Here are the results of my first fit test after doing the INSANITY workout for 2 weeks. I was pretty impressed with my overall gains. During this time I haven’t taken any supplements and have kept a 60% primal diet (see www.primalblueprint.com for the best description of that diet).

Over the next few weeks I plan on starting to take supplements in order to rev up my weight loss and overall energy levels. I already feel a lot better than I did just a few weeks ago, I know I can go even higher though (naturally of course)

The big number you may notice is that 10 lbs of weight loss. That measurement was taken on day 10 of the program, I just finished day 15 and I haven’t gotten around to weighing my self again. I plan on doing it at my next fit test.

I am overall very satisfied where this is taken me, the numbers don’t lie…I am getting fitter – especially in my cardiovascular strengths.

Leave a comment if you have any questions on the program.

Related articles:

• Primal Soda (paleoaddict.com)
• Coffee and Paleo? (paleoaddict.com)
• Primal Tea (paleoaddict.com)
• Paleo Footwear (paleoaddict.com)
• The 80/20 Principle: When 20 Inches Toward 40 (marksdailyapple.com)

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

So here I was ready to write one of the best primal tea primer’s on the web, but just before I did I decided that I would check out www.marksdailyapple.com to see if he had written anything good on the subject. Not only did he write something good…it is GREAT!

Check it out.

All true “teas” are from the same plant. (Herbal teas aren’t really tea. While they may offer certain particular, often marginal “medicinal” benefit, they generally don’t contain the same antioxidant load of tea.) The differences in black, green, and white tea (the true tea varieties) are a product of processing rather than source. The less processed the leaves are, the more of their polyphenols are retained. White is the least processed of the three main varieties, and black is the most processed. Green and something called oolong (between green and black essentially) are in the middle. Incidentally, not only does white tea retain the most polyphenols, it also has the least caffeine. Nonetheless, if you grew up on black tea and can’t get yourself to drink anything else (and you’re not caffeine sensitive), don’t sweat it. Tea as a whole offers solid antioxidant value whichever variety you choose.

Great information on bagged vs loose and even which teas to avoid. Go there now!

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/to-tea-or-not-to-tea/

Now don’t think I am not going to write about tea on this site, I will. In fact I plan to write up a few reviews of teas that Mark recommends. So stay tuned cave people!

Related articles:

• All About Tea (herbalmedicine.suite101.com)
• Primal Soda (paleoaddict.com)
• Coffee and Paleo? (paleoaddict.com)

So can you drink coffee and still follow the Paleo/Primal lifestyle?

I wanted to find out so I did a little search around the internet and I found a great article on whether or not coffee…let alone caffiene…is something you can keep in your life while trying to be primal.

Mark’s Daily Apple

This is a website you should read daily. Mark has so much information and experience with the Primal lifestyle that he makes a lot of us jealous with it. (They guy is a living encyclopedia) When you click the link above you will be taken to an article where he discusses coffee and the primal lifestyle. I like this from the article…

As far as the long term, I think the tipping point is relying on it for sustained energy levels. Caffeine can give us the occasional leg up, but if it’s keeping us upright day after day, it’s covering a larger problem. In both cases, the amount is unique to each person, although it’s known that we grow more sensitive to caffeine the older we get. For most folks, 200-300 mg of caffeine a day (100 mg being the typical content in a 6 oz. serving) – imbibed at least eight hours before bed – probably won’t cause significant problems. Once you’re downing a whole pot (500+ mg), however, you put yourself at risk for everything from heart palpitations to muscle tremors. My suggestion for upper limit: gauge your individual tolerance, but drink only what you need and keep it below 3 cups/300 mg of caffeine daily (generally when health benefits level out and negative symptoms increase).

Related articles:

• Does Caffeine Sensitivity Increase With Age? (livescience.com)
• Quitting Coffee (nutrition.suite101.com)

Day 6 & 7 no caffeine but I got help with my headache, yes I said headache. I think the withdrawal symptoms finally caught up with me. However, I got some help, I got a cold. With a cold came some NyQuil, therefore help with my headaches.

It really has made going with no caffeine much easier. Being sick tends to deter me from coffee and draws me towards herbal teas. I have been drinking a lot of Yogi Tea’s Peach Detox. I love the way it smells and the way it makes me feel. I figure it is a good idea to detox after using cold medication like NyQuil.

Feelings: I love not being attached to the coffee cup, when I get up in the morning I have a choice now. No longer, COFFEE!, but now I can choose a glass of ice water and not suffer any ill affects.

If you have an addiction, really to anything, you should try a gradual reduction system that works for you. Work with your doctor or homeopath (your choice) to set up a program that works for you. I have really seen good results in reducing addiction symptoms with coffee by using a Paleo diet plan to clean out my system and satisfy the nutritional needs my body was lacking.

I think a lot of my problem with caffeine use was because I was lacking nutrients and vitamins that my average American diet simply wasn’t giving to me. I don’t remember the last time I ate this much fruit, vegetables, and lean protein. My diet consisted mainly of carbs and processed food.

Look to your right, click on the Paleo cookbooks link and get started. I can’t highly recommend it enough, plus you will be supporting this site. Win-Win-Win

Things that helped:

• Cold medication: Just a coincidence.
• Paleo meals
• Will power
• Accountability through this site.

Related articles:

• Caffeine Reduction: Day 2-5 (paleoaddict.com)
• Quitting an Addiction – No More Coffee (funkykaraoke.com)
• Caffeine Reduction: Day 1 (paleoaddict.com)
• Caffeine reduction (paleoaddict.com)
• Love your cup o’ Joe? (thindependence.com)

Image by cobalt123 via Flickr

Every one is trying to save money, food is a big part of our monthly expenses. So I made a list for those of you trying out the Paleo diet to see just what you are saving money on. Enjoy.

1. No More Junk Food: You no longer buy chips, cookies, soda, and other pre-made crap. You stick to vegetables, meat, and fruit. Yes they are organic and cost a little more, but trust me…you are not buying $5.00 popcorn at the movies, you will save money.
2. Health Care: You want a health care plan for America, have everyone eat better and costs will come drastically down. The Paleo Diet is going to make you feel better and healthier, you will need to visit the doctor much less.
3. Brown Bag it: You won’t be going to McD’s for lunch anymore, but bringing a salad or stir-fry to lunch everyday. That along is going to save you a bundle.
4. No Programs: The Paleo Diet is really a lifestyle not a diet. You can do this without having to order special food every month. I am sure you could hire a Paleo Coach, but you don’t really need to.
5. No Gym Required: A lot of the workouts that those following the Paleo/Caveman lifestyle follow all revolve around body weight exercises. Push-ups, Pull-ups, Squats, Sprinting, ect…no Gym required for those!

Keep it lean!

Image via Wikipedia

1. Less Aisle walking: No more walking down all those isles in the grocery store, just stay to the outside. Saves time and money!
2. Simple Ingredients: The amount of ingredients you need to have a flavorful meal is very little on the Paleo diet. This saves you space, money, and time.
3. Community: In the short amount of time I have focused on the Paleo Diet I have found all sorts of interesting people on the web and in real life that share my interest. More people to talk to is always good.
4. Organic Farming: Everyone loves organic nowadays, by choosing to be on the Paleo Diet you help force producers and farms into organic farming. Nothing speaks louder than the consumer and a free market.
5. Know your food: On the Paleo Diet you really focus on where your food is coming from. You pay attention to catch phrases like “grass fed” and “cage free”. Better for animals and better for your health…oops I said not health related…oh well.
6. Variety through limited choice: By limiting what you can choose to eat you have to get more creative, which leads to more creative and interesting meals. Seriously you will get really excited about mashed cauliflower…serious.
7. Confidence: The weight loss, energy gains, and clean feeling you get from being Paleo transmits to your attitude and in turn you become more confident. Just check out Mark Sisson…dude is a beast.
8. Role Model: In a world where childhood obesity is rampant, I want to be a role model for my kids on how to live their lives. I can’t do that sitting on the couch eating potato chips.
9. Adventure: The workouts that Paleo fans do are anything from routine. They incorporate nature around them and go out there living life. Paleo + Crossfit is the most common combination I see, but just look around and you will see some amazing thing. Tree climbing is a favorite of mine recently.
10. Interesting: People will be interested in you. You eat weird things and workout with no shoes on, you are going to be a topic of conversation. Live it up and encourage others to be healthy with you.

Keep it lean!

Image via Wikipedia

Remember to consult your doctor before starting any workout system.

Okay here is my Perfect Push-up Experiment Wrap up.

These are tips and tricks to help you get the most of your work out with this system they give you in the box.

1. Stretch: Make sure you stretch out fully before starting up your routine. There were a couple of sets where I could have easily torn a muscle had I not caught myself fast enough. Make sure you focus on your shoulders  and back, those are going to be very important.
2. Choose a set time: Throughout the experiment I found that if i did the 3-4 sets at specific times throughout the day I was more likely to remember to do them all. There were quite a few days where I would forget that I had to do them and ended up doing every set at the same time. This really set in the burn, but at the same time ruined my form.
3. Form is key: Focus on your form. Have someone make sure you back is straight and that you are aligned properly over the perfect push-ups. If you are doing it wrong you could hurt yourself or not get as much value with each rep. Focus on form over how many reps you can do.
4. Breath: Make sure you breath. It is going to be very tempting to hold your breath when your arms start burning on that last set, take it seriously. It will also help in reducing stress.
5. Cross-Train: The Paleo lifestyle is all about incorporating physical activities during your day that help keep you fit. Chopping wood, chasing down a deer, tearing a bear apart with your bare hands, ect. So on the days you aren’t doing push-ups be active. I think if I would have taken this aspect more seriously I would have seen larger gains in the size of my arms and chest. My chest shrunk a bit and my arms stayed the same…I think doing some physical activities with my upper body would have helped.
6. Protien: The Paleo Diet is full of protein, in fact most of your calories come from it. Super important to eat some sort of protein after you workout, you want to give building blocks back to your muscles so they can grow.
7. Mix it up: Instead of just putting your feet up on a chair, put them up on a tree, or on an exercise ball. Doing the same routine of push-ups over and over can get pretty boring, by adding different challenges or even changing your environment you can really keep it interesting.

I hope these tips help you out as to whether or not you want to try the Perfect-Push up workout. I have to say the thing is pretty cool, if it was made better I would like it even more. Just for the FTC‘s sake, I am not being paid by them to do this, nor have I received any product for free. There I think that covers the new law.

Keep it lean!

Related articles

• Perfect Push-up Experiment Max Day (paleoaddict.com)
• Fitness group ‘underwhelmed’ by Wii Fit exercises (joystiq.com)
• 5 Ways to Tame Post-Workout Hunger (diet-blog.com)

So it has been awhile since I have posted an updated on my Perfect Push-up status. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been following my routine. Quite the contrary, even when I was in Missouri for a vacation I did them. Which was very hard to do I might add.

I did measurements last night at my parents house, and to a little dismay I haven’t seen any growth in my arms or chest. However, my chest actually shrunk…I think this is do to fat being removed rather than a lack of muscle growth. I feel leaner, which is a good thing, both physically and psychologically.

Today I max out, I plan to do at least 30 (my previous max being 20) but I have the feeling that I can do at least 40 push-ups. I really see this working as a part of my daily fitness routine.

I have included a link below to purchase the Perfect Push-up from Amazon. I would only do this if I believed in the product and thought it was worth it for you to get. It also helps support this blog and keep it going, not much money…but enough for me to do it.

It is pretty well built and does what it says it will as long as you put in the effort and dedication. After my second time through (hopefully at the 40 push-up level) I will post measurements of my chest and biceps again.

Keep it lean!

Perfect Pushup – Original

Related articles

• Push-Up Variation: Crocodile Jumps (fitsugar.com)
• Who Can Do One Arm Handstand Push Ups? (projectswole.com)
• High rep and Low rep sets (fitnesstipsforlife.com)