Can Felicity Aston conquer Antarctica?

Felicity Aston is a 33-year old British explorer. For the last decade she has been planning and leading expeditions to the coldest regions of the planet.

Now, she’s about to embark on a landmark expedition and a world first: a 1700 km (1056 mile), 70-day ski journey. If she makes it, she’ll hold the record for the longest solo journey made by a woman in the Polar Regions; and the first woman in history to cross Antarctica alone.

Is intermittent fasting for me?

Many folks have already asked me if intermittent fasting is right for them. It’s a great question. Here’s a brief exploration of that from the new IF e-book.

Couple of key points:

START SLOWLY. START SIMPLY. START SMALL. START GRADUALLY.

If you decide you’d like to try IF, there’s no rush. Pick one small thing to try, even if that’s just adjusting regular mealtimes by an hour. Try it. See how it goes.

FOCUS ON WHAT IF APPROACHES HAVE IN COMMON, RATHER THAN GETTING BOGGED DOWN IN THE DETAILS.

Sometimes you eat. Sometimes you don’t. That pretty much sums it up.

Read more…

Synthetic Primal: Stone Age Fitness in the 21st Century

Unless you’ve been living in a cave recently — or perhaps because you’ve been living in a cave recently — you’ve probably heard of the concept of “Paleo” or “primal” fitness.

First impression: Hey, that sounds pretty cool. Hardcore. Screw the Globo gym! It’s time to eat meat and bash things with rocks! Yeah!

Second impression: Um… how do I actually do this primal fitness thing? That’s where Mistress K comes in. Check it out on BreakingMuscle.com!

Bootcamp at Bang Fitness

My boy Geoff Girvitz of Bang Fitness is running a fall bootcamp for any of you maggots who can’t wait to drop and give ’em 50.
But don’t worry… it ain’t your momma’s bootcamp. (Although it can be, if she wants to join you.) So what’s the deal?

Ancestral Health Symposium roundup

I had the privilege of attending the Ancestral Health Symposium, held in early August, at UCLA. Here’s my rundown.

Did you go to AHS11? What did you think?
Are you a primal health nut or simply ancestral-curious? Tell me your thoughts.
Hit “Reply” and share!

Speaking of endurance activities…

…and the inspiration they provide, here’s a fun story sent to me by Shaky Man:

Climbers with MS and Parkinson’s Conquer Kilimanjaro

A team of climbers with MS and Parkinson’s disease set out to climb Kilimanjaro to prove that a diagnosis with a neurodegenerative disease doesn’t have to mean the end of your active life or your dreams.

As participant Lori Schneider says:

“When I was first diagnosed with MS I ran away from my life in fear. I left a 22 year marriage, a 20 year teaching career, sold my house, left my community, and tried to run from my MS diagnosis. That changed when I reached the top of the world, becoming the first person with MS to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The idea behind the Kilimanjaro Leap of Faith Adventure was for me to share the lessons I have learned about believing in yourself and following your dreams. I think it’s worked!”

Fancy a little hill climb? Here’s where you can get involved.

Nearly done new FREE! e-book

In a little while, I’ll be releasing a free (as in beer) e-book!

The title: Fuck Calories.

Oh yeah. That’s right. That just got said.

Stay tuned.

61-year-old swimmer (almost) swims to Florida

She didn’t make it, but damn it was a great attempt! 61-year-old swimmer Diana Nyad (an apropos last name) ended her marathon swim 29 hours into her trip from Cuba to Florida.

She had originally planned to swim the 166 km in about 60 hours. Either way, that’s badass — she also opted to swim without a shark cage. Had the latest attempt been successful, Ms. Nyad would have broken her own 1979 record of 165 kilometres for a cageless, open-sea swim from the Bahamas to Florida.

Go old broads!!

Video |  Full story |  Photos

In other swim news, though, a 40-year old woman died during a triathlon in NYC.

This bears repeating: prolonged endurance exercise will NOT make you healthier. It’s about pushing the limits of human capacity… which (while cool) is NOT the same thing.

If you get off on extreme athletic performance, great. Swim to Florida or Antarctica, or run the Sahara, and I will high-five you all the way.

However, if you are triathloning or running or cycling or death-march-spinning or otherwise beating yourself into the ground because you think it’ll make you leaner and healthier, you’re swimming up the wrong tree.

The Compost Pile: Notes from my farmer

I get my meat from a small organic family farm. Every year I buy a meat “share”, and then get a monthly delivery, along with 4 dozen pastured (ponded?) duck and chicken eggs.

Not only is it delicious, I also develop a relationship with my farmers. I follow their adventures, what the kids are up to, etc. I know where my meat and eggs come from, and whose hands harvested them (or which teenager chased the wayward calves back into pasture this week). Plus, I know that my money goes directly back to them. Everyone wins. (And their roasts… oy. Transcendent.)

From time to time, Mr. Farmer sends round a newsletter (“The Compost Pile”) with some tidbits and insider knowledge. It’s often provocative and shocking in the sense that he pulls the curtain back from the nefarious goings-on within industrial agriculture.

Here’s a recent newsletter — tell me this doesn’t make you want to start raising your own goats.