The Primal Blueprint: Healthy Living So Easy A Caveman Can Do It

Imagine yourself living a long life of maximum health and happiness so easy that a caveman can do it. Now imagine that there’s a blueprint to this precise lifestyle.

Would you be interested to give it a go?

Most should.

Yet, while the Primal Blueprint is simple, you cannot dive straight in and hope to succeed. You must first explore its essence and understand its principles.

But only proceed if you can think with an open mind. Why? Because the Primal Blueprint isn’t an apathetic and conformist diet plan. It’s a healthy lifestyle philosophy rooted in critical thinking and rejection of the status quo.

Still intrigued? Want to learn more?

Then lets go!

Introducing Mark Sisson

Mark Sisson is the creator of the Primal Blueprint as well as the master of ceremonies at Mark’s Daily Apple (MDA), the Primal Blueprint online resource.

His tagline speaks for itself – Primal Living in the Modern World.

The Primal Blueprint is that simple – applying the scientifically accurate learnings of paleolithic life to optimize our healthy lives in the modern world. But that’s my interpretation. I think you should hear it straight from Mark…

“The Primal Blueprint gives you the power to flip the switches that control your weight, your health, your energy and your destiny.”

“My basic premise is this: The Primal Blueprint is a set of simple instructions (the blueprint) that allows you to control how your genes express themselves in order to build the strongest, leanest, healthiest body possible, taking clues from evolutionary biology (that’s the primal part).”

“In the end, that’s what the Primal Blueprint is all about: navigating the modern world with these ancient corporeal vessels, using modern science to chart our progress.”

The 10 Basic Tenets of the Primal Blueprint – Original and Modern

The Primal Blueprint is not intended to be restrictive and complex. Quite the opposite. The philosophy is architected upon 10 simple tenets.

These tenets provide direction (the macro-level context), that’s it. The individual choices are left to you. That’s to your advantage – and why the Primal Blueprint knocks-out all other “diet programs” with one blow.

You’re empowered to make all the choices, they aren’t micromanaged for you.

1. Eat lots of animals, insects, and plants

Paleolithic man was wholly dependent upon nature for his sustenance. There were no other options. That was okay because natured provided foods rich in all the nutrients he needed. Agriculture products (e.g. grains) and other modern “frankenfoods” didn’t exist. Only animals, insects, and plants.

These remain the most wholesome and nutritious options today.

2. Move around a lot at a slow pace

Primal life was an active affair. Survival required it – to hunt food, gather resources, explore new territories, migrate for the seasons, escape danger, etc. This abundance of low level activity was vital and visceral to a healthy life.

Modern equivalents are walking, hiking, easy biking, or easy swimming and are equally valuable.

3. Lift heavy things

Weight rooms didn’t exist in the paleolithic era. Further, no one had the time, energy, or need to nonchalantly lift light weight for reps.

Instead, primal man was required to lift (and carry) very heavy things – animal carcasas, shelter building materials, injured tribesman, etc. Short bursts of highly intense lifting created a strong, functional, and lean primal body.

4. Run really fast every once in a while

All-out sprinting was a mandatory survival skill. High bursts of speed were required to escape danger or capture animals for food. Such intense activity, like lifting heavy things, made primal man’s body stronger, more functional, and highly agile.

Today, although you don’t have to catch you food to survive, the same genetic effects are still highly advantageous for a healthy life.

5. Get lots of sleep

Primal man got up when the sun came up. Primal man went to sleep when he sun set.

No alarm clocks. No late-night television. Just visceral reaction to life’s natural rhythms.

And it paid off because sleep stimulates muscle recovery, muscle growth, mental development, and much more. The benefits are still true today.

6. Play

Playtime in primal life wasn’t all about leisure. It was highly instructive and arguably vital to the survival of the species. Why? Because it strengthened social bonds, reduced stress, and taught essential survival skills.

You can harness the same benefits through regular quality play time – be it with yourself, family, and friends.

7. Get some sunlight every day

Most of primal man’s life was spent outdoors. Such a life provided great exposure to the sun that provides invaluable vitamin-D. The human body cannot create vitamin-D itself. Yes, modern society has vitamin-D supplements, but outside activity provides the best natural source.

It’s also fun and refreshing to be outdoors.

8. Avoid trauma

They linchpin in a long primal life was avoiding traumatic events – encounters with predators, physical injuries, etc. The same holds true today.

Avoid self-destructive behaviors (e.g. not wearing a safety belt, smoking, illicit drug use) and you’ll stand a far greater chance of living a long life.

9. Avoid poisonous things

Avoiding poisonous things was all about avoiding internal trauma. Injesting toxic foods could seriously impair one’s health and chances for a long and healthy life. The same rule applies today.

What are today’s poisons to avoid? Excess sugar, chemical additives, processed foods, trans and hydrogenated fats, etc.

10. Use your mind

The human brain is our evolutionary competitive advantage. No other species comes close to our mental acuity.

But the mind is like any other muscle – you must use it to strengthen it and keep it healthy. How? By being creative, inventive, and aware through such means as reading, writing, playing music, art, technical invention, etc.

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Please refer to Mark’s Definitive Guide to the Primal Blueprint for thorough explanations and illustrations of these 10 bedrock tenets – in both the paleolithic and modern contexts.

My Special Comments on The Primal Blueprint

There is much to contemplate after reading the Definitive Guide to the Primal Blueprint. I’ve done just that plus read other MDA articles corresponding to the Primal Blueprint basics. The following are my resultant special comments…

1. Optimizing your genetic profile’s potential makes sense

The world is crammed with many ways (genuine or not) to get healthy – too many in fact. Google “healthy programs” and you’ll get 63+ million results. Yikes! Where do I start? Google “nutrition plans” and you’ll get 31+ million results. Oh, the humanity! Make it stop!

Hence, in a world of confusion, complexity, and chaos, I believe that a simple and logical strategy is the best choice.

And what could be more academic than adopting a healthy lifestyle philosophy rooted in evolutionary science? It’s simple and has proven itself safe and effective over hundreds of thousands of years. So, if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

The biological underpinnings above all else convince me that the Primal Blueprint makes sense. While I’m no scientist, I’m smart enough to understand the power of genetics. That’s all we are – a massive assortment of genes. And a healthy lifestyle blueprint built around the appreciation and optimization of human genetics is one I’ll ardently support.

2. Healthy lifestyle philosophies work

The Primal Blueprint is a lifestyle philosophy. It’s a lens through which to view the world and, thusly, govern your life. Philosophies have power because they represent a set of perspectives that channel a path of action.

Everyone has a lifestyle philosophy, whether they’re conscious of it or not.

Contrast this with what the Primal Blueprint is not.

It is not a fitness regiment, nutrition plan, or any other lifestyle accessory. Why? Because accessories are add-ons and can be easily discarded. They’re also episodic by nature and have definitive endpoints. Accessories layer on top of one’s lifestyle philosophy – some better fitting than others.

Hence, the legitimacy of the Primal Blueprint – it’s an omnipresent philosophy and not an exchangeable accessory.

Yes, solid fitness programs and nutrition plans can work but only if they are layered on top of a complementary healthy lifestyle philosophy. How come? Because without such a philosophy as an anchor a healthy accessory is destined for abandonment.

3. Questioning conventional wisdom is healthy

Modern society is built around “group think” – conventional wisdom that is shared and believed as fact without question. The authenticity is never challenged because “they” that created it say it’s legit. Such postulations are vital to a species’ survival when the information is accurate.

But what if the information isn’t accurate? Hence modern conventional wisdom’s major problem.

Information is no longer only about preserving wisdom and clear communication, both powerful (and primal) filters of truth. Instead, modern information involves marketing, advertising, “spinning”, propagandizing, etc. This toxic cloud of misinformation and half-truths perpetuates illegitimate “noise” that corrodes modern society’s intellectual integrity.

Consequently, it compromises our pursuit for legitimate healthy lifestyle knowledge.

Enter my early affinity for the Primal Blueprint.

The Primal Blueprint seems predicated on critical thinking – the panacea for true intelligence. But the Primal Blueprint doesn’t use vanilla critical thinking. It applies scientifically-grounded critical thinking. That sounds like a good, healthy approach to me.

4. The Primal Blueprint isn’t without its soft spots

Most of my Primal Blueprint commentary is positive. Yet, from my view, it’s not a perfect plan. While perfection is not the goal (and never should be), I believe it’s important and imperative to note my early questions.

First is lifelong scalability and continuity.

The modern world seems ill-suited for modern primal living. Hence, how easy will it be to maintain a healthy primal lifestyle as one ages, travels, relocates, makes new social interactions, etc?

Adhering to the Primal Blueprint appears to be the exception, not the norm. So, how will the healthy primal living tribe continue to evolve and thrive in a society that is evolving (sadly) in the opposite direction?

Next is future generation viability.

I’ll admit up front that this concern is purely theoretical. As I’ve said, the Primal Blueprint makes sense given it’s foundation in evolutionary science and genetic profile optimization.

That’s great today, but what if the baseline genetic profile changes? Evolution is evolution – life is constantly adjusting to environmental conditions. And while I don’t favor or fancy the modern norms, I cannot help but wonder, given their predominance, if they are slowly (but surely) altering man’s genetic framework.

What will man’s default genetic blueprint be in 50, 100, 1000 years? Will it still align to the Primal Blueprint? Or will it have evolved into something entirely new (and non-primal)?

Your Special Comments on The Primal Blueprint

The Primal Blueprint is unorthodox and controversial given the conventional wisdom of modern society. No doubt about it.

So what’s your take? You surely have one.

Is the Primal Blueprint scientifically sound? Or is it another “get-healthy-quick” gimmick?

Is the Primal Blueprint the best strategy for optimizing your health and genetic potential? Or is it a short-sighted plan that encourages unhealthy behaviors?

What would it take for you to try the Primal Blueprint for a week, a month, a lifetime?

Let’s get the conversation going in the comments!

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Image Credit: moominsean