Way back in 2006, Mark’s Daily Apple quietly went live in an unknown corner of the Interwebs. Months went by; months of what seemed like me just talking to myself. In due time, people started dropping by to enjoy and comment, and soon the discussion became lively. Buoyed by community support, I wrote and wrote. Every day I wrote, slogging toward the ambitious goal of helping 10 million people cast aside flawed conventional wisdom and take control of their health and wellbeing.
Since launch day in 2006, so much has changed. At the time, “Primal” or “paleo” had few followers and fewer evangelists. Now, everyone and their granny has a paleo blog or podcast, and the ancestral movement has made significant inroads in the shaping of mainstream media and popular thinking about health and wellness. And I couldn’t be more delighted.
Of course, much has changed at Mark’s Daily Apple since then as well. Out of all my writing came The Primal Blueprint; a 2009 book, and a set of guiding principles that changed everything for me. Then came the cookbooks, PrimalCon, Primal seminars, and so much more. Not to mention the thousands of success stories that bore witness to the power of living like Grok.
The momentum of the movement is undeniably strong. As one of my physician friends commented to me recently, it’s going to take a couple decades for mainstream science and medicine to recalibrate their flawed, entrenched positions; for individuals, it’s simply a matter of whether one wants to wait around and suffer the consequences, or become informed and stay ahead of the curve. That’s what Mark’s Daily Apple is all about really – being open-minded, setting the pace to stay ahead of the curve, and hopefully generating a critical mass so it becomes easier and smoother to buck conventional wisdom.
For 2013, my team and I want to offer as much support as possible to help you, and your family and friends, achieve your health and fitness goals. We believe that as long as you have the right tools, guidance, and inspiration you can achieve just about anything. So here’s a brief summary of what we have lined up for this year. Not everything is listed. Mark’s Daily Apple will be seeing some improvements in 2013 that aren’t discussed below, for example. There are a few surprises that you’ll have to check back for, but this captures how we plan on providing you with what you’ve been requesting. Let me know what you think in the comment boards. Grok on!
On January 8, I’ll be releasing The Primal Connection, the long-awaited sequel to The Primal Blueprint. As friends and colleagues within the ancestral movement have so generously described, The Primal Connection offers the first really new dimension in the paleo/Primal space in years.
Like The Primal Blueprint, The Primal Connection is both a culmination and expansion of principles I’ve first introduced here on MDA. It picks up where The Primal Blueprint left off, by extending the primal theme beyond the diet and exercise basics. In it I present a comprehensive plan to overcome the flawed mentality and hectic pace of high-tech, modern life and reprogram your genes to become joyful, care-free, and at peace with the present. Inherent to The Primal Connection is the concept that we can use the model of our ancestors to create not just a healthier existence but also a more balanced and fulfilling life. My hope is that upon reading it you’ll emerge with a renewed appreciation for the simple pleasures of life and our most precious gifts of time, health, and love.
Just as I did for Primal Blueprint Healthy Sauces, Dressings & Toppings last month, I’ll have something special put together for devoted Mark’s Daily Apple readers when this book is released. So mark your calendar and be ready to jump on the offer while it lasts.
They say every cloud has a silver lining, and that’s certainly true with the publication of The Primal Blueprint in 2009. When no mainstream publisher or agent wanted to take a chance on some unknown blogger touting a decidedly fringe movement, I was compelled to take matters into my own hands and self-publish. Well, we learned the ropes quickly and realized that indeed it was possible to make inroads into the publishing community without having a high rise office in New York City. With a good handful of titles in our catalog, and strong relationships established throughout our manufacturing and supply chain, we are becoming full-fledged publishers here in Malibu, CA. That’s right, in 2013 you will see an assortment of works from other authors released under the imprint of Primal Blueprint Publishing. The authors we publish are aligned with the philosophy of the Evolutionary Health Movement, but bring all kinds of fresh perspectives and specialized areas of expertise to the table. First up in our publishing lineup is Jayson and Mira Calton’s Rich Food, Poor Food. This dynamic couple, both experts in nutrition, have navigated every single aisle of the grocery store to help you choose the most nutrient-rich foods for you and your family, and steer clear of the hype and misinformation that are commonly found on labels and advertisements.
A website and blog will be going live at PrimalBlueprintPublishing.com next week to feature all PBP titles, authors, and the latest happenings in the Primal publishing biz, so stay tuned for that, too.
As I wrote a couple weeks ago, back when I first released Primal Fuel I pledged to lower the price of it when and where I could (without cutting any corners on quality) through volume sales and larger ingredient buys. And so I did on December 19, reducing the price of Primal Fuel (30 servings/canister) by a further $10.
Now, in a continued effort to make Primal Fuel more accessible, convenient and affordable, I’ve listened to your requests for a smaller canister option. Later this month Primal Fuel will be available in a 15-serving supply at approximately half the cost of the 30-serving canister.
I’ve received more requests for one-on-one support than for probably just about anything else in recent years. You see, I get hundreds of emails every day from people looking for personalized help and answers to questions about their unique health issues. While I try to answer each and every email that hits my inbox, I’m just one guy. Soon everyone will be able to get the kind of guidance they need, and that I can’t provide on my own. Coming early this year, you can have your very own personal coach to engage in unlimited email communication relating to your diet, your fitness routine, and all of your other Primal Blueprint-related goals. You can enjoy this service as needed, on a month-to-month basis, for a nominal monthly fee. Your support will come from a highly trained elite team of Primal Blueprint certified coaches, and I’ll be hands-on, overseeing the entire operation and coaching strategy.
“Okay, Mark. I totally get it. Meat, fish, fowl, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds. Simple. Okay, now what should I eat?” I hear it all the time. And I get it. Because even when you know what to eat, it can still be a challenge to plan weekly meals, forage for healthy Primal fare, not waste the food you do buy , and do it all while carrying on with your busy modern life. So I’m partnering with a team of meal planning experts (the good folks over at PaleoPlan.com) to provide a Primal Blueprint-Certified Meal Plan. Jennifer Meier (co-author of The Primal Blueprint Cookbook, Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals, and Primal Blueprint Health Sauces, Dressings & Toppings, and resident chef of Mark’s Daily Apple), my team and I will be providing meal plan subscribers with weekly meal plans, recipes and shopping lists to take the guesswork out of eating Primal. If you’re a Primal veteran, already have your go-to meals, and don’t have any problems planning ahead, this program might not be for you. But for anyone that’s just starting the Primal way of eating and needs to know exactly what to eat and what to buy at the market this will be an indispensable and helpful tool.
Remember the Primal Leap Kit? Well, it’s been out of stock for a number of months as we’ve been retooling the package. The new kit will be called the 21-Day Transformation Program. It will be available later this month with a comprehensive package of multi-media material and online support features. It will include a DVD of a Primal Blueprint Transformation Seminar I gave in Chicago last year, and much more. If you or anyone you know has struggled to transition to Primal eating, struggled to lose fat or keep it off, or requires intensive support to kick-start a 21-day lifestyle transformation, this program is the ticket. It’s simply everything you need to go Primal and do it the right way in a single package.
We are hard at work creating what amounts to a series of upper division University-level courses on the Primal Blueprint. We will offer this certification program online, catering not only to personal trainers and health professionals, but anyone who wishes to deepen his or her knowledge about the Primal Blueprint, and hone the skills necessary to guide others to eat, exercise and live Primally. The certification program consists of 13 “modules” that align with the eight Key Concepts and five Action Items of The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation. Each module contains written content, a video presentation of me overviewing the content, and a written examination. The coursework will be rigorous, and when you emerge successfully, you will be designated as a Primal Blueprint certified expert.
With the announcement and prompt sellout of both 2013 PrimalCon events, Oxnard (April 11-14) and Lake Tahoe (Sept 26-29), we know that PrimalCon is here to stay. We hear the voices clamoring for PrimalCon at other locations and are considering plans for alternate venues. With my schedule the way it is, it’s clear that PrimalCon will outgrow my ability to attend each one. However, the team of presenters that are on board is simply awesome, and certainly can support additional gatherings for the magic connection that is PrimalCon.
After our successful nationwide tour of 23 cities in 2012 led by Brad Kearns, we now have Tara Grant stepping up to deliver some soon-to-be-scheduled seminars in 2013. It’s hard to imagine a better presenter than Tara, a living, breathing, dramatic Primal success story who turned her life around and is now a major voice promoting the Primal lifestyle to others. Her casual sessions at PrimalCon Oxnard were a huge hit last year, and she has extensive writing and public speaking experience.
Quick aside: We are about to publish, in digital form, Tara’s compelling personal story and guidebook to overcoming the health condition of Hidradenitis Supprativa. Titled, The Hidden Plague: A field guide for surviving and overcoming Hidradenitis Supprativa, it’s a must have for anyone suffering from this condition, one that is poorly understood by the mainstream medical community.
Tara will get out of the gates on January 27 in Phoenix, AZ, with a special event featuring the Primal Transformation Seminar and a Primal Cooking Class. Brad Kearns will join her to present the seminar portion, and Chef Rachel Albert, another PrimalCon Favorite, will preside over the cooking presentation. This event takes place in a private home and ticket sales are limited. If you are in or near Phoenix, don’t miss this event!
The dynamic duo of Vanessa and Adam Lambert are your hosts for this one-of-a-kind luxury experience at a beautiful villa in Malibu, CA. The event, slated for Jan 31-Feb 3, is limited to only 12 guests, so act quickly if you can make it to Malibu! You’ll be immersed in real world scenarios, guided step-by-step through Primal eating, exercise, and lifestyle strategies, and you will leave the weekend with a complete arsenal of knowledge to immediately and seamlessly integrate the Primal philosophy into your life. Adam and Vanessa will provide intensive hands-on coaching, and you’ll enjoy gourmet meals from the best Primal chef in Los Angeles.
People have been bugging me to keynote a cruise, or stage a Primal cruise, for many years. It seems like a great way to connect, enjoy some expert presentations, and have a vacation experience. I’ve heard great things about Jimmy Moore’s annual Low Carb Cruise. The reason I’ve dragged my feet on this is because my vision of a cruise is all-or-nothing. If we are going to set sail on a Primal Blueprint cruise, we must take over the entire boat so that everyone you see lounging on deck or shooting skeet is a Primal enthusiast; so that nary a dinner roll is found anywhere on board the boat; so that the dining experience is one of appreciation and alignment with the ancestral model, not a decadent gorge-fest that seems to be synonymous with the industry. Then we must have a Primal experience at each port-of-call: a hike to some ruins or a mountain top, maybe a sprint workout in some sand dunes, some paddleboard lessons, or perhaps a shopping tour of the local farmers market. You know, an authentic, total immersion Primal Blueprint cruise. Now, even the junior cruise ships are large beasts, and it’s no small endeavor to reserve one with the unbreakable promise to fill it. However, I believe we as a community can fill a ship and do this thing up right. How does the Caribbean sound in February, 2014? Hey no promises, but we are working hard to make something happen and will announce when the time is right.
I’m firmly committed to making 2013 the best year of my life, and helping you do the same for yourself. I’d love to hear what you think of what I have in store for this year, and if you have any ideas or requests I’m all ears. Here’s to a great year. Grok on!
Happy New Year from the Sissons!
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