Dear Readers: What Do You Want?
It’s Monday and that usually means another round of Dear Mark, but today I have something a little different in mind. Today I have some questions for you (along with a chance to win a Primal prize).
Since I launched Mark’s Daily Apple way back in 2006 it’s been my goal to help 10 million people take control of their health. While MDA now reaches hundreds of thousands of people every month I’m always looking for new ways to do a better job, so I’m coming to you for ideas.
Over the years I’ve put together and given away numerous freebies (the 7-Day Course on the Fundamentals for Lifelong Health, the Primal Blueprint Fitness eBook, the Reader-Created Cookbooks and Primal Living in the Modern World to name a few), created new, handy web pages (the 101 page, the Recipe page, the Shopping List page, the Resource page and others), launched the forum, released a number of books, expanded the Primal supplement line, and began hosting events (Primal Transformation Seminars and PrimalCon) all with my stated goal in mind. Again, how can I help as many people as possible? How can I make this the best and most reader-friendly health site on the Interwebs? How can I best distill the science and make it easy to understand and practical to use? And how can I offer the best products and services a Grok or Grokette could want? While I don’t really need another project at the moment (I’m wrapping up two new books – The Primal Blueprint 90-Day Journal and The Primal Connection – but more on that later) I’d love to hear what you think would make Mark’s Daily Apple a better website and your Primal life easier.
So, with that in mind, a contest:
The Contest
“What do you want from me?” It’s a (very) tired Adam Lambert song, but it’s also an important question. My blog, my books, what I do is constantly informed by the thoughts and ideas of my readers. Today is your chance to tell me what you’d like to see on my part for the future of the Primal movement. In the comments section below, tell me one service, product, tool, or feature you’d like to see in the coming year. I’m leaving this fairly open ended. No idea is too small or big.
A winner will be chosen at random. Agreeing with other people is allowed (and encouraged), but only the idea comments will be counted for drawing purposes.
The Prize
A canister of both the Vanilla Creme and Dark Chocolate Primal Fuel.
The Deadline
Midnight (PDT), tonight!
Who is Eligible
Everyone. I’ll ship the Primal Fuel anywhere in the world.
Thanks in advance to everyone that offers an idea. I’ll see what I can do to give you what you want! Grok on!
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
I’d like an easy way to convince friends and family. It’s REALLY DIFFICULT to talk to the people you care about and have them listen. My sister is a GREAT mother but her kids have THE WORST diet but I can’t get her to see the connection between diet and health for them. Gr!!
How about an Idiot guide to going Primal?
I have all the PB books and cookbooks, but still struggle to plan meals which are primal, so an Idiot guide, making this simple to follow would be great for us beginner types?
I know that the contest is over, and I’ve already submitted an answer but.. after reading all of these suggestions, I think MDA needs a ‘like’ button under each comment
I love the idea of a “live chat” feature to ask quick questions to.
The Grok Community idea is great too. You could have host or representatives for the certain area/community and do events with one another or cooking classes or just plain Primal Parties!!
I know I’m past the deadline, but I’ve wanted to e-mail Mark for some time about this and here’s my chance to submit it. I would love to be able to subscribe to a print publication/magazine reference The Primal Blueprint. There are so few reliable, decent, enjoyable magazines on anything and magazines are so fun to get and read.
Would like to see more listings for Primal-minded stores in particular cities and suburbs where one could buy the odd fur loincloth, stone tools, etc.
More posts to Weston A. Price Foundation. Their work is so important to all of us as well as the animals we eat. Your website is such a great opportunity to spread the word about WAPF. Thanks!- K
Hey Mark,
A product you could make that I would buy indefinitely is a film or documentary about the Paleo/Primal lifestyle and how it can change your life overall. Include other paleo/primal advocates, other big names, etc… I think you could make it into something great.
The one thing I can think of is more videos.
Ipad/iphone App to provide insights and support on the go!
I am fairly new to Primal and a life long sugar holic along with carbs,(cookies, cakes, pop, etccc… It has taken two years just to be able to give up sugar and my whole reason is for health, I guess I didnt even mind how I felt because I never felt different but now I can taste not just sweet or salty but flavor. Great! But I have dealt with serving people and one thing in common with health issues is lack of nutrition and where to look for info for beginning health for dummies. Its been quite the quest. The knowledge of what food is and how it works is totally lost in our society to the everyday person( maybe 85% I dont know)For one to know what amino acid or what enzyme is missing or why no grains is imperative to any one with major health issues to strengthen themselves and not with a microwave dinner. So, I am sayine to bring more people to the knowledge of food/nutrition in a very simple starting point. And maybe through a nice brochure they can request from a radio ad and then advertise it. Ask Tony Robbins the master strategist!He’s the bomb. People could call for a brochure and they would have to leave their email in which you could then start sending info to them, teaching them. I’m fairly slow but I am applying what I learn and it makes me happy.Thanks for all you teach me.
I’m not sure if this has already been suggested because I didn’t read through every comment, but I’d love to have a compilation of all of the cited studies from your articles. That way, when people ask what I’m basing my beliefs about saturated fat (among other things) on, I can show them direct evidence other than my own personal changes in health and appearance.
AN exercise schedule including body weight strength training examples…
A mobile app! Everyone uses them already, but to have MDA in mobile, perhaps with a functionality to give workout reminders or to help on the decision making process when ordering out? It’s MDA on the go!
This is a suggestion for the second half: make your Primal life easier. (i.e. It isn’t a website suggestion)
I have meals away from home more than half the week. I manage those OK – I can usually find a steak or fish dish with veggies. But I am missing out on all the “extras” – the organ meats, lots of vegetables, and quality food – I can pretty much guarantee the steaks at any restaurant in town are not from pastured cows.
So, I need help cooking, for the times I am able to eat at home – when I do have a shot at eating well. I have considered a service that will ship pre-packaged meals, but that’s pretty spendy, not very flexible, and finding a paleo one severely limits the few choices available. What worked well for me back before, was something like Dream Dinners. So that’s my pick, for a suggestion for you – a way to pick up and pack up complete fresh high quality paleo meal fixings, once every week or two, so that I can prep and cook paleo, using the freshest ingredients, without a lot of preparation or waste.
I think a searchable database on MDA with every food imaginable (or at least a lot of foods)that would tell you quickly Primal or Not and a quick description why it is or isn’t primal. There is always a lot of discussion and misinformation floating around when it comes certain foods being primal. It would be an amazing tool for the Newbies and Veteran Groks alike. The food pages could also have information such as nutrition content and benefits the food provides. Thanks for all your hard work Mark!! I am still down 65lbs from my PrePrimal weight, effortlessly maintaining my weight, and loving life and I owe it all to MDA & PB!
I missed the contest deadline, but it doesn’t matter. A quick and easy way (either through app or quick email icon) that users could send to a friend which would summarize your 10 basic steps into easy talking points. Once we are able to summarize and discuss easily with those that are interested those individuals could get the more in-depth information from your website.
I was tempted to cut up my book so I could create my own pdf but it seemed liked copyright infringement and I did not want to destroy my book. I have purchased over 5 books and handed them out to friends, it gets expensive. We are your best advertisers making it easier for us to spread the word seems to be the simplest and most direct method.
taking health into our own hands: a list of blood, urine, or saliva tests to take, numbers to shoot for…and also a list of which tests are not useful, and what to look for physically instead (i.e. just take selenium/ eat oysters if you have white marks)…
lists for basic health, for different age groups, for specific symptoms…
I would like to see hard scientific data refuting the “calorie is a calorie is a calorie” of conventional wisdom once and for all. I would like to see a large and RIGOROUS study where there are three groups – control (no change in usual diet proportions, just the same number of calories in and out per day as the other groups), high fat/protein, and high carb low fat/protein. Same number of calories in per day, same number of calories burned per day. Compare weight loss at the end of whatever time. Something to prove to my elite-level athlete brother who absolutely 100% refuses to believe that a calorie from carbs is different from a calorie from fat. He doesn’t believe that hypoglycemia is real, because a calorie is a calorie. He doesn’t believe that I can gain weight on 1200 calories a day if it’s mostly carbs but lose on 1800 calories a day if it’s mostly fat/protein. A real, scientifically valid study would be AWESOME!
I didn’t read all of the 31 comment pages but, what about a “bumper sticker?” (I’d put it on my bicycle.) Or a flag perhaps? Buttons?
This could help identify Primal people in our own communities…for spontaneous meet and greets! “Oh look there goes a Primal!”
I like the “Primal Foodshare group” idea, and the app.
(I’m in Kitchener, Ontario btw:)
I’d like to see more video entries, (vlogs) on all things Primal including the science that supports the lifestyle.
I would like to see a ‘research’ section so it can easily be scanned, and shared. Many of my friends ask to see the research behind what we’re talking about. I think having some sort of ‘strength’ assessment would be valuable as well, as in this website:
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/
Mark,
A couple of quick ideas:
1. Franchise it: It appears that you have a all the content and methodology – more importantly very passionate adopters you can pull from to be your first franchisees. A franchise would include a (limited) right to an exclusive geography and complete certification program whereby you get the training, support and materials to offer and deliver:
- Primal Personal Training (w/checkpoints)
- Primal Dietary Consultation (w/checkpoints)
- Primal Lifestyle Monitor (w/checkpoints)
- PBP Webinars
- PBP in Market Seminars
- New Offerings born out of Mark’s new book.
Business Support Materials
- Marketing Plan
– How to Sell and recruit consumers
– How to Sell and recruit to Corporate (Selling to the HR dept).
- Business Plan (Economic Model)
- Personal Coaching Option (from Mark’s Posse)
- Personal Mgmt Option (from Mark’s Posse).
Ancillary approach – talk to your friends up a Crossfit – and ask to piggy back (with rev share) – e.g. NEW “Primal Blueprint” offering within all Crossfit centers.”
2. Go Infomercial!! Here again you have all the right pieces. In fact – this could feed the Franchises with qualified “Expansion” leads. Ergo – The infomercial captures the first $100 (“in 3 easy payments”) and those leads are fed to franchises for up-sell of other services. Btw – you might need a “package” that includes aforementioned and poo-poo’d exercise and diet DVD. If it spreads the word and accelerates adoption a-la- P90X – why not?
Summary: You create a large distribution infrastructure that both gets the message out and has the capacity to deliver (coach/mentor etc.) the Primal Lifestyle.
PS: You could consider a Multi-Level Marketing Model as Route-to-Market alternative as well (and maybe you should do more due diligence here) but for there is such a seedy side (sell to your neighbor crap), I would hate to see the superlative PBP or MDA brands hurt by that.
PSS: You’ve got something here that can change the world and it’s very topical right now! I think more effective PR will get you National Press. The challenge to the CW is something that can play very well – as you’ve got the data to back it up. I just heard on FreshAir over the last week about America Obesity pandemic and Author Gretchen Reynolds “Stand-up and Walk Around.” Both offer supporting messages.
I’d key on CW#1 “Grain based diet is the worst mistake in the history of the human race” and get you and Jared side-by-side on interview.
-JC
I would love to see primal blueprint for kids. Kids cookbook and dietary needs supplements what ones and how much. Also daily wods and activities for kids.I guess it would be all the same things that you do for us adults, instead it would be for the little groks. Love the work you do, keep up the great work.
I would love to see all 52 WOW workouts in video format. I think that would be really helpful for those of us who learn best by seeing rather than just reading.
Maybe the MDA readers could volunteer to make the WOW videos and submit them to you for approval/editing before they would be posted on MDA.
I’d like more info on the Primal Family–it’s one thing to take on Primal as an adult, it’s a bit different to do it as a parent trying to change the course of your whole family. My children are 15 months and almost 4. My younger child is easier to adapt because he doesn’t know any different whereas my 4 yr old, though free from most processed food, is attached to ww pasta, cereal, tortillas, oatmeal etc. Switching her to more primal is more difficult. I know there are other resources out there but it would be nice to have it all together. Also, and I know this has been mentioned in posts before, but primal forcpregnancy/ nursing. I’m thinking of a book/ section on the page with how to go primal from conception thru childhood for the mother and
child. How nice it would be for my children to grow up on the right path and not have the struggles I have had with food/weight/health.
A permanent place for people to not just post ideas (there have been a lot of killer ones posted here), but collaborate to make them a reality.
Some type of Primal think-tank/workshop/forum sort of place online where people can coordinate and collaborate on the creation of Primal apps or directories or video series or cookbooks or DVDs or whatever else people come up with. There could be a list of projects people are working on and you could join the group(s) of the project(s) you’re most interested in and help create it.
You can’t do everything yourself obviously, Mark, so something like that where we can harness the smarts and talent of the Primal community to further spread the word and help the community itself by collaboratively creating products/services would be the best suggestion I could make. It would be a shame for all the ideas that’ve been shared here to go to waste if you can only realistically do a handful of them.
I would love to see more stuff for women.You need a grokett,someone women who can look at and go wow I want to look like that.Other than the crossfit sites I dont see many paleo women who inspire me.We also need real women showing us what kind of exercises to do through video,such as heavy lifting.We need sample workout plans and sample daily food logs for women.Yes Mark you are nice to look at ,but I need to see a woman that is paleo/primal,and is everyday type not crossfit.I think crossfit is great but it is not for everyone.I need someone to aspire to be like.
I would like to have more encouraging quotes to help people to maintain primal lifestyle.
I have a question for you, mark(:
Besides all the exercises that you have taught us in this website, how about pilates? What do you think about this?
I second the book or program for us over 50′s. Some of us may be trying to undo decades of SAD eating, and it takes way longer to get in shape. And while I am truly happy about the successes of my younger, more athletic counterparts, it’s hard for me to believe my experience can be the same. I also support the idea of an iPhone app to help track food, find recipes, and log workouts. No matter what you come up with next, I will go for it….keep it coming. The PBS is awesome!!!