Dynamite Circle – You are an Animal

Hunter-gatherers born into captivity of modern society

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Ideas & Advice

Below are a series of suggestions of things you can do to better align with your hunter gatherer programing. We will start with a perfect day.

Tomorrow

Wake up ( to a sunrise alarm in winter) and get straight outside in the sun as early as possible.
no phone looking in bed, bad for dopamine – keep it out of room
drink a load of water. ( avoid caffiene for first 30min)
Stretch like a cat (I like to find somewhere quiet and follow something like this. or this
Get a hang bar for morning, great in the kitchen.
stand on the tube the whole way see if you can not use the handles. get off a stop early walk. mix it up. or go to the gym. either way get early exercise. best time.
Eat what looks like food ( reduce carbs and seed oils and Ultra process foods, eat much more protein, salmon, eggs, veg, a little rice, etc).
Take periodic walks in the garden. Ideally, a few more press-ups or squats
Enjoy lunch, not at your desk but ideally outside. Leave the phone in the office.
consider a standing desk
add a desk plant
look into circadian computer monitor lights
get up every 30min from desk (important)
look away from the screen 20 seconds 20 meters every 20 min
Socialise
REST (Alpha Wave) – in park, meditate for 10-20min NSDR / Yoga Nidra
quick 5 min Stretch break again. Try something to improve mobility from sitting
dont take caffiene after 2, do gentle exercise instead. lift down stairs up.
Get too hot ( Sauna / Sun) or take a swim
No Alchol after 7pm
Red low lights for the house, circadian lighting
Avoid eating 3+ hours before bed, no water 2 hours before bed no screen 1 hour before bed
sleep in cool room

Movement – Is for cognitive and physical health span

Consider the amount of movement your hunter-gatherer ancestors had to do each day and try your hardest to emulate this. You

Here are some broad tips in no particular order

Start each morning with a 2-5min stretch routine like a cat would (downward dog, cobra, cat cow etc, bonus points for getting hang bar and hang each morning)
Social fitness – stack two for one and play sports with others job with others train with others, it also helps with accountability.
Take calls whilst walking
Exercises to offset the hunched shoulders of desk use. E.g. Face pulls.
Low-impact cardio – get your 10,000 steps 90% of days (wearables are great reminders
If you see the stairs, take the stairs, add in lots of micro workouts where possible you need to replicate the amount of movement our ancestors did.
Walk after meals
2-5 times a week lifting heavy things to build muscle and bone density (particularly good if you want to loose weight, more muscle higher metabolism)
Standing desk
Get up from your (standing) desk every 30mins for 5 min of moderate movement (A standing desk makes this easier)
Reduce the onset of shortsightedness (myopia). Follow the 20 20 20 rule. Every 20 minutes you should take 20 seconds to focus on something 20 meters away.
Work to regain the mobility to sit in a squat, start with books under heel. (all humans squatted daily until recently as recently as 1970’s the squat toilet was far more common than the modern toilet
follow a stretch routine each day to correct for desk posture and keep lower back pain at bay. Like this

Diet –

Your diet Is for weight loss and reduced inflammation (which inhibits our immune system) and promote a healthier gut biom

Though the more you allign to the following the better , it’s ok to follow it as an 80/20 rule, perhaps applying it at home, whilst still allow for the joy of eating at resteraunts and ‘unhealthy food’ from time to time.

Understand There is no perfect diet all human beings are evolved to eat. We all poses a unique gut biome and genetic makeup. So what works for one person doesn’t not always work for another. Pay attention to how your body responds to different food. Track your energy levels
Understand that some broad brushstrokes of dietary advice are typically are right for most.
Eat whole foods ( thats foods that look like food).
A fiber rich diet helps your gut biome.
Eat Leafs vegetables, Eggs fruits, pulses nuts fish meats
Eat Fermented foods – kimchi, saurcraut , kambucha.
Don’t be afraid of fat (low fat products mean the fat is replaced with sugar or sugar) eat from sources like fish (omega-3s), nuts, and olive oil, which align more with our ancestral diets than processed seed oils high in omega-6 fats substitutes which result in inflammation
Avoid vegtable oils and trans fats. Focus on olive , nut and avocado oil. not seed oils.
Avoid as much industrial ultra-processed foods as you can – link to article book
Experiment with limited caffeine particularly first thing. A need for caffeine is a compensator for low energy, typically due to diet/exercise or poor sleep quality.
Reduce consumption of starches and grains, ( if grains are eaten go for rice)
Avoid fruit juices and sodas.
Eat more protein, ⅓ of plate.
Great protein sources aside from the meats include full-fat Greek yogurt, cottage cheese eggs and many beans
If you take 1 supplement make it creatine (women too) it’s fantastic for muscle growth and cognition
Eat more bone broth and offal, most of us don’t get enough collagen
Its not about what you add to your diet its what you eliminate, AG1’s and spirulina does not offset a shitty diet.
Avoid eating close to bed. Try not to eat after 8pm ( brush teeth to avoid snacking) give your body a clear period of fast for autophagy to take place. Try to remain in fast for 14 hours +
Avoid drinking alcohol within a few hours of bed time.
Avoid binge drink (it destroys your gut biom which in turn disrupts mental health and immune system) switch to a non-alcoholic drink after 2nd drink wait 1 hour until next alcoholic drink.
Understand that just because a product says 100 calories it doesn’t mean it’s 100 calories for your body, your response can deviate by up to 10% and the caloric input of many foods (for example seeds) it often not correct)