Contest: New Year’s Resolutions

It’s 2010! Let’s get this year, nay, this decade off on the right foot. This will be the decade that you hone in on what makes your body tick. This will be the decade when you develop a lifelong strategy of health and wellness that works for you. This will be the decade when your smart choices about how you move, what you eat and what you think manifest themselves in a strong, lean and healthy body that would make Grok proud.

Believe it, commit to it and act on it.

1. Believe It

You can attain the health you want and deserve. And the Primal Blueprint can help you get there. If you’re not so sure read the dozens of Success Stories found here on MDA. Read about Diana’s 125 lb weight loss. About Sabrina transforming her body and regaining her energy levels after giving birth to 5 kids. About David seeing noticeable improvements in symptoms related to Asperger’s Syndrome just weeks after going Primal. Or about Kristy who overcame IBS and body image issues with the Primal Blueprint. If they can do it, so can you.

If you need a little more encouragement or simply a good kick in the rear these posts may do the trick to get you in the right mindset.

No Better Time Than the Present

Reflect, Regroup, Resolve

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

It’s Time to “Get Real”

2. Commit to It

What better way to begin this journey than a public pronouncement of your intentions? During last year’s 30-day challenge many Mark’s Daily Apple readers found that stating their goals in the forum gave them just the motivation they needed to achieve their objectives. At the very least this exercise requires you to think through and then articulate what it is you want to accomplish and how you might go about seeing it through. At the most it adds a level of accountability to your ambitions – to yourself and to those in the MDA community that are participating and supporting you in your journey.

This year I thought we’d try this again but with a twist. This is where today’s contest comes in. We’ll be taking this concept and putting it in video form. See all the details below.

3. Act on It

Have all the belief and commitment you want, but you’ll get nowhere without action. Luckily, MDA helps here, too. I strive to give you all the tools, information and resources you need to succeed. The book, the forum, the recipes, the workout prescriptions, and the free weekly newsletter are just the tip of the iceberg. In 2010 I’m going to be opening the floodgates. Stay tuned for more publications, more free content and more of everything you love about MDA.

Now, on to the contest and prizes!

The Prize:

A Pullup Bar – And not just any pull up bar. It’s a portable, adjustable, polished aluminum, free standing, pullup/dip bar that can support a 350 lb Grok. You won’t find this thing tucked behind the cardioglides at your local Dick’s Sporting Goods. This bar was built for circus training, and circus folk don’t mess around… unless they are clowns. The adjustable height allows for bodyweight assisted pullups if you’re trying to work your way up to one pullup. Or if you can already pump out a quick 10, set the bar to a max height of 84″ and get to work on the one-handed pullup. The bar comes courtesy of Trapeze Rigging. Besides pullup bars, these guys can outfit you with an entire backyard trapeze set if you’ve got a little Tarzan in your Grok veins. Also…

17.5 Pounds of Grass Fed Beef – It’s fittingly called the “Inside Round Primal” and it comes from US Wellness. These are the folks who donated a 5 gallon bucket of fat for our 30 Day Challenge last August, and they’re pretty much the only place on the web you can find real pemmican. Besides grass fed beef, US Wellness also sells top quality lamb, poultry, veal, pork, bison, and even rabbit. It’s the place to go if you’re looking for elite meat.

But wait, there’s more! In fact, nine more…

YouBars – No ordinary protein bar, you get to pick all the ingredients that go into your YouBar. Want coconut? Almonds? Blueberries? Make it so. The winner gets a box of 13 custom designed bars.

Dark ChocolateAmano Chocolates are single origin and have won high marks from the prestigious Academy of Chocolate in London (that’s right, there is an Academy of Chocolate). The winner will receive a gift box of 10 70% dark cocoa bars. A healthy, sensible vice.

Salad Dressings – The big ass salad (BAS) is one of the cornerstones of Primal eating. And a salad is only as good as its dressing. The winner of the recipe contest will receive a six pack of salad dressings courtesy of Zukay Live Foods. Made from fresh veggies bought from local family farms, no chemicals or added sugars are used in these tasty tossed-lunch toppers.

Resistance Bands – For people who don’t have a small fortune to drop on an entire weight set (which is most people), the resistance band is a cheap, compact way to get your strength training done. Rubberbanditz makes a tight little package with a nifty carry bag. If you visit their website, I’d suggest checking out the goofy/endearing promo video.

Bath & Foot SoakPampering is Primal; the winner will get to do some serious pampering with a 6.5 lb can of Ancient Minerals magnesium flake bath and foot soak. Good for the constant barefooter. Also included are Ancient Minerals’ magnesium gel and magnesium oil.

Coconut OilSaturated fat is healthy and coconut oil is full of it. The winner gets a 16 oz bottle of the stuff from Barlean’s.

Coconut Flour – The coconut love just keeps coming with a 2 lb bag of coconut flour from Tropical Traditions. Use it to make some pancakes.

That’s 11 prizes for a total value of $700! Does your cell phone have a video camera? Then you’ve got everything you need to enter this contest…

The Contest:

Tell the world what your New Year’s Health Resolutions are and how are you are going to achieve them in a YouTube video that is 60 seconds or less in length.

Are you going to lose 20 lbs? Eliminate stress? Train yourself to wake up without an alarm clock? Get in the best shape of your life? Say it on video in 60 seconds or less. Upload your video to YouTube and then email me the link. I’ll publish select videos on Mark’s Daily Apple at the end of the month. The video doesn’t have to be fancy, but creativity is always encouraged.

Please title the video “Primal Blueprint New Year’s Resolution:” followed by your own sub-title.

Eligibility:

Anyone. Yes, anyone in the whole world can win. If you live outside the 48 contiguous United States you’ll get everything except the grass fed beef. I apologize to the Kiwis and Aussies, but sending 18 lbs of meat halfway around the world doesn’t work well (customs agent + large chunk of meat = fail). You’ll get a non-potable substitute prize just as awesome.

Contest Deadline:

January 15, midnight PST. No time to waste. Only two weeks and counting, so get your submission in ASAP!

How the Winner Will Be Determined:

One winner will be selected by random drawing.

The Fine Print:

  • You can upload your video to YouTube or any other video sharing site (e.g. Vimeo)
  • Only one video submission and contest entry is allowed per person
  • To be eligible for the prize the video needs to be titled as per the instructions above
  • The video needs to be an original video made for the purposes of this contest
  • By submitting your video to this contest you are giving Mark’s Daily Apple the right to broadcast and edit your video

About the Author

Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.

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