Revealing Here the 7 Science-Backed Ways to Be Happier

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

How to Be Happy: 7 Simple Steps

We all have days when we feel a little Grinch-like.

Something goes wrong, we’re late for work, there’s too much traffic, we receive disappointing news – the occasional bad mood makes you human, after all. But if you’ve found yourself in a relentless funk when pulling teeth is easier than forcing a smile, it may be time to make a few simple shifts in your lifestyle.

Now, these proven ways to increase your happiness aren’t only reserved for when you’re a grumpasaurus. These tips for a better mood are just as effective when you’re happy because they support your health on multiple levels. Besides, if you regularly incorporate these tips into your routine, you may never wake up in your Scrooge costume again.

Here are 7 science-backed ways to be happier.

1. Take a Break from Social Media

According to studies, staying off Facebook can make you happier.

Now, if you’ve already made that observation yourself, you’re probably not surprised.

But when asked to stay off Facebook for 1 week, participants in Denmark not only rated their level of life satisfaction higher, but also reported feeling less worried, lonely and stressed when compared to the control group who continued regular use with social media. Try staying off Facebook for 1 week. Chances are, you’ll feel less lonely and stressed. 

Researchers related the increased happiness to our tendencies to compare ourselves to others on social media.

So, the next time you’re feeling anxious or gloomy, try your best to unplug from social media and technology for the day. It can also help to disconnect from your phone and apps such as Instagram, which also promote comparison and distract you from being in the present moment.

If it’s not realistic to turn off your phone completely, try to avoid checking messages or voice mail until you’ve given yourself a chance to recharge. Which brings me to the next point…

2. Meditate

While meditation is found on almost every list of ways to improve happiness, science agrees it’s for good reason.

In a study done on “loving-kindness meditation” (LKM), participants who practiced this form of meditation for at least one hour each week for 7 weeks reported decreased feelings of depression and increased life satisfaction – in which the increased rate of positive feelings directly correlated with the number of hours spent in meditation.

But the study also showed that LKM meditation can help sustain feelings of positivity long after you’ve left the meditation cushion. Loving-kindness meditation can help boost your mood with feelings of positivity.

Loving-kindness is a meditation that requires you to focus your emotions and positive feelings towards a person for whom you already feel warmth, care and compassion. LKM asks you to extend the warm feelings to yourself first, and then to others during meditation.

And while it seems natural that the positive emotion evoked by this meditation would increase happiness, the study pointed out that meditation may be an effective tool for combating depression by improving long-term happiness by helping us “outpace” the hedonic treadmill.

The hedonic treadmill is a term used to describe the emotional set point we return to, despite encountering positive or negative events – for example, winning the lottery or becoming paraplegic. As quoted from the study: “The hedonic treadmill, as classically stated, implies that all efforts to improve happiness are doomed to failure”.

But the study’s findings suggest that meditation does, in fact, provide long-term feelings that last beyond the time spent in meditation practice, rather than a temporarily altered state of positivity.

Therefore, meditation can be effective not only for instantly improving your mood, but for preventing negative feelings in the future.

While this study was done on LKM, there are many forms of meditation you can try, such as Vipassana meditation or Mantra meditation. You may simply prefer to sit in a comfortable spot and focus on your breath for twenty minutes, uninterrupted.

Thanks to YouTube and free meditation apps, you can also experiment with different forms of meditation to see what works best for you. There are no shortage of guided meditations and playlists online that you can listen to for free.

3. Be Kind

A recent study shows that helping others is more effective for boosting our mood than helping ourselves.

During a 6-week experiment, the study observed the mood and well-being of those who did random acts of kindness for others compared to those who focused on doing kind things for themselves.

The findings showed a greater increase in happiness in those who performed acts of kindness to others or the world, while the test group who engaged in self-focused behavior reported no increase in positive feelings.

So, maybe there’s a gold nugget in the saying that goes “If you’re feeling helpless, help someone”.

4. Jam Out

Having a bad day? Blast the tunes.

Although we probably don’t need research to confirm this (because let’s be honest: who doesn’t feel better after spontaneously blaring Beyoncé), studies show that putting on upbeat music instantly lifts your spirits.

So, make sure you’ve got your happiness playlist ready to go for the next time you’re stuck in traffic or angry at your boss – or anytime you need to take a solid breather.

5. Get Sweaty

When you’re grumpy, it’s all too easy to choose a nap or Netflix over a treadmill. But exercise is one of the best ways to improve your mood at a cellular level, because it releases a flood of endorphins – your “feel good” chemicals. This is also why exercise is used as a key component in recovery programs for those suffering from depression and anxiety.

Now, tell me – have you ever regretted a satisfying, sweaty exercise session?… Didn’t think so.

Since getting motivated to go to the gym can be challenging when you’re in a bad mood (more so than the workout itself), it can help to have a personal mantra to repeat to yourself when you’re unmotivated. For example, my personal mantra for when I’m unmotivated has become JFDI, which stands for “just freaking do it”. And guess what – it works!

While staying home and cozying up to your favorite sweet instead may provide instant gratification, it’s much more sustainable to promote your happiness with exercise. While exercise also provides instant feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction, it also supports your health on several fundamental levels.

6. Be Grateful

While gratitude has almost become a “buzzword”, there’s a reason why appreciating what you have is largely focused on by many spiritual teachers and anyone wishing to improve their mental health.

Studies have also observed an increase in motivation, optimism and a reduction in physical symptoms in those who keep a gratitude journal. Whether you prefer to write down what you’re grateful for or reflect without a pen and paper, simply focusing your attention on what you appreciate can be an instant mood booster. But the trick is to feel grateful, as opposed to just thinking about what you’re thankful for.

Sometimes when we’re grumpy, it’s easy to be in a state of resistance and initially avoid activities that will generate positive feelings. But by focusing your attention on finding just one thing you appreciate (which could be something as simple as having all of your fingers and toes), you’ll often find the list keeps growing. Try a gratitude journal to help you focus on the things that make you happy.

As you continue to focus on what’s going right in your life, just try to stay in a bad mood – I dare you!

It can also help to keep a log of the good things you’ve attracted into your life (as you encounter them). This way, when you’re in a bad mood, you can see proof of the good situations that have come into your existence, which can help reassure you that things always improve and get better.

7. Indulge in Nutritious Foods

Treating yourself to a delicious, nutrient-dense meal is one way to squash a bad mood. Not only will you feel good eating a meal that’s in line with your health goals, but you’ll support your mood on a nutritional level.

You see, specific nutrients have been linked to mood regulation, such as omega-3 essential fatty acids and vitamin D. And as a precursor to serotonin (your feel-good neurotransmitter), l-tryptophan is another nutrient to include in your diet if you’ve been feeling low.

Therefore, you may also want to regularly include foods in your diet that contain one or more of these mood-boosting nutrients in your diet: wild salmon, green tea, egg yolks, grass-fed beef, spirulina, and bananas.

As you can see, there are several proven ways to increase your happiness when you’ve been sprinkled by the bad mood dust. And best of all, they can be conveniently practiced anytime, anywhere, to quickly restore you back to contentment.

Watch this video – How to Be Happy Every Day: It Will Change the World | Jacqueline Way | TEDxStanleyPark

Written by Brandi Black

Author Bio:

Brandi Black is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and the creator of Feel Best Naked, a health blog for women who want to clear up their skin, lose the muffin top and make the bloat disappear. After years of experiencing (and then healing) her own unbalanced hormones, she’s now obsessed with helping other women feel spectacular in their own skin with natural remedies for hormone balance.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

10 Bodyweight Exercises for Improving Your Endurance and Strength

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

10 Classic Bodyweight Exercises (From Easy to Advanced)

Fitness doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, sculpting a kickass body is easier than you think. Bodyweight training requires zero equipment and minimal space. To make things even easier, we’ve put together 10 classic bodyweight exercises broken down by three different fitness levels (ranging from easy to advanced).

Bodyweight training is an extremely simple, effective way to get in shape. Without the need for fancy equipment, complicated exercises, or much space, it becomes easy to do a full-body, fat-blasting workout.

That being said, sometimes it’s difficult to know which bodyweight exercises you should be doing (or how to modify them to best suit your body and fitness level). In this article, I’ll teach you 10 highly effective bodyweight exercises, and I’ll show you how to increase or decrease the challenge of these classic moves.

Let’s dive in!

Classic Squat Jump | Goal: 15 reps per set

Benefits of Squat Jumps

Squat jumps are among the best plyometric bodyweight exercises. They spike your heart rate, tone your legs (from hips to ankles), and give the core a good workout. Studies also show that incorporating the squat jump into a training program can lead to gains of strength and power in participants.

Another benefit to the squat jump (that you might not have considered) is how it improves digestion and elimination. The squat position aligns the intestinal tract in a way that causes waste to move downwards, and it creates intra-abdominal pressure.

These two factors make it much easier to have healthy bowel movements.

The most common mistakes include poor posture, leaning forward, decreased range of motion, and incorrect landing.

It’s incredibly important to correctly perform the jump squat. Here’s how:

To focus on correct form, decrease the number of overall repetitions.

At the top of the jump, the hip crease should open, the pelvis slightly pressed forward, the abdominals braced, the back straight up-and-down, and the head directly above the spine.

At the bottom of the squat, the feet are as close to parallel as possible, the heels are flat on the ground, and the hips are slightly below 90º (if possible).

Try to work through a full range of motion each time. A deep squat recruits more muscles in the gluteals and hamstrings, and can make for healthier ligaments.

Squat Releve | Easy

Start standing with the feet almost parallel under the hips. Bend the knees into a deep squat before energetically standing up and lifting your heels away from the ground. Lower the heels as you sink down into another squat.

Squat Jump | Medium

Start standing with the feet almost parallel under the hips. (The toes may need to turn out slightly.) Before springing up away from the ground in a jump, bend the knees into a deep squat. Land back in the squat with bent knees.

Broad Jump | Hard

Start standing with the feet almost parallel under the hips. (The toes may need to turn out slightly.) Bend the knees into a deep squat, sit the hips back and down, and reach your arms behind you. Jump up and forward, sweep the arms in front of the body, and land (with bent knees and the weight in the heel of the foot). Continue to move forward with each jump.

The Walking Lunge | Goal: 30 reps per set

Benefit of Walking Lunges

Walking lunges strengthen the legs, thighs, and hips. They also act as a dynamic stretch for the quadriceps and hip flexors. So this 2-for-1 movement should be included in your workout routine AND your warm-up. Besides toning and stretching your legs, walking lunges also challenge (and improve) balance and ankle stability.

The Love-Hate Relationship of Lunging

Walking lunges can be challenging for people who have tight knees, weak thighs, or gluteus muscles. But they’re an exercise worth learning. For a “knee friendly” option, start with the regression below. This move keeps the bodyweight moving back and engaging the hamstrings and glutes (more than the fronts of the thighs).

Technique Tips

Keep an erect spine, a 90º bend in both knees (in the bottom phase of the movement), engaged abdominals, and relaxed shoulders throughout. Advance with the jump lunge only once. 30 repetitions of walking lunges can be correctly performed.

Note: If you do experience tight thighs and knee tension, consider doing myofascial release by using a foam roller before performing lunges.

Back Lunge | Easy

Start standing with the feet side-by-side. Take a step BACK with the RIGHT foot, and bend both knees to 90º. Then step the RIGHT foot back up to meet the left. Next, take a big step back with the LEFT foot. Last, step the LEFT foot back to the starting position.

Walking Lunge | Medium

Start standing with the feet side-by-side. Take a big step FORWARD with the RIGHT foot (bending both knees to 90º). Step the LEFT foot up to meet the right. Take a big step forward with the LEFT foot. Step the right foot up to meet the left.

Jump Lunge | Hard

Start in your lunge position, with both knees bent at 90º. Jump up away from the floor, switch feet midair, and land back in your lunge (with the opposite foot in front).

Single Leg Pelvic Press | Goal: 12 reps per set

Benefit of the Pelvic Press

Very few bodyweight exercises isolate your backside, hamstrings, and pelvic press.

In addition to strengthening the legs, the pelvic press also helps stabilize your hips, waist, and low back. And it stretches your abdominals and psoas muscles. While this is a great exercise for everyone, it’s particularly beneficial for people who experience piriformis syndrome (aka false sciatica) and have knee sensitivities (that eliminate the ability to do squats or lunges).

Technique Tips

In the variations below, the back stays flat, and the pelvis and spine lift and lower together. For neck safety, keep your eyes up to the ceiling at all times. Bear the upper-body weight in the back of the shoulders, not the neck.

Pelvic Press | Easy

Start by lying on your back with the knees bent, and the feet in line with the sitting bones. Squeeze your backside, press into your feet, and push the hips up to the ceiling. Continue to squeeze your backside as you lower the hips down, then immediately press them back up.

Single Leg Press | Medium

Start by lying on your back with the knees bent and hips pressing up. Lift your right knee to 90º, and keep it there. Squeeze your backside as you lower the hips down to touch the floor, and immediately press them back up. After your desired number of repetitions (8-12), switch legs.

Shoulder Bridge | Hard

Start at the top of the single-leg pelvic press. The hips are lifted, and the right foot is lifted to 90º. Extend the right leg to the ceiling. Then lower and lift the right leg, keeping the knee straight. Note: the leg only lowers until it’s in line with the left thigh. After your desired number of repetitions (8-12), switch legs.

Single Leg Romanian Deadlift | Goal: 10 reps per set

Benefit of the Single Leg RDL

Single-limb movements are more challenging than bilateral movements, which makes them effective for correcting muscle imbalances and improving joint stability.

I’m a big fan of single-leg work. This exercise plays on the traditional deadlift by replacing loaded-weight with gravity-weight. Meanwhile, it develops muscles across the entire posterior chain (the glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors, lats, and traps).

Technique Tips

Of course, this exercise requires balance to be effective. The regression (known as Good Mornings) targets the same muscles through the backside and core. The key to firing up your muscles without resistance is to contract them before moving, so imagine that you’re actually lifting something heavy.

Good Mornings | Easy

Start standing with the feet under the hips in parallel, and the hands crossed at the chest. Engage the abdominals, and hinge at the hips to lean the body forward and reach the hips behind you. Squeeze the backs of both legs to return to standing.

Single Leg Russian Deadlift | Medium

Start standing with the feet under the hips in parallel, and the abdominals engaged. Hinge at the hips to lean the body forward, and extend the right leg behind you. (The left knee has a micro-bend.) Squeeze the left glute and hamstring to return to standing (with the feet side-by-side).

RDL Knee Tuck | Hard

Start standing with the feet under the hips in parallel. Engage the abdominals, and lift the right knee to 90º. To lean the body forward and extend the right leg behind you, hinge at the hips (creating a micro-bend in the left knee). Squeeze the left glute and hamstring to return to standing, with the right knee lifted.

Plank | Goal: Hold for 60 sec

Benefit of Planks

Planks act as a full-body exercise, strengthening the deep core muscles (as well as the arms, legs, and shoulders). Many trainers (myself included) will choose to do planks (instead of crunches) as their primary ab exercise.

Technique Tips

The most common problems that I see in people doing planks is dipping into the low back. In other words, their core isn’t properly engaged. Or they drop between their shoulder blades. That means that the mid-back isn’t firing, so their hands are taking too much weight. Even if you’re an advanced planker, I recommend warming up with a few rounds of the regression.

Knee Hovers | Easy

Start on all fours, with the wrists under the elbows and knees under the hips. Tuck your toes, and firmly pull your navel towards your spine. EXHALE while lifting the knees to hover one inch from the floor. Hold for a full inhale. Exhale before lowering the knees. Repeat.

Plank | Medium

Start on all fours, with the wrists under the elbows and knees under the hips. Firmly pull your navel towards your spine. Then step back one foot at a time, until your body is in one long line (from head to heels). Hold this position, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth (deepening the abdominal connection and keeping a flat back).

Airplane | Hard

Start in plank position, with the feet slightly wider than the hips and the hands under the chest. Lift the left toes away from the floor as you reach the right arm forward. Keep the pelvis and spine completely still, and hold for a breath. Then lower the limbs and alternate sides.

Side Plank | Goal: Hold for 60 sec

Benefit of Side Planks

Similar to the full plank, the side plank works the entire body with a specific focus on the lateral muscles. They include the obliques, the serratus anterior (the muscles that help move the shoulders and arms), and even the rectus femoris (at the side of the thighs).

Strengthening the side of the body is often forgotten during workouts. But bodyweight training makes it easy to rectify that. A functional body is well-conditioned in all directions, which is why you should train the front, back, and sides.

Technique Tip

If you experience wrist pain, drop to your forearm, and keep the elbow underneath the shoulder.

Kneeling Hip Lifts | Easy

Start facing sideways, with your right forearm, hip and knee on the floor. EXHALE, lifting the hips. Keep the shoulder over the forearm and the pelvis square. INHALE, lowering the hips. Switch sides after your desired number of repetitions.

Side Plank | Medium

Start facing sideways. Keep your right hand on the floor, wrist under the shoulder, right hip on the floor, and knees bent. Engage your right obliques (the side abdominals). Lift the hips up, keeping the shoulder over the wrist and the pelvis square. Hold this position, inhaling through your nose, exhaling through your mouth, and deepening the abdominal connection. Repeat on your left side.

Tip: If you experience wrist pain, drop to your forearm, keeping the elbow underneath the shoulder.

Side Star Crunch | Hard

Start in side plank, with the RIGHT hand and foot on the floor. Hover the LEFT leg up, and reach the left arm overhead. EXHALE as you draw the left elbow and knee towards each other. INHALE to return to the star shape. Switch sides after your desired number of repetitions.

Mountain Climbers | Goal: 50 reps per set

Benefit of Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers have seen a great come-back in the aerobic arena, and for good reason. Similar to planks, these bodyweight exercises strengthen the whole body. They have the added benefit of elevating the heartrate, challenging stability, and deepening pressure against the low abdominals.

Technique Tips

A common error is forgetting that the foundation of mountain climbers is the plank pose. If your form falters, take the regression below, or reduce your speed. The advanced variation of this exercise requires more lift and press from the abdominals and arms, and more engagement through the front of the thighs.

Elevated Hands | Easy

Place your hands on an elevated surface (such as a bench or table). EXHALE as you draw your right knee to the chest. INHALE and place the foot back down. EXHALE as the left knee comes to the chest. INHALE and place the foot down. Continue to alternate for your desired number of repetitions.

Mountain Climber | Medium

Start in your basic plank position. EXHALE as you draw your right knee to the chest, INHALE and place the foot back down. EXHALE as the left knee comes to the chest. INHALE and place the foot down. Continue to alternate for your desired number of repetitions.

Front Toe Tap | Hard

Start in your basic plank position. EXHALE as you draw your right knee to the chest. Touch the right foot down under the chest. Take a quick INHALE before EXHALING. Then hop-switch the left and right feet. Continue to alternate for your desired number of repetitions.

Wide-Grip Push-Ups | Goal: 15 reps per set

Benefit of Wide-Grip Push-Ups

Push-ups strengthen the arms, chest, back and abdominals. The beauty of this exercise is that they can be done anywhere, anytime (with no props or workout clothing needed).

Pressing your own bodyweight up and down is an exercise for strength and endurance, and it’s a compound exercise (or multi-joint exercise).

Watch this video – 5 Compound Exercises – Complete Workout Routine

Kneeling Push-Up | Easy

Start in your kneeling plank position with the hands wider than the chest, the knees down, and the hip crease open. EXHALE, engage your abs, bend the elbows to the side, and lower the whole torso towards the floor. INHALE and press back up.

Wide Push-Up | Medium

Start in your plank position with the hands wider than the chest. EXHALE, engage your abs, squeeze your glutes, bend the elbows to the side, and lower the whole torso towards the floor. INHALE and press back up.

Single Leg Push-Up | Hard

Start in your plank position with the hands wider than the chest. Engage your abs, squeeze your glutes, and lift up on one leg. The leg doesn’t have to be high. Try to keep your hips and shoulders square. Perform your set of pushups with the leg lifted during the entire set. Switch sides.

Narrow Push-Ups | Goal: 15 reps per set

Benefit of Narrow Pushups

If you simply move the hand position from wide to narrow, it changes the experience and purpose of the pushup. Narrow pushups target the triceps at the backs of the upper arm. These triceps tend to be weaker than the biceps and chest muscles, which are primarily used in the wide-grip position.

Technique Tips

Many people find that the narrow pushup is more challenging that the wide-grip (myself included!). Fortunately, research suggests that taking the regression and dropping to your knees actually doesn’t decrease the effectiveness of this exercise.

Kneeling Push-Up | Easy

Start in your kneeling plank position with the hands directly under the shoulders, the elbows tucked into the ribs, and the knees down. EXHALE, engage your abs, squeeze your glutes, bend the elbows to the side, and lower the whole torso towards the floor. INHALE and press back up.

Narrow Push-Up | Medium

Start in your plank position with the hands directly under the shoulders and the elbows tucked into the ribs. EXHALE, engage your abs, squeeze your glutes, bend the elbows to the side, and lower the whole torso towards the floor. INHALE and press back up.

Diamond Grip | Hard

To make this an even more intense exercise for the triceps, place your hands together in a diamond position (with your pointer fingers touching and your thumbs touching underneath your chest). Repeat your pushups from this position.

Full Sit-Up | Goal: 10-15 reps per set

Benefit of the Full Sit-Up

I view the full sit-up as an exercise in spinal mobility (as much as a six-pack workout). The ability to segment the spine by rolling up and down is crucial to spinal health. The six-pack muscles and deeper core are recruited to perform this exercise, as well some work in the hip flexors.

Technique Tips

Since your main resistance is gravity, you can increase the challenge by moving slowly and reducing the need for momentum.

Bent Knee Rollback | Easy

Start seated with the knees bent and the hands holding the back of the thighs. EXHALE, use your arms as support, and slowly roll all the way down (until you’re lying on your back). INHALE and pause at the bottom. EXHALE to roll back up to a seated position (with the hands on the thighs).

Full Sit-Up | Medium

Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Make sure that your heels aren’t too close to your backside. EXHALE as you lift the head and chest, and roll all the way up the spine to a seated position. INHALE at the top, and EXHALE to roll back down.

Single Leg | Hard

Start by lying on your back. Keep your knees bent and LEFT foot flat on the floor. Extend the RIGHT leg, so that the thighs are touching. EXHALE as you lift the head and chest, and roll all the way up the spine to a seated position. INHALE at the top, and EXHALE to roll back down. Repeat your desired number of repetitions on this leg. Then switch sides.

Watch this video – Best Bodyweight Exercises for Improving Your Endurance and Strength *No Equipment*

Written by Jennifer Dene

Author Bio:

Jennifer Dene is a celebrity trainer, health coach, and owner of Jennifer Dene Wellness.. She is also the creator of the lifestyle program The Dene Method, and host of the Soulful Self Love Challenge, which helps hundreds of women around the world feel fit, feminine and fabulous.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

Paleo Exercise Program – How to Exercise Like a Caveman

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Exercise is just as important as eating well. Here’s how to exercise like a caveman when you’re already eating like one! 

But what did our primal ancestors do for exercise? Well, exercise for them wasn’t anything they had to think about. It was life. Everyday meant moving and exercising to gather food, build shelter, or simply to survive.

A Paleo exercise program is one that is similar to what our ancestors did. Follow these simple rules to find ways to incorporate Primal Workouts into your lifestyle and exercise like a caveman.

Rule 1: Move a lot at a Slow Pace

Cavemen spent much of their day walking around hunting and gathering their food, and wandering and migrating to new territories. Take one out of their book and move around as much as possible during your day. Low aerobic level throughout the day will build strong blood vessels, bones, joints, and connective tissues.

Easy ways to incorporate low aerobic activity could be walking or riding your bike to work if possible. Park your car as far away from your destination as possible and walk the rest of the way. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. While at work, take frequent breaks to get up and walk around, or use your lunch break to head outside for a walk.

Always walk down to a coworkers office instead of sending an email. You may even want to try a standing or treadmill desk if possible. On weekends or after work, try hiking or go swimming. Somehow stay active every day in someway, even on your “rest days.”

Rule 2: Sprint Every So Often

Our Paleo ancestors didn’t spend hours and hours exercising, and neither should you. In the Paleolithic era, life depended on being able to outrun animals, either in the form of hunting them or to avoid being hunted by them. They would only work hard when they needed to. Practice some High Intensity Interval Workouts (HIIT).

These can include running sprints, biking sprints, or swimming sprints. When sprinting, it’s important to remember this should be all out effort, catch your breath for a minute or two between sets, and then repeat. You only need to complete 5-8 sets, once or twice a week, to benefit cardiovascularly from sprints.

Rule 3: Lift Heavy Things

Just like sprinting, cavemen had to use quick bursts of energy to lift and move heavy objects. They would have to move large rocks or logs to build shelter, carry firewood or large animals back to their homes. These type of high intensity workouts help release testosterone that boosts metabolism and improves muscle strength and size.

The best movements for heavy lifting are full body exercises like squatting, lunging, and deadlifting, pull ups, and push ups. These primitive movements are natural and functional exercises that have been around since the cavemen themselves.

Types of Primal Workouts to Try

Crossfit

Using Crossfit and the Paleo diet together is very common. This is because Crossfit uses many of the primal exercise practices mentioned above. Crossfit is based on high intensity, functional movements that build strength and endurance.

Body Weight Workouts

Many bodyweight exercises like crawling or climbing a rope can’t be replicated by lifting weights. These exercises require activation of more muscles than weight machines alone.

Bodyweight exercises, such as a push up, require more core strength and stability muscles than its counterpart, the bench press. Bodyweight exercises such as plyometrics can also greatly increase cardiovascular fitness and can be used as your sprints.

Animal Flow

This relatively new style of exercise is based on the movements of various types of animals. These quadrupedal and ground based movements flow from one to the next using multiple planes of motion.

Each movement increases mobility, flexibility, stability, power, and strength through the shoulders, core, and legs. Animal flow connect your mind to your body also increasing neuromuscular awareness and communication.

Primal Bodyweight Workout

Try this fusion of bodyweight exercises and Animal Flow exercises to get a great Paleo workout in that requires no equipment.

Bear Crawl – Start on all fours, keeping your abs tight, and lift your hips slightly to raise your knees off the floor. Step forward with right hand and right foot, and then immediately do the same with the left side. Crawl forward taking about 10 ‘steps’ and then reverse, completing 3-5 sets total.

Scorpion Reach – Bring yourself into a downward facing dog position and lift your RIGHT leg up, bending your knees to 90 degrees and opening your hips to the RIGHT. Shift your weight as far forward, bringing your RIGHT knee towards your LEFT elbow. Bring your leg back up to ceiling and repeat 10 times and then repeat on the other leg.

Vertical Frog Jump – Start with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and your knees and toes turned out. Lower into a deep squat reaching your hands to the floor between your feet. Jump as high as you can and extend your arms overhead. Land softly in the squat, with hands to the floor, and repeat 10-15 times.

Donkey Kicks – Start in a crouch position, with your hands directly under your shoulders and your abs pulled tight. Quickly kick your legs up into the air bending your knees and bringing your heels towards your glutes. Land softly and repeat 10 times.

Beast Reach – Start in a crouch position, reaching your arms forward as far as you can. Shift your weight forwards, straightening your legs into a plank position, bringing your RIGHT knees to the outside of your RIGHT elbow. Return back to the crouch position and repeat on the other side. Complete 12 repetitions total.

Spider Push Ups – Start in a plank position and as you lower into a push up, lift your RIGHT foot off the floor, bringing your knee to the outside of your RIGHT elbow. Reach your foot back as you push up into a plank position. Repeat on the LEFT side and complete 12-20 repetitions total.

Watch this video – Supercharge Your Body With This Primal Exercise Guide – Easy Paleo Exercises For Beginners

Written by Deanna Dorman

Author Bio:

Deanna is an ACE® certified personal trainer, Balanced Body® Pilates instructor, and NASM® Fitness Nutrition Specialist. She is passionate about inspiring others to lead a healthier lifestyle through fun workouts and healthy food. When she’s not creating new workouts and recipes for her blog The Live Fit Girls she enjoys running with her two dogs and traveling.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

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