The 2011 Primal Blueprint 30-Day Challenge Begins Now
If you want to lose weight, gain muscle, reduce stress, increase energy or just generally look and feel healthier you’ve come to the right place. Oh, and you can win lots of cool Primal gear, too. That’s right, it’s the annual Primal Blueprint 30-Day Challenge!
The 30-Day Challenge Details
So what’s the challenge? To get Primal, of course! I hold this 30-Day Challenge every year to encourage Primal beginners to give this way of eating, moving and living a try because I know it works, I know how empowering it is, and I know it changes lives.
I also do it to motivate those that have been dabbling with the Primal lifestyle for a while, but haven’t fully committed or still have some room for improvement (myself included!), to go all in and resolve to finally tackle whatever it is they want to address in their lives.
The actual challenge itself is pretty straightforward. The details can be found in the image below. I recommend downloading the 30-Day Challenge flyer here, and clicking on the links to learn more about each of the topics. (And maybe print a few copies to hand out to friends!)
No sign-up required. Anyone can participate. Just commit to the challenge, and check back every day for motivation and guidance.
Above and beyond the challenge as outlined below, I encourage you to make your own personal challenges. Customize your goals to fit your needs and commit to 30 days starting now.
The Primal Leap – One-on-One Support
This 30-day challenge perfectly complements The Primal Leap. The Primal Leap is my effort to provide one-on-one support and step-by-step guidance to those looking to lose weight, take control of their health and get Primal for life. If you would like expert feedback and be told exactly what to do and when to do it The Primal Leap is for you. Learn more here.
Community Support
Just like last year, I highly encourage you to use the forum during the challenge. In it you can start a “Primal Challenge Journal” to publicly state your goals and track your progress.
Create a journal to receive positive feedback, advice and help along the way from myself and the Mark’s Daily Apple community.
The 30-Day Challenge Contests FAQs
The main challenge itself isn’t competitive but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some friendly contests along they way!
Over the course of the next month Mark’s Daily Apple and sponsors will be giving away thousands of dollars in prizes.
Here are some rules and answers to FAQ:
- There will be a new contests nearly every day for the duration of the 30-day challenge (through Oct. 11), so check back daily!
- All contest prizes relate in some way to the Primal lifestyle. You won’t find any miracle weight loss pills, tummy crunching sling-a-ma-doo-dads, or whole wheat health blast jazzer snackers.
- Some contests will require a bit of leg work while others will require something as simple as commenting on a blog post.
- There is no limit to how many contests you can participate in.
- The duration of any one contest depends on the nature of the contest. Some will last a few weeks (to give you time to complete the contest task) while others will be as short as one day. All deadlines are Pacific Standard Time.
- Contest prizes will be awarded either by a random drawing, by reader voting/polling or by an executive decision (who I think should win!).
- Some prizes will only be available to United States residents. If you live outside the U.S. and win a prize that can’t be shipped internationally an alternate prize of equal value will be awarded.
- I’m not being paid by any company that is sponsoring the contest with a prize.
To track all the contests visit the 2011 Primal Blueprint 30-Day Challenge Contest Page for daily updates.
New to the Primal Blueprint and Mark’s Daily Apple?
If you are new to the Primal Blueprint and Mark’s Daily Apple and don’t know where to begin here are some resources to get you started:
1. Not sure what it means to “Go Primal”? Check out these articles for the basics:
- The Definitive Guide to the Primal Blueprint
- The Definitive Guide to the Primal Eating Plan
- How to Succeed with the Primal Blueprint
2. The Primal Blueprint 101 Page
3. The Forum – Ask any and all questions you have about the Primal lifestyle.
4. The Book
5. What to eat? – Primal Blueprint Recipes on MDA and The Primal Blueprint Cookbook and Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals
6. Have a question? – Contact Me
Tell your friends and family about the challenge so they can get Primal, too! Use the “ShareThis” link below to send this article via email.
Subscribe to the Mark’s Daily Apple Newsletter and Get Challenge Updates All Month Long
Posted By: Mark Sisson
So excited!
Excited to have a community of friends committed to health and nutrition. My biggest challenge will be sprinting once a week….started this morning.
Great first day! Kicked my butt!
ITBS recovery
Me too! I figured sprinting was the perfect way to begin the challenge.
My challenge this month is to incorporating sprints in my morning walks.
This has been difficult for me. I tend to fall over my own (big) feet and since I haven’t sprinted in years I’m afraid I’ll do a faceplant.
LOL! I thought the same thing as I apprehensively lurched forward in to full throttle sprint during my regular walk a couple of weeks ago. But I did it three times that walk…couldn’t move for a week after but WOW it’s kind of liberating esp when I consider I haven’t sprinted since probably high school. Give it a whirl. Don’t worry about what others in the neighborhood are thinking of you. And bring the Neosporin just in case!
I’m using this challenge to put me the rest of the way into a Primal life long committment. I’m 65 and I have a ways to go to get back to an optimum state of health and fitness. So, everyone wish me luck !!
good luck!
Best of life.. I’m going to be 50 in less than two weeks I’ve been getting primal for several months now and it’s a grreat feeling!! My current challenge is to do a pull up. I have a torn rotator cuff injury so I’ll have to be very careful.
It’s never too late! Good luck!
Great contest – I’m going to incorporate more of a primal approach / functional training for my lifting heavy things over the next 30 days.
Been “primal” for several months now, but need to tighten things up a bit in SEVERAL areas. Great timing!
No excuses now. Let’s do it
My personal challenge: To be strict for these 30 days about no grains and no dairy. I love milk and yogurt, but I’m trying out a non-dairy diet. And I’ve been avoiding grains with not much problem, except when in social situations where grains are offered. Also, a big challenge for me is to ignore my sweet tooth!
Candida overgrowth will make for sugar/bread cravings, as the little yeasties demand you to feed them!
I understand the worry about Candida overgrowth. I’ve had to deal with that fighting back with yogurt or acidophilus, but I don’t buy them controlling my appetite for grains–demanding that I feed them. I’ve had sugar or bread cravings without any Candida overgrowth at all. That appetite comes from somewhere else, not yeastie mind-control.
just read the challenge email now…i’m down. starting in the morning. well, now, I guess.
It’s great to know that there are people all around the globe who are up for the challenge and up for the lifestyle too. Never been fitter, never been stronger, never been more motivated.
I’m stoked about this! My main challenge is to play more. I’m also going to try and keep a log here on MDA so I have a record of these 30 days.
The persistence hunt has begun!
Get a full 8-9 hours of sleep a night
Me x10
This is going to be the most difficult part of the challenge for me. I have a 5 month old at home that makes this very difficult.
And don’t underestimate the power of a 20min nap if you can swing it. A nap might even be more valuable to you than walk, if you’re faced with the choice.
My biggest challenge will be to get at least 8 hrs of sleep each night…zzz.
Yup, me too…add me to the long list of “need more sleep” folks!!
Since the days are getting shorter, maybe I can take advantage of the extra dark… Lack of sleep has always plagued me.
Does anyone have good advice on how to get enough shut-eye?
I’m a nurse and work different shifts so may find this difficult as well. I have to get up early to get kids off to school so some nights it can be 5-6 hours of sleep. Then I am groggy and end up relying on coffee to keep me going. I just can’t think of a good point for a restorative nap before 2pm–that is when I am most energetic.
I’ve found for me, using the scientific method, that taking 250mg of magnesium at night helps me sleep more solid.
That is magnesium, not melatonin.
I knew I was vitamin deffecient based upon my poor diet and lifestyle. So I started to supplement one of five different supplements prior to bed (Magnesium, Selenium, D3, B12, E, and K). I noticed in the mornings after I took a Mg does the night prior I felt more rested.
Since I never read anything about Mg and sleep I do not think this is a placebo effect. Granted biochemistry and sleep is very complex and there are numerous variables but at the end of the day this is what I observed.
That’s a really good one. I need to get earplugs… City living is tough.
Sleep is my big challenge too! With 4 kids under 5, it can be tough, but I’m committing to be in bed by 9:30 each night in complete darkness. I’m also going to focus more on fitness and do kettlebells 2-3x week, hike with the kids for a few hours a week and spring once in a while
Thanks for the challenge again this year Mark!
Sounds great, Mark! Instead of riding the subway two stops from Penn Station to my office, I am going to walk – 1 mile each way. Tried it this morning, and it was delightful, and only ~10 minutes or so longer than the subway.
My personal challenge for this month will be to incorporate at least 1 HIIT exercise each week. I still continue to lift 2-3 times/week, but sometimes it’s difficult to motivate myself to kick my own ass.
My life has been a little crazy recently, so despite moving toward a paleo lifestyle, I haven’t managed to really get all the sugar removed from my diet and exercise back into my days.
The paleo challenge is my catalyst to refocus my energy on myself and make the changes that are important to me!
I’m with you there. 10 lbs have crept back on me and I’ve had new family members move in, a job change etc. I have been struggling with sugar, dairy and grains lately as I had taken them back up. I need to get on the ball now! My exercise lately (except for walking) has been nonexistent unless I’m lifting or boosting a patient.
I’m in!! (@TheSaladGirl)
My personal challenge is to eat when I’m hungry, and, more importantly, not eat when I’m not.
That is my personal challenge as well! Sometimes I catch myself eating when I am not hungry. I still eat Primal foods, but it can slow my progress.
That is definitely a challenge for me too. I eat when I am nervous and stressed and as a student working on a huge project I am both of those frequently!
My personal challenge is to work the crap out of my arms and abs. I cycle every day for my commute but my arms and abs are not getting the same attention as my legs. Push ups, planks, pull ups and dips whenever I am watching a movie, waiting for dinner to cook, or just because I have a spare couple of minutes.
Go for a swim. Good for the back, arms & belly. Also good for sleeping. Goes very well with cycling…
same here! i tend to eat even when i’m not necessarily hungry. this will be my challenge as well
Oh, I second this! This is my problem too.
I’m another one. My worst ‘want to eat’ and ‘not really hungry but still eating’ times are when I’m tired and yes, I struggle getting my 8 hours. In fact I struggle getting 6!
I’m in, too. In fact, I posted on my blog last night that I was starting my own challenge today: http://agingbull.com/55/on-the-occasion-of-my-45th-birthday/
This is my big thing too! I’m already fairly lean because I’m a cyclist, but I tend to munch on food when i’m bored, and considering I’m bored all day at work, that makes it hard!
My goals –
Stop eating when not hungry
Weights twice a week
8 hours+ sleep a night!
same here
My personal goal: implement the Primal Fitness Plan by sprinting once per week and continuing to work up to pull-ups and push-ups.
I’m already pursuing a 100% grain-free, soda-free and alcohol-free September.
My personal challenge is to wear my VFFs to work. I walk A LOT at work (5-10 miles a shift), and I’ve worn them before but catch a bit of flak for it.
So that’s my goal!
My personal challenge is to make a commitment not to give in to sugar and cheats! I tend to do really well living primally throughout the week, but have a horrible habit of messing up on weekends (college life makes things pretty tricky for me).
I am making the same commitment. Just being home with the kids and hubby on the weekends makes cheating almost inevitable sometimes. I’m committing for the next month to avoid those temptations, no matter what!
I am committed to the exact same thing! At home, it is difficult with the boyfriend eating as he pleases, especially when he has really good bread at home… that is my weakness!
Giving up artificial sweeteners. Farewell iced coffee cart man.
Good luck to the winner… but I have to put in my $0.02 about VFFs being as close as you can come to barefoot.
Mark, let us send you a pair of Invisible Shoes and you can experience what others have found, namely, that the barefoot- and ground-feel is way better.
So right! I love my VFF’s in the winter here in No. Nevada, but my invisible shoes are definitely closer to barefoot. They’ve been my first choice for every shod occasion since purchasing 3 mo. ago. VFF’s look so sad in closet.
Personal challenges for me are:
1. Get minimum 8 hrs sleep (not easy!)
2. Manage my stress better
3. Play!
Gotta make them all good habits!
Me too! Work has been super busy lately, increasing #2 and decreasing #1 & #3. Looking forward to making them more of a priority over the next 30 days!
My challenge is to track my intake, especially my carb intake.
I’m already eating 80-90% primal, but I hate food journaling. However, I think once this 30 days is over and I’ve journalled faithfully, I’ll have a much better handle on what my actual carb and protein intakes are, and will have gained the ability to easily estimate and plan my meals.
My personal challenge is to do some low intensity moving and activity most days. I’m too sedentary except for workouts, and I want to do more activity with my daughter.
Tweets done — via @M_C_Alexander
My personal challenge is to give up grains, sugar, and starches for the full 30 days.
I’ve done really well ditching the grains and sugars. Six months primal and I’m 25 pounds lighter, four sizes smaller and the hypertension is gone. This is a postmenopausal freaking miracle! This month I want to really get the Franken oils out of my food. Yesterday I made my own bleu cheese dressing. Grokettes are fanatical label readers!
Oh, me too! I’ve dropped 56lbs by being Primal! I really want to focus on the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 this challenge…it’s something I hadn’t looked at before, and now that I’m aware of the issue I really want to tackle it. Good luck to you, and congrats on your postmenopausal freaking miracle!
Haha, no twitter for me! However my personal challenge will be to introduce my new friends at my new college campus to the Primal lifestyle.
Bring on the challenges!
My personal challenge is to become more consistent with my exercise and follow primal fitness
My Primal challenge this month is to eat something that I have grown. Hopefully my (extremely small, container-based) garden will produce romaine lettuce, cabbage, carrots, and zucchini near the end of September. First time trying to grow things!
Oh, that’s a great one, Rob. I’ve never done that myself, either.
Careful – you start out with a container garden, next thing you know you’ve got a couple of 4×8 beds in the backyard and are wishing you’d built more!
It is so cool eating something you grew. I had the chance to do a few complete salads with my own garden stuff. good luck
My personal challenge will be to completely eliminate gluten and beer from my diet.
Nice. I just went 27 days without beer, and I think I was pretty gluten-free (incidental contact in restaurants possible). It wasn’t too bad.
I’ll join you in both!
Gotta tell ya, completely eliminating beer or alcohol in general will be the hardest habit to break. I will join you in reducing this month, but I will not promise to cut it out completely. That will be part of my 80/20!!
Beer is my bulwark. It’s a tiny indulgence, once a week, but its got to go. I’ve quite enjoyed those alcoholess nights at the bar.. good luck.
A noble goal indeed, good luck with it! I’ve been gluten and beer free for 16 of the past 21 days. Time to step up to the plate and make it 30 days in a row ^_^
Wow thanks all repliers! Yah it’ll be tough. Glad we’re all in this together.
My mini-challenges are:
1. Get 8 hours sleep every night
2. Stick to crossfit class at least 3x per week (but being careful not to overtrain)
3. Get my mom and siblings to join in!
And 4. Develop a better relationship with food by eating when hungry and stopping when full
Good Luck everyone!
My challenge is giving up grains. Each of the steps will be challenging but this will be the biggest.
Giving up grains is also my biggest challenge. Eggs without toast seems to be a huge hurdle.
Eggs with bacon is way better than eggs with toast – try looking forward to that instead!
Fry chopped garlic and shallots in butter or bacon grease til soft,then stir in whirled eggs,chopped spinach,olives,mushrooms,tomatoes,etc. Cook. Eat with bacon strips. Enjoy!
Giveup Sugar!
That’s mine too. In fact, I loaded myself up this weekend on sugar for one last go at misery. I’m looking forward to trying 30 days without the stuff (and also dreading the first few days without it too!)
me too! Sugar is poison! It’s also considered to be more addicting than crack/cocaine. Not kidding. Get off the sugar and you can improve your life (myself included). Good luck!
Agreed, sugar is worse that crack/cocaine coz it’s everywhere.
I will join in the 30 day challenge and I will
1. eliminate all sugar
2. include some heavy lifting in my exercise regime
Thanks Mark, perfect timing with this challenge.
Looking forward to completing the 30 day challenge.
My goals, to continue to CrossFit 5 days a week, get in as close to 8 hours of sleep a night and stick with the primal blueprint as close as possible.
I have been crossfitting for 5 weeks now, just competed in my first competition and am about 5 lbs from my first of many “mini goals” to fit into the pants I wore 6 years ago by my 6th wedding anniversary on October 8th.
Looking forward to the challenge!
I am excited about this! My personal challenges are to get at least 8 hours of sleep per night (instead of the 6-7 I normally get), and to quit binging on things that are technically “primal” but not good in large quantities, like fruit.
I have the same goal. Im trying to steer clear of that almond butter also. To being binge-free!
I’ve been almond butter free for 8 days now.. It’s still hard though! Always thinking, mmmmmmm, this banana would be great with some almond butter! Or this Coconut Oil would taste so much better with some almond butter..
After 3 jars in 1 week though, it was time to get rid of the trigger food
why can’t we eat almond butter on Primal? all it is made of is almonds.
I hear ya!!! I’m completely addicted to the stuff (and the odd spoon of peanut butter too)
What’s wrong with almond butters besides the addiction complex?
Almond butter is great, but most nuts are a lot higher in Omega-6 fatty acids (pro-inflamatory) vs. Omega-3 (anti-inflamatory). So although nuts are yummy, in excess they can really drive the ratios of the omega 3′s and 6′s way too far toward the 6′s, just as grains and many processed foods will do.
Robb Wolf gives a solid explanation for all this in ‘The Paleo Solution’.
My personal challenge this month is to make lunches each day. It’s a simple thing, that I used to do all the time, but I’ve gotten lazy. So. Making lunches for myself and my husband so we don’t have to wonder what we should have if we’re hungry.
I baked a chicken last night, so I’m part way there this week.
Oh, I retweeted, but Jenn ain’t my twitter name. Let me know if I need to fill you in on that.
I love this time of year. My personal challenge: limit coffee to once a day and better regulate my sleeping habits.
I’ll be doing what I can to spread the word!
My personal challenge is to do LHT twice a week, plus walking or recumbent bike three days a week for 30 minutes or more. Get a mini-tramp to bounce on!
I am going to commit to bringing primal to football viewing for me and my buddies.
I’m ready, and I think the wife will actually be on board this time. I’m crossing my fingers. We both need to stick with it for a full 30 days this time.
If she does, can you tell me how, my wife won’t get on board. She’s atleast trying to be gluten free at home with me having celiac, but she won’t give up grains.
Giving up grains is hard. I would challenge her in love (she’s got nothing to lose) and see how she feels! Maybe you can make a goal together as a couple… ie, we do this together and if we are successful we will ____ and do whatever you have always wanted to do, like go stay in wine country or go on a mini cruise or a night out without the kids…
I’ll tell you why I don’t jump on board my husband’s programs: he tries to be my coach. It is very annoying. He keeps telling me I should do this and that and that whatever I am doing, I ‘m doing it wrong. That’s why I don’t run with him–he tries to micromanage that! He is not on board with Paleo eating, He is stuck in the SparkPeople dieting meme.
My wife and I have gotten in the same arguments about diet. I’ve tried to “help” her in the past by telling her what to do but that never seemed to actually “help”.
I finally learned it’s best just to do what I am going to do and respect her choices.
So, I started eating Paleo about 6 months ago and at first she thought I was nuts, but slowly over time after seeing my results and sharing info from this site with her, she has begun to eat more Paleo meals and guess what….she loves the results!
So, I guess the moral of the story is we can’t change other people, only ourselves.
But slowly the people closest to us notice the positive changes we make and they eventually will be curious enough to test things out themselves.
Results speak louder than words. So my suggestion-Do it on your own. Make sure you explain why and that you are committed.
It’s only 30 days. You can tell them that at the end of the 30 days, if it’s not all it’s cracked up to be…then at least you know and you can move forward…but you’ve got to try because your health and well being are worth it.
This could be a huge pivotal moment in your life that could lead to a lot of amazing new changes not only in your health, but everything else in your life because your health affects everything.
Whoa! Sorry for the novel, your stories resonated with me so thought I’d share. I’ll stop talking now.