffee.  Slather your vegetables with butter.  Top your salad with avocado and crumbled bacon.  Leave the skin on your chicken and the fat on your pork chop.  Snack on a handful of walnuts or macadamias.  Eat as many eggs as you like.

So, to sum that all up, here's the 10-second elevator spiel:  Eating for Evolutionary Power consists of consuming foods that are high in fat (mostly meat and eggs), adequate in protein, and including plenty of comparably low-but-adequate carbohydrates from non-grain sources (vegetables, nuts, and fruits).

Seriously, what's not to love?!?
3.)  Drink plenty of fresh water, because it's good for you.

Your pee should be clear or a light straw color.  If it isn't, drink more water.  A cup or two of coffee a day won't hurt anything (unless you're hypersensitive to caffeine), but it also acts as a diuretic (makes you pee), so don't count it as "water."  Tea is okay.  Soda is poison.  If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation... make it a special occasion.

4.)  Supplement wisely.

Although you should be eating a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, taking a high-quality multivitamin supplement provides good insurance against any possible deficiencies, at a low cost.  We don't spend as much time in the sun as did our ancestors, so some supplemental vitamin D3 is also a good idea... 2,000 to 4,000 IU daily is a good amount for most adults; 1,000 is good for most children.  If in doubt regarding dosage, have your blood levels checked and follow the recommendation of your medical provider.  Balancing the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fats in your diet can also be difficult, due to the fact that much of the meat available (and affordable) today is not grass-fed.  Supplementing with 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of high-quality fish oil will be of great help in this regard.

5.)  Don't feel like you have to do this perfectly 100% of the time (unless you want to), because life is too short to not enjoy the things you like.

A commonly espoused concept in the Paleo diet community (including Evolutionary Power) is "the 80/20 rule."  The idea behind it is simple:  if you adhere to these principles 80% of the time, you will enjoy the health benefits provided by this lifestyle, and still have the freedom to enjoy anything else in moderation, up to 20% of the time.  Additionally, as time goes on, you will probably find that you do not crave the "anything else" nearly as much as you once did, and 80/20 may very well eventually drift in the direction of 90/10... 95/5... and even 100% some or much of the time.  Do this thing, and do it well, but not to the point that it makes you unhappy; that would not only be--in all likelihood--unsustainable, but also miserable, so what would be the point?

And... That's pretty much it, in a nutshell!  Proper physical activity is incredibly important (and will be discussed in the future), but I cannot emphasize enough that the composition of your body and the state of your health is determined about 80% by what you put into your mouth.  Whether you jump in with both feet, or ease into it by making one small change at a time, learning to fuel your body by following these few simple rules will set you on the path toward achieving Evolutionary Power!

Recap:
  • Consuming grains and refined sugars is bad for you, and--along with smoking--causes most of the chronic diseases plaguing the industrialized world today.
  • Eating animals, eggs, and a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and nuts is good for you.  If you are not lactose-intolerant, a little full-fat dairy can be a healthy addition to your diet, as well.
  • Stay well-hydrated.
  • Don't break the bank buying supplements.  If you're eating the right kinds of foods, you should be getting everything you need from your diet, but adding a multivitamin, some D3, and fish oil may be beneficial.  Research other supplements if desired, but proceed with caution.
  • Remember the 80/20 rule.  Life is for the living.  Finding the right balance will afford you the greatest enjoyment during your ride on Spaceship Earth.
Be sure to check back soon for the next exciting installment of Evolutionary Power!

Know thyself.

"His straight and perfect figure, muscled as the best of the ancient Roman gladiators must have been muscled, and yet with the soft and sinuous curves of a Greek god, told at a glance the wondrous combination of enormous strength with suppleness and speed.  A personification, was Tarzan of the Apes, of the primitive man, the hunter, the warrior.  With the noble poise of his handsome head upon those broad shoulders, and the fire of life and intelligence in those fine, clear eyes, he might readily have typified some demigod of a wild and warlike bygone people of his ancient forest."
--from Tarzan of the Apes


When I was 4-years-old, my father bought a comic book for my older brother and I.  It was the first of what would become a vast collection, and I still have it, coverless, pages missing, tucked away carefully in a protective plastic bag.  On its yellowed pages can still be seen the exploits of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, as he hurls his mighty spear, swings on vines through the jungle canopy, swims through the rushing current of a wild African river, stands inside of and presses open the jaws of a monstrous aquatic dinosaur, and--of course--saves the lovely Ms. Jane Porter.  Pretty heady stuff for a little boy.

Who then could have guessed that, decades hence, I would still be inspired by it?  No, I'm not about to pilfer a butter knife from my mother's kitchen drawer and run around outdoors in my underwear.  I have my own knives, now.  But Tarzan--the primeval man, the forest god--who was drawn, I think, from the collective unconscious of humankind through the pen of Edgar Rice Burroughs, still rouses me to action, the victorious cry of the great bull-ape echoing loud and clear in my heart and soul.

From what deep, dark corner of our collective unconscious was this modern myth brought into the light?  As with many of the great questions of the ages, the answer to this one is, I think, simple.  Its wisdom, however, is not necessarily easy to implement or apply to our modern lives.  In a figurative sense, Tarzan is us, our ancestors, our primal selves, stripped of all the artificial conventions and restraints imposed upon us by what we deem to be "civilization."  It is the perfection of this simplicity, the echo of our own "inner Tarzan," which beckons us back to our original and natural state of being.  We all want to move as Tarzan moves, through the often challenging world in which we live, with confidence, power, ease, and grace.

It can be a tough paradigm to wrap one's head around, in a society as unhealthy as ours has become, but believe it or not, incredibly healthy physiques used to be the norm!  The quick, strong, supple frames of our pre-agricultural/pre-industrial ancestors were needed as vehicles for their burgeoning mental capacities.  Strengthened through the natural fuel and movement of their bodies--and the ingenious tools with which they eked a living out of a hostile and unforgiving environment--our ancient predecessors were possessed of an athletic prowess virtually unknown amongst the general population of today's world.

The staggering power and beauty of Primal Human.

Doesn't this seem counterintuitive?  With the advancements humankind has made over the eons since first swinging down out of the trees, shouldn't we be healthier and fitter than ever?  You'd think so, but in fact, in a dizzying variety of ways, the exact opposite is true.  The question therefore becomes, "What the heck happened, and how do we get back on track toward realizing and achieving our true genetic potential?"  The answer, happily, isn't really all that complicated.

About 10,000 years ago, the agricultural revolution began in Asia and near the Mediterranean region.  Between 4,000 and 8,000 years after that, the process of cultivating land and producing crops made its way into Europe.  Prior to this, during the 3 or 4 million years of the evolution of the hominid species, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers, adapted for survival on perilous savannahs and in treacherous jungle forests.  From our ability to walk upright, to our small stomachs and large brains, there have been no significant genetic or metabolic changes in the way our bodies were designed to function since before the advent of agriculture.

Fossil records demonstrate that, by far, the most robust humans ever to have lived were the hunter-gatherers who preceded our agricultural forebears.  Don't believe the myth that ancient man was small compared to the average person today.  Even archaic humans, whose bodily features were fully modern, were, on average, as large or larger than typical 21st century Americans, and built much more powerfully.  Consider, if you will, our genetic cousins (though not direct ancestors to any but a tiny percentage of humans alive today), the Neanderthals.  It is estimated that the typical Neanderthal man was about 4 times as strong as the average, modern, adult male.  Four times!  An ordinary man today can lift about 50 to 75 pounds overhead.  By comparison, the average Neanderthal man could have hoisted an incredible 200-300 pounds above his shaggy dome!

Interestingly, the development of these tremendous prehistoric bodies actually occurred before the more recent expansion of human brain size.  In other words, our amazing, adaptive bodies had to develop first, in order to serve as vehicles in which our advanced brains could survive and find purpose.  We needed the brawn first, to grow the brain later.  So, while we humans may prize our powers of intellect--and rightly so--the fact of the matter is that our capacity for complex thought is expressly designed to operate inside of a powerful, healthy body.

The really good news?  Genetically and physiologically, there is no reason that a modern human cannot be just as physically robust as his or her primeval progenitors.  Add to that the countless material advantages and luxuries enjoyed by people today (advanced medical technologies, abundant sources of food and clean water, improved clothing and shelter, the pronounced absence of hungry sabertooths wandering through neighborhoods), and one would think we really have it made, right?

Why, then, is the health of so many people in such a pathetic state today?  Surprisingly to many, agriculture itself is a big part of the problem.  Prior to the advent of deliberate crop cultivation, grains did not comprise any appreciable amount of the human diet.  Early humans were--and we still are--genetically adapted to subsist entirely on meat, fish, fowl, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.  As humankind learned to rely on a few cultivated grains for most of their caloric and nutritional needs, and as they traded the varied physical activities required to hunt and forage for the repetitive, daily grind of an agricultural (and later industrial) lifestyle, health, vigor, physical stature, and even brain capacity waned dramatically.  Fossil records clearly show that, concomitant with the agricultural revolution, there occurred a marked decline in the muscularity, stature, and brain size of our ancestors.  Since that time, there has been no large scale, cultural return to the original hunting and gathering lifestyle for which our bodies are evolved... and none appears to be forthcoming.


Most people today still rely on a few types of grains for the majority of their diet.  For a number of reasons to be discussed in the future, the ingestion of grains (a food type better suited to certain types of birds and rodents than to humans) results in a cascade of hormonal and metabolic processes within the body that have proven to be catastrophic for long-term health and well-being.  The final product of this unfortunate state of affairs is a world full of people whose bodies are woefully over-sugared, hyper-inflammatory, and at the same time, malnourished.

To make matters worse, when physical activity occurs, from factories to farms to fitness clubs, it is almost invariably of the monotonous, repetitive, body-grinding variety, as opposed to the varied-intensity/ varied-type activity patterns for which our bodies are adapted.  Rather than spending most of our waking hours walking--and occasionally sprinting, jumping, climbing, and lifting objects of various shapes, sizes, and weights--we tend to either do practically nothing at all, or to perform tasks (e.g., "work out") which are so frequent, repetitive, and unnatural as to wear out our bodies prematurely.

In short, the mass consumption of a few grain types, especially the highly refined sort eaten by most people today (to the veritable exclusion of fruits, vegetables, and good quality meat) has, combined with the average modern sedentary/ factory lifestyle, culminated in nearly all of the preventable ailments plaguing industrialized society today.  This is, of course, in addition to the habitual smoking of commercial tobacco... but that should also go without saying.  Add to this the deluge of man-made trans fats, artificial preservatives, colorings, sweeteners, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, and other synthetic poisons found in most processed foods today--not to mention the myriad other environmental toxins to which we are incessantly exposed--and it's no wonder that the typical modern human is little more than a weak, pitiful shadow of its ancestral self.

Sounds pretty bleak, doesn't it?  Well, it doesn't have to be!  Remember, we are still, for all intents and purposes, no different than our long-distant, pre-agricultural progenitors.  We are still, genetically, our primal selves.  This writing is not, by any means, a call to forsake all of the technological advances humankind has made in recent history.  After all, our inventiveness and ability to reason is just one more of the incredible adaptive evolutionary gifts passed down to us from our ancestors.  Technology is the natural outgrowth of that adaptation.  By all means, take advantage of it, but try to avoid doing so at the cost of your own health or humanity, or at the cost of the well-being of our planet as a whole.

The goal of Evolutionary Power is not to see humankind regress to some sort of primitive, prehistoric lifestyle or state of being.  My chief aim is to help you assess your current state of fitness in terms of how the human body is designed to optimally exist, and to guide you toward the actualization of your body's ultimate genetic and evolutionary potential.

Evolutionary Power serves as a road map, the purpose of which is to lead you back, in terms of health and fitness, to the place from whence we all came.  It is your natural right to live a long, healthy, vigorous life, fueled by the types of food upon which the human body has evolved to thrive, and empowered by the types of activities it has evolved to perform.  The concepts described here will enable you to move through life with power and grace, unimpeded by the limitations of the typical, modern body suffered by so many people today, and the inhibited mind and spirit which that infirm body so often imprisons.

This is much more than "just another diet and exercise blog."  Evolutionary Power will call you back to your true nature.  It will show you the truth about what you are and what you are meant to be, and that truth will set you free.


How embracing your evolutionary heritage will improve your life

The underlying principles of Evolutionary Power are designed for everyone, or, more accurately, everyone is designed for Evolutionary Power.

How about a quick jaunt down the evolutionary timeline?  Looking backward, the oldest identified remains of our genetically identical Cro-Magnon ancestors are radiocarbon dated to about 43,000 years ago.  The first anatomically modern forms of Homo sapiens emerged in east Africa roughly 195,000 years in the past.  Archaic forms of Homo sapiens appeared about 300,000 years before that.  Between 3 and 4 million years ago, our pre-human ancestors were already hard at work, shaping the incredible foundational genetic matrices that make us what we are today.



In contrast to the vast expanse of this (mostly pre-) history, virtually all of which was spent hunting and foraging, humans have only been engaged in agriculture for a mere 10,000 years, and in modern industry for a paltry 200.  And at what point does the fossil record indicate a sudden and startling decline in humankind's physical stature, brain size, dental health, and overall robustness?  Yup... 10,000 years ago, when we made the transition from omnivorous predator to grain-crunching farm laborer.


But wait, there's good news!  As far as your body is concerned, you are still the same powerful and intelligent pack-hunting predator that once roamed the plains and forests of the primeval world.  10,000 years of agriculture is far too short a time span to significantly alter our species' genetic makeup.  We'll take a look at the science of evolutionary nutrition and movement patterns in the very near future.  For now, just understand that by learning to primarily fuel your body with the types of food for which it has evolved (meat, fish, fowl, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and berries), largely avoiding the post-agricultural consumable materials your body is not designed to handle (grains and refined sugars), and being physically active in ways that mimic the activity patterns of our hunting and gathering predecessors, you will effectively alter and maximize your gene expression and reset your metabolism to its natural, intended, fat-burning, muscle-retaining state.

As Arthur DeVany, Ph.D., author of Evolutionary Fitness states, "We are hunter-gatherers in pin-stripe suits, living a sedentary life, and it is killing us in ways our ancestors never experienced."  Whether you are a man, woman, or child; a Fortune-500 CEO or one of the hard-working folks who make those CEO's rich; an experienced athlete or a person who is finally ready to get off the couch and start getting healthy; Evolutionary Power is made for you, and you are made for Evolutionary Power.

Here are just a few of the many benefits you will enjoy by applying the concepts of Evolutionary Power to your life:
  1. You will stack the deck in your favor, and greatly reduce your risk of suffering from the myriad--mostly avoidable--chronic diseases plaguing modern humankind, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
  2. You will develop a level of functional strength beyond anything you've ever imagined.  I'm not talking about the useless, puffed-up, synthetic muscles marring the covers of so many "fitness" magazines (a.k.a., "muscle comics") today.  The principles of Evolutionary Power will give you the terrific muscular density and powerfully lean, supple physique that kept our ancestors one step ahead of the saber-toothed tiger all those millennia ago.  Make no mistake, you'll put on muscle, but every last ounce of it is going to be useful.
  3. Your cardiopulmonary fitness (i.e., the health of your heart and lungs) is going to skyrocket.  Whatever activities you choose to engage in, you will be able to do them longer and with greater vigor.  Whether you are sprinting, raking leaves, playing sports, or serving as a valiant steed for your imaginative grandkids, Evolutionary Power will help you do it better and longer.  You'll add years to your life and life to your years.
  4. You will achieve and maintain the flexibility necessary to perform your chosen activities painlessly, throughout their full ranges of motion.  Whether you are an elite martial artist or a weekend gardener, Evolutionary Power will teach you to move with ease, balance, and grace, and to enjoy a greatly reduced risk of injuries that can result from tight, imbalanced muscles and stiff joints.
  5. Free disposal of spare tires!  At the time of this writing, nearly 70% of Americans are overweight or obese.  Seventy.  Freaking.  Percent.  If you are one of this majority and are sick and tired of wasting your time, money, and sanity on the latest sad fad diet, it's time to say goodbye to the excess flab that's been hanging out inside your clothes.  Evolutionary Power will show you how to blowtorch the fat off your body right quick, and keep it off for good.
  6. You will develop a lifestyle comprised of sound (and thoroughly enjoyable!) nutrition and physical activity that you can take with you anywhere, requiring no specialty stores, weird cooking apparatus, or fancy exercise equipment.  And don't worry... you will still be able to enjoy your favorite "culinary indulgences," but you will learn to do so in a sane and balanced way.
  7. You won't get sick nearly as often, as severely, or for as long as you've probably become accustomed to.
  8. You will experience less psycho-emotional stress, and when you do, you will be better able to cope with it.
  9. You will sleep better.
  10. You will improve your circulation and digestion.
  11. You will look better, feel better, perform better, and have greater confidence.
  12. You will have embraced your human heritage, the genetic legacy of an incredible body, mind, and spirit, forged over countless eons by our noble, brave, and ingenious ancestors, culminating in the peak of evolution, the very best and latest model of Homo sapiens sapiens:  YOU.  In reclaiming your natural right to a fit, functional body, you will help carry and pass the torch of our proud human birthright forward, into the future.

EVOLUTIONARY POWER: Strength, Grace, and Endurance, the way nature intended

This is the blog you've been evolving for.  (Respect and apologies to my late middle school English teacher, Mrs. Balczewski.  Sometimes I just have to end a sentence with a preposition.)

"evolution," n.; a gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form; change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species

"evolutionary," adj.; of or relating to or produced by evolution; "evolutionary biology"

I begin this with a promise to you, the reader:  If you consistently apply the principles to be shared here, the little blog you're now reading will drastically improve the quality of your life.

To be clear, this is written by an upright, bipedal hominid of the species Homo sapiens sapiens... that's right, by a modern human, for modern humans.  I'll assume that you probably knew that, so why do I bother making the distinction?  Because it seems the vast majority of "civilized" humans alive today have forgotten what they are and how they were forged by nature to exist!  Not only that, but most of these same people have also either:  A.) lost sight of where we, as a species, are headed; or B.) lost the motivation or capacity to care.

Examining current fitness trends as just one of many relevant indicators, it's safe to say that humankind, as a whole, is flushing itself down the proverbial toilet.  Sure, there might still be one arm visible, but all it seems to be doing is trying to pull the handle again.  Unless you live alone and never use public restrooms, you can probably appreciate the value of a "courtesy flush"... But seriously...

Why are we working so fervently to ruin our own existence?  Now, now... before you write me off as some whiny, new age hippie and click your way back to the zombified apathy of the internet-at-large, I encourage you to read a bit further.  I solemnly pledge that at no point will I urge you to build a hut made out of mud, grass, and recycled tires, nor to subsist on a diet of home-grown soy beans.

Still there?  Good.  The information contained in this blog will start you on a lifeway that will bring you back to the state of how humans are meant to live, not in terms of a regression to a primitive/ prehistoric lifestyle, but as a means of reconnecting with yourself, your health, the people in your life, and the natural world of which you are still a part, though you may have temporarily forgotten it.

Evolutionary Power is, first and foremost, about reclaiming your natural right to live robustly, in a strong, healthy, vigorous body, and to enjoy the vitality of mind and spirit that comes along with it.  Along the way, we will briefly examine the evolutionary history of our species, from archaic man, right up to modern times.  What were our ancestors like, and why?  What did they eat?  How did they move?  Why should this matter to a human being, living in the 21st century?  All of these questions and more will be explored along the path to a greater understanding of how you can maximize your human experience and, as Bruce Lee stated, honestly express yourself and become a "fully actualized human being."


STAY TUNED...!