July 30, 2015

The 7 Pillars of Paleo

This is the first in a 9 part series we ran in Paleo Magazine on what we believe make up the essential elements of Paleo. Enjoy! 

The Seven Pillars of Paleo

Over the past few billion years there has been a magnificent experiment going on. This experiment has been simultaneously conducted by millions of researchers all over the world, from single cell organisms all the way up to the largest living beings on the planet. All of the data from this experiment has been continually fed back into the system, creating a constantly self-optimizing pattern which re-emerges with every new being. This experiment is called Life, and YOU are the latest and greatest version ever designed.

You have been created with the vision of being the best there ever was; all the lessons learned over the aeons, all the defeats and tragedies, all the great triumphs and victories of the past have been considered and applied before you were born, and all of that wisdom has been incorporated into you.

YOU are the hope of the future, and the great responsibility of living up to be the best you can be lies solely upon your shoulders. Others around you are also engaged in this experiment, but YOU are the only one with the power to direct your own life.

It’s a big concept, I know. Take a few minutes to think about it, then continue reading. Stop. Think. Now continue.

As you begin to realize the great power and responsibility that you represent, you may ask, “How will I conduct and continue this experiment? How will I pass on the very best of what I’ve learned and done to the next generation so that they may count me among the shoulders of giants upon which we all stand?”

The answer to that question lies within, but can only be found through focused attention and creating the best environment possible for it to develop in. One method of creating that environment is what I’m going to talk about in this series of articles. That method is called “Paleo”.

Paleo is not the only method that works, and it may not work for you. Honesty and transparency is part of this great experiment, and you should know up front that the only method of guarantee for finding out what works best for you is self experimentation. No prescription, no list, no set of rules will work for every person every single time. We’re too different, the variables are too great for only one answer.

With that said, Paleo has worked for many people, and among we happy followers lies the belief that Paleo is one of the main ways we were designed to live.

Notice that I said designed “to live”, not just “to eat”. Paleo is not a diet, it is a specific belief about how we human animals (along with all other organisms) evolved to thrive in response to our environment. Paleo is a set of guidelines acknowledging the power of time and genetics to create optimal solutions to living.

If we’re not talking just about eating, what else is there? Well, we like to call these guidelines “The Seven Pillars of Paleo.” The Seven Pillars are Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep, Water, Sunlight, Community, and Purpose. They are all important, and they all contribute to creating an environment for each of us where we can thrive, grow, and happily pass on our successes to the next generation of experimenters.

In this series I’ll be walking you through each of these Pillars. They’re not complicated, you have literally been designed to understand and thrive through the use of each one of them, and simply by listening to your own intuition you can implement each of them quickly into your life.

Still, this is a complex experiment, and sometimes it can help to have a manual with you in order to maximize what you were designed to do. That is our intent with the Seven Pillars, please join us in exploring each of these magnificent facets of living in the best possible experiment of all; your life.

Ready for the next Pillar?

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Nik Hawks

Author

Nik Hawks helps run the show at Paleo Treats. Fascinated by humans in all their strange glory, Nik is harnessed in and pulling hard in pursuit of excellence with the rest of the PT Crew. Enjoy!


Too much reading...
How about dessert?

Too Much Reading...How About Dessert?

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