28 Oct

Could You Save Your Own Life?

help2 Could You Save Your Own Life?(This is the second part of a four part series on fitness. Part 1: What Does it Mean to Be Fit?, Part 3: Modern Fitness Standards)

Yesterday, I explored the malleable meaning of fitness, including how our ideas of fitness (both reproductive and physical alike) have drastically changed over history. What began as a reliable indicator of a person’s ability to survive and provide for his or her family or tribe has lost its urgency, and becoming fit in the modern world is now a choice, rather than a necessity for reproductive survival.

Or is it?

Keep reading…

27 Oct

What Does it Mean to Be Fit?

modernathlete What Does it Mean to Be Fit?(This is the first part of a four part series on fitness. Part 2: Could You Save Your Own Life?, Part 3: Modern Fitness Standards)

fit-ness

\ˈfit-ness\

n.

  1. The capacity of an organism to survive and transmit its genotype to reproductive offspring as compared to competing organisms
  2. The ability to conduct oneself in physically demanding situations; to function effectively in emergencies; to display superior body composition and aptitude in matters of strength, cardiovascular capacity, power expression, reaction time, speed, agility, flexibility; to evince generally superior health and resistance to injury and disease

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26 Oct

Dear Mark: How to Politely Pass on Dessert

cake Dear Mark: How to Politely Pass on DessertIt’s a common question I get: how to graciously decline the proudly presented delicacy, the traditional or long-labored sweet, the celebratory dessert. Like it or not, desserts are woven into our cultural doings and gatherings. As one reader put it recently, “I’ve been trying to go quasi-primal for about 6 months and have had very good results. A challenging situation that I’ve experienced is declining dessert offers from friends who LOVE to bake. How do I politely decline a chef’s generosity without offending them?”

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25 Oct

Weekend Link Love

chain 1 Weekend Link LoveYou may notice a few adjustments to the regular Weekend Link Love. I’ve decided to add the Recipe Corner as a permanent fixture (including perhaps the best link in the history of MDA linkage, Grok chefs will know it when they see it). And I’ve added a new “Time Capsule” section which contains posts that were popular on this week one or two years ago. It’s a great way to find hidden gems in the annals of MDA history!

What is The Roman Box, and how will it help you lose weight better than any diet or fitness plan? Head over to Pay Now Live Later to find out.

Early in the week I discussed the importance of muscle balance and symmetry. Someone needs to pass the message along to this German armwrestler.

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24 Oct

Italian Sausage Meatballs with Fresh Herbs

meatballs Italian Sausage Meatballs with Fresh HerbsPerhaps there is a more eloquent way to say it, but Shalon perfectly describes the flavor of the meatballs she entered in the Primal Blueprint Cookbook Contest with this quote: “They satisfy my mmm, goodness requirement.”

It’s true. “Mmm” is likely to be the first thing out of your mouth when you take a bite, thanks to a flavorful combination of ground beef (or bison) and sweet Italian sausage. Italian sausage is traditionally made from pork but chicken and turkey varieties are also out there. Fennel seed, which has a slightly sweet and very faint licorice-like flavor is the distinguishing characteristics of sweet Italian sausage. The Italian sausage perfectly matches other ingredients in the meatballs like fresh herbs, garlic and red pepper flakes. You can dip the meatballs in ketchup or mustard if you want, but with so much satisfying flavor packed into them you’ll be completely satisfied eating the meatballs unadorned.

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