There are certain basic inputs that everyone needs to be healthy. nutritious foodGetting enough sleep, social connections and what we’re talking about today. movement.
Movement is an essential part of Primal Blueprint’s master plan to create your strongest, healthiest, most dynamic, and most enjoyable life. That’s what I hope for all my readers. It is about living a long life until the end. Achieving that goal requires a solid foundation in physical health and mobility, starting as young as possible to prevent the inevitable physical decline that comes with age.
Everyone knows how to move. We’ve all been told that exercise is important, that we should aim for 10,000 steps a day, build core strength, and really utilize that gym membership. However, many, if not most, people do not get the right amount of exercise, either moving too little or too much (the former is much more common). Nor do we move in enough different ways to achieve optimal fitness and longevity potential.
Simply put, they do not operate according to the primordial blueprint.
Humans are designed to navigate the world. Be active. Physically manipulate the environment. Of course, our ancestors had no choice in the matter. They didn’t worry about being strong or physically capable. Their health was a natural result of living in harsh environments where they had to work for food, shelter, water, transportation, socialization, defense, and all other aspects of survival.
But now life is easier. At least when it comes to physical demands. We modern people must strive to stay healthy. When devising the primordial blueprint, I considered how our ancestors moved, what traits they embodied, and what our genes need and expect for optimal health. Here’s what I came up with:
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Humans are designed to move a lot, often slowly, but sometimes very quickly.
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The human body is designed to move through all planes of motion: pushing, pulling, lifting, jumping, running, sprinting, throwing, and balancing.
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Our ancestors had to be physically strong, powerful, quick on their feet, have a good strength-to-weight ratio, and have a lot of endurance.
With this in mind, we came up with the following Primal Blueprint movement laws:
Four of the ten primal blueprint laws explain how things should move. It’s that important.
We know that our ancestors spent an average of several hours each day moving at what today’s exercise physiologists describe as “low-level aerobic rates.” They hunted, gathered, foraged, wandered, scouted, migrated, climbed, and crawled. This low level of activity caused the genes to build strong muscles, bones, and joints. Builds a strong cardiovascular system. And it burns fat for fuel. Today’s sedentary lifestyle is as far from what we can achieve. But our genes still expect us to move often, often at a slow pace. From a chronic health perspective, this is perhaps one of the most detrimental discrepancies between primitive and modern life.
Learn more Circle #3.
Likewise, until relatively recently there was no way to get by without moving heavy objects such as wood, stones, water, animals that died miles from home, and even your own body weight. Moving heavy objects, or what we now call “resistance training,” when performed in an athletic setting, makes you stronger.
Strength isn’t just about having an attractive physique or being successful in sports. Even though that would be a perfect reason to want to be strong. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue and the main reservoir of blood sugar (glycogen). Having too little muscle puts you at greater risk of developing insulin resistance and metabolic disorders. A weak musculoskeletal system means frailty, and frailty is closely related to mortality as we age.
Learn more Circle #4.
Going all out sends a powerful signal to your genes, saying, “Hey, we need to be ready to perform at peak performance at a moment’s notice.” For primitive humans, this would have been a matter of life and death. The resulting hormonal cascade and adaptations make the body healthier and more resilient to future challenges.
Learn more Circle #5.
(Yes, I skipped rule #6. primitive way of life mail.)
Hunter-gatherers worked fewer hours and had more leisure time than American workers, who typically worked an average of 40 hours or more. After finishing the day’s catch and gathering roots, shoots, nuts, and berries, our ancestors spent hours engaging in various forms of social interaction that we might classify today.play.”
The net effect was to strengthen social bonds and organize social hierarchies, stimulate creative thinking and problem solving, practice important skills such as climbing and javelin throwing in a low-stakes environment, and pass on wisdom. Play was also important in promoting the release of endorphins (feel-good brain chemicals) and alleviating the lasting effects of stress caused by life-threatening situations. Although you don’t have to be good at javelin throwing in everyday life, the other benefits of play remain important to both children and adults today.
Learn more Circle #7.
The Primal Blueprint Fitness Pyramid provides a handy visual reference for how the average person should move in a week.
Within this general framework, there’s a lot of room to find your preferred method of movement. I believe Primal Blueprint is infinitely flexible and forever scalable. Maybe your goal is to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Maybe I’d like to be able to stay at Disney World for an entire day with my family. Maybe you like CrossFit or want to run your first 5K. Perhaps your job requires you to meet certain fitness standards. Maybe you just want to live a long, healthy life, but you don’t want to see the inside of a gym.
These are all valid. As I’ve said many times, the best exercise is consistent.
Whatever your goals, Primal Blueprint Movement Laws provides a springboard for building a broad fitness foundation.
Crucially, Primal Blueprint also helps you avoid the pitfalls of chronic cardio and other overly stressful exercise patterns. These laws of movement provide the right formula for becoming lean and functional with minimal time investment, pain, suffering, sacrifice, and, more importantly, maximum fun, enjoyment, and comfort.
It’s not the only way to get healthy, but it may be the most efficient, effective, and enjoyable way.
Thanks for reading!
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* This blog reflects my personal views and opinions and is not intended as medical advice, but I hope it will be informative and inspiring in your pursuit of a healthy and fulfilling life.
