Look at that picture. Is it the cutest pooch in the world or is it a teddy bear wearing a doodle mask? What does your brain tell you?
PrimalMed Pooch joins us today to get you in a good mood as summer winds to a close and the nights become cooler. I heard that people just LOVE looking at doodles anyway right?
At PrimalMed, we always talk about routine. Your morning routine, your evening rituals, your non-negotiable must-haves like coffee in the morning and 10 PM lights out. This is routine. It grounds and stabilizes you. It comforts you. But can we be too comfortable? Can throwing a little random into our routine make us stronger and harder to kill? Will it awaken our ancestral genes?
Let’s say all you do is an easy slow run everyday. Guess what? You become very very efficient, dare I say TOO efficient at that particular task. Same goes for doing the same 20 push-ups everyday. Are you creating the necessary stress or hormesis to create positive changes in body composition? I would say you become very good at doing 20 push-ups. Nothing more. Nothing less. That is the SAID principle. Your body is very good at specific adaptations to imposed demands.
I submit that to optimize your genetic potential and expression, you need, no you MUST throw a little random into the mix. Your body and your genes crave randomness, not predictability. When the routine becomes too easy and too predictable, your body slows down. You get lulled into a state of ennui and boredom. No bueno.
Let’s look at creating some randomness in your diet and lifestyle. How does fit in with YOUR PrimalMed Prescription? Can we up the ante a bit and introduce extreme randomness from time to time. Can we throw a bit of kurtosis into our lifestyle routines?
Kurtosis is a term usually used in statistical analysis, but applies here as a tool to introduce brief extreme events that can have an outsized outcome on future events and results.
Your hour bike ride or run or elliptical session? Throw 5-10 minutes of kurtosis in the mix. 5 minutes of sprinting 30 seconds at a time. It awakens your genes. You are no longer strolling on the savannah. You are being chased by a hungry hyena and you must dart and dash to outwit the predator! You must protect your tribe! Ancestral man was never too comfortable. He needed to primed and ready for extreme danger and stress!
How about environmental randomness? Can we mimic an ancestral environment from time to time in an extreme way just for a few minutes here and there to tell our genes that we are alive and ready to take on new stressors? How about ending your showers with 30 seconds of cold?
Remember exercise snacks? Every once in a while, bang out 10 fast hard squats and push ups throughout the day. Ever heard of fartleks? Not what you think, bozo. It refers to doing fast or very fast interval sprints when you run or bike. I like the mailbox routine. Slow to one mailbox. Sprint to the next.
Mix cardio WITH strength training. Do 100 jumping jacks then lift some heavy weights, and then finish it off with your PrimalMed pushups! Surprise your body with some fresh unpredictable routines.
How about energy intake? Shake it up! Do the opposite. Remember George Costanza? He did the opposite and it created the necessary spark to turn his life around.
“Nothing's ever worked out for me with tuna on toast. I want the complete opposite of tuna on toast. Chicken salad, on rye, untoasted with a side of potato salad and a cup of tea!”
Instead of time-restricted eating from noon to 8 PM how about having a primal breakfast and skipping dinner? Are you Keto-crazy? Well then take a break from your butter coffee and have some sweet potatoes and fruit from time to time to remind your body to be efficient at utilizing BOTH fat and whole food carbs as energy inputs.
My mom used to say “Eat dessert first!” Random, random and more random. Dark chocolate and berries BEFORE your chef salad!
Bathroom routines? Can you go left-handed from time to time? I am referring to brushing your teeth of course! Oh yeah, do it balancing on one foot if you can!
Giving your brain a bit of randomness and unpredictability from time to time will keep you on task and focused. You are Primalmed poised! You are on call, and scanning the horizon for those hyenas. Protect your cave! Keep those ancestral genes alive and kicking! That’ll make you harder to kill.
TL;DR: Shake up your routine and do the opposite from time to time. Your genes will thank you!
How can YOU introduce kurtosis and randomness in to your life? Leave some comments. Remember that sharing is caring, so share this post with your cave-mates and have them subscribe for free.
And now, for your listening pleasure!
Thanks Ethan for reading and commenting! Always great to have a new subscriber.
Nice light hearted, funny style of writing Dr. Metzger. Interesting perspective on randomness related to diet and exercise.