A Site a Day in the Month of May: Marksdailyapple.com

TGIF: The most glorious acronym EVER invented! Who's planning on spending the weekend with Mom?! I wish I could be with mine, but alas, we live several states apart :-( We'll surely be together in spirit though! So Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there from yours truly!

The site I'm featuring today is one I stumbled upon accidentally. I was researching for an article I was writing about the benefits of HIIT (high intensity interval training), and I came across this great article by Mark Sisson, best-selling author of several books about the Paleo lifestyle. In the article, Sisson argues in favor of a lifestyle that combines the Paleo diet and an exercise regiment consisting of low-to-moderate cardio sessions (think walking, hiking, biking, etc) and short bouts of high intensity work like sprinting. He writes that because this protocol closely resembles the lifestyle of our Paleolithic ancestors who did not suffer from chronic disease like so many today (think obesity, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc.), it may be the key to avoid or even reverse these modern ailments. Not only does he recommend this lifestyle, but he presents evidence as to why we should reconsider endurance cardio sports because their practice flies in the face of our very evolutionary blueprint! Far-fetched?! You can be the judge of that, but do yourself a favor and check out the site :-)

Super-handy infographic about how to exercise according to our DNA blueprint

Marksdailyapple.com has something for everyone: whether you're an exercise enthusiast, amateur primal chef, anatomy geek, a Paleo newbie...it's all there. I would especially recommend this site for people who may have heard about Paleo, but aren't sure what it's all about or whether it's right for you. Sisson was one of the first to bring the Paleo/Primal movement to a mainstream audience, and it's easy to understand why based on his extensive knowledge of evolutionary biology, epigenetic research, nutrition, etc. In fact, I've read several forums and listservs geared toward Paleo newbies, and most participants recommend Sisson's book, The Primal Blueprint, as the best introduction to the lifestyle than any other. Now that's high praise, considering the number of books out there on the topic!!!

If you're still on the fence after browsing his site, I encourage you to read a bit more about the The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Challenge. You can do anything for three weeks, right? I've done similar challenges before, and I'm always shocked at how amazing I feel only a few short days in. Unsurprisingly, I always end up feeling pretty gross a few days after the challenge ends, so I'm considering adopting a Paleo full-time...with room for the occasional cookie or slice of pizza :-)

ENJOY THE WEEKEND, EVERYONE!