Living Paleo For Dummies
Book image
Explore Book Buy On Amazon

To live a Paleo lifestyle, you need strength. Cave men needed strength — and a lot of it. They needed to climb a tree to get away from a predator, to butcher their kill, to throw the meat over their shoulder, and to carry it back to their camp. Moving their camps, building their tools, carrying children, digging, squatting, and harvesting trees and shrubs all involved intense strength.

Real fitness and strength are defined by how well you can function in your everyday life. If your muscles are big but you can't throw a water bottle over your back or carry a child, it doesn't mean much. You want to be fit and strong enough to do all the practical things in life that you need to do.

One of the main advantages of doing shorter, faster exercises is that they stimulate the production of growth hormone, which you need for strength and health. The best part, though, is growth hormone is like an anti-age shield. It not only makes you look and feel younger, but it also does the following:

  • Boosts metabolism by about 15 percent

  • Prevents, stops, and reverses bone loss

  • Improves blood sugar

  • Improves balance, coordination, and posture

  • Elevates endorphins (chemicals your brain releases that make you feel great)

  • Increases brain cells for improved thinking and concentration

  • Improves cardiac fitness

  • Reduces stress and anxiety

You're genetically wired to do resistance training at a high intensity. You need to demand more of your muscles than they're used to. Only through this process of going beyond what your muscles are used to can you improve.

High intensity means that you're doing as much weight as you can and moving as fast as you can for a short period of time. The progression of all new activities requires a gradual progress in both the intensity and duration.

To function your best, your body has an internal blueprint for strength and power. Strength deteriorates quickly with age, so it's super important to implement strength building in your routine.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Melissa Joulwan is the author of the paleo recipe and lifestyle blog www.theclothesmakethegirl.com. Dr. Kellyan Petrucci, who is a go-to expert in the nutritional field, helps patients build the strongest, healthiest body possible through her family-based workshops and consulting practice (www.drkellyann.com).

This article can be found in the category: