Latest Posts
According to science: Diets don’t work. There is no solid evidence that meditation has any tangible benefits. It’s estimated that up to 90% of startups…
A few months back I took part in an interview for the Fitter Healthier Dad Podcast with Darren Kirby. The podcast is focused on my…
Should you be taking Vitamin D supplements in order to protect against the coronavirus? You have no doubt seen the news that there is a…
LOCKDOWNS, LONGEVITY, LIBERTY & LONG-TERMISM So the big question of the day is de what do we do about Covid-19? The consensus winning out at…
Simon’s Protein Power Porridge Recipe I eat my protein power porridge pretty much everyday! I do vary the ingredients a little from time to time,…
It may come as a surprise, but exercising and sunbathing have a lot in common. In this post we’ll explain the similarities, and also why…
All Posts
According to science: Diets don’t work. There is no solid evidence that meditation has any tangible benefits. It’s estimated that up to 90% of startups…
A few months back I took part in an interview for the Fitter Healthier Dad Podcast with Darren Kirby. The podcast is focused on my…
Should you be taking Vitamin D supplements in order to protect against the coronavirus? You have no doubt seen the news that there is a…
LOCKDOWNS, LONGEVITY, LIBERTY & LONG-TERMISM So the big question of the day is de what do we do about Covid-19? The consensus winning out at…
Simon’s Protein Power Porridge Recipe I eat my protein power porridge pretty much everyday! I do vary the ingredients a little from time to time,…
It may come as a surprise, but exercising and sunbathing have a lot in common. In this post we’ll explain the similarities, and also why…
5 Steps to Help Reduce Worldwide Deforestation I decided to create an infographic about simple actions the average person can take to help combat deforestation,…
Can you really get a Six Pack in Six Weeks? Summer is here, and with it all the fitness headlines such as “Get A Six…
On his fantastic website PainScience.com, Paul Ingram has an article “Pain is Weird“. It’s a great article, which I’d recommend reading. (You can also see…
This is one of my favourite quotes, and for me, the perfect definition of health and fitness. I want to be ready for any adventure…
The past week’s news cycle has been full of coverage of the EAT-Lancet’s new paper: Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets…
I first heard about Reishi Mushroom powder some time ago via the Tim Ferriss podcast, I looked into it at the time and considered writing…
We’re going to play a game. It’s called: Match the Testimonial to the Diet! Below we have 3 real testimonials from 3 very different diets…
Despite being the major force responsible for the amazingly long, healthy, comfortable, secure and rich lives that so many of us now take for granted,…
One may well imagine that pain works a bit like a high-tech house alarm system. A good security system has sensors on all the doors…
Are you regularly rudely awakened from a deep and peaceful slumber by the sound of your alarm clock chiming in your ear? Do you want…
I’ve followed many many diets in my lifetime, with various motivations – to lose fat, build muscle, improve health, for ethical reasons, sometimes just to…
There has been a lot of talk in the popular press recently of “Fat Shaming” and “Fat Acceptance”. Two such high-profile instances that caught my…
Around 12 years ago, I converted from vegetarianism to “ethical omnivorism”. I made this change as I came to the conclusion that including some grass fed…
A high-profile paper published earlier this year identified 5 “healthy lifestyle factors” which can have a major impact on health and longevity. By analysing data…
I’ve been attempting to go as close to 100% plastic waste free (and waste free in general) as possible for the last year, with pretty…
It’s commonly accepted that moderate alcohol consumption is not only innocuous, but potentially beneficial to one’s health and longevity. That is to say that having…
In part 1 of this series, I looked at the current body of research into the effects of mindfulness based meditation. Contrary to what you…
For those of you with limited time/non uber-geeks, here’s the gist of the article: Summary Meditation and Mindfulness are becoming very popular practices within the…
[est_time] estimated total reading time Just about everyone has a smartphone nowadays, they have become, for most people, indispensable. Though there are still a few…
“Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying…
[est_time] estimated total reading time I am a cyclist. It is by far my preferred mode of transport. I cycle around town, I cycle to…
[est_time] estimated total reading time Are we being JERFed Around? JERF, for the uninitiated, stands for Just Eat Real Food. This is a very popular…
[est_time] estimated total reading time Disclaimer: I love coffee, and am no doubt addicted to it, at least to some degree. I am therefore probably…
[est_time] estimated total reading time Chances are you saw one of the various news reports last year on the following paper: Life Expectancy and Cause…
[est_time] estimated total reading time So I’ve been meaning to write a post on Ice Baths, Cold Showers and Cold-Thermogenesis / Cryotherapy for quite some…
[est_time] estimated total reading time In a recent exchange in the comments section on a supposedly skeptical post about the Wim Hof Method, another commenter…
Previously I’ve talked about how Functional Training is a Myth, that performing multiple sets of resistance exercise is probably a waste of time, that free-weight…
A central tenet of Live Now Thrive Later is to avoid focusing on extrinsic goals. Rather, it is better to live in the moment, and…
When I first came across it, one of the main selling points of CrossFit, was that it was a great method for conditioning your body…
In parts I and II, we looked at the utility of static stretching for warm ups before and cool downs after exercise and activity, and…
In Part I, we looked at the widely accepted practice of static stretching as a method of “warming up” before exercise, and how this practice…
Put your hand up if you hate stretching? It takes a long time out of your busy schedule, it can be pretty dull, and even…
It’s “generally accepted gym wisdom” that 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps is what you need to do for hypertrophy, and 4+ sets of 1-6 reps…
Just over one year ago I decided to try Capoeira. I was initially thinking to look for a new BJJ school, but my wife suggested…
Life just isn’t fair. It’s not unusual to hear of young, healthy, active people that don’t smoke and eat well, suffering from congenital heart attacks…
Back in 2011, I wrote a post on sunscreen, questioning the rational behind it’s use. Since writing that piece, a new randomly controlled trial has…
Any long time followers of this bog will know that: I love fermenting things in the kitchen I love good beer I am concerned with…
It’s been on my list to write a post on genetically Modified Foods for quite some time, so when I watched the recent Intelligence Squared…
I used to suffer from terrible “I.B.S or Irritable Bowel Syndrome”. I went to the doctors a couple of times, but was met with indifference…
I was an early adopter of the “barefoot shoe” – At the time I was deeply immersed in the Paleo/Primal lifestyle, and so the concept…
In 2012, I was very pleased to be invited to speak at the inaugural UK edition of the 21Convention. Previous speakers have included the likes…
I’ve been meaning to write an update to my original post on dairy, raw or otherwise, and its place in a healthy diet since I…
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post on Nutritional Supplements, and why I think they’re a waste of time and money. Sol Orwell…
It seems every blogger I follow is currently promoting Examine.com’s Supplement Goals Reference Guide, even those that generally don’t promote supplements. Credit where credit is…
Maybe your S.M.A.R.T Goals aren’t so Smart? I used to be a big proponent of S.M.A.R.T goals, in fitness and strength training, and other aspects…
I’ve written before about the nutritional benefits of grass fed beef – In short, it’s higher in vitamins, minerals and omega 3s, lower in potentially…
It has been three years since I wrote my last post on Intermittent Fasting, so I thought it was about time for an update. In…
I find that analogies are a very useful tool for conveying concepts and ideas, and have been using numerous car based examples verbally for years,…
But what about porridge? This is a question that I get asked all the time, so I thought it was about time I wrote a…
I overheard someone talking about a friend the other day, saying “She’s so slim, she’s so lucky!” As it happened, in this case, luck certainly…
Is Gluten-Free a Fad? An article published last week in Scientific American made its position on the above very clear: Most People Shouldn’t Eat Gluten-Free.…
There is now a plethora of information available on efficient running and swimming. Techniques such as POSE and Total Immersion have garnered such a reputation…
Understanding Back Pain and other Chronic Pain Syndromes My series of posts on chronic back pain and joint pain have been some of my most…
I thought it was about time I properly outlined my definitions of exercise, training and activity. I think it is important to differentiate between the…
After some deliberation, I have decided to change the name of this blog. The new name will be Live Now, Thrive Later – https://www.livenowthrivelater.co.uk I…
In the first instalment of this series, I argued that there is no such thing as food. Rather that there are only other living organisms,…
I love food. I love talking about food, I love cooking and preparing food, but most of all I love eating food. I certainly see…
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net In the previous posts we established that human beings survive by consuming other living organisms to provide energy and raw materials for growth,…
What are you made of? It’s not an abstract question. I want you to think about what it is that you are actually made of.…
In the previous post I asked the question, “What is Food?” In short, the conclusion was that there is no such thing as food! Rather,…
The past couple of posts have been looking at the problems with nutritional science in general, and issues with the paleo diet concept in particular.…
The previous post was concerned with the problems with nutritional science in general. In this instalment, I plan to look at how these issues, and…
In the previous post, I looked at how a lot of the common arguments used by advocates of the Paleo diet are actually quite flawed,…
WARNING: This post contains little science, but lots of speculation and sarcasm. If you are easily offended (i.e. a Vegetarian/Vegan/Fundamentalist Paleo dieter) or confused (i.e.…
I spotted this study on Chris Highcock’s (author of Hillfit) conditioning research blog the other day and found it very interesting: The health paradox of…
Yesterday I went along to a running seminar conducted by Teri Knight from Pure-Running hosted by Primal Fitness in Manchester. Unfortunately I was not able…
Over the last five posts, we’ve covered the importance of the microbiome to health through its role in digestion and immunity, and how a dysbiosis…
Germs are everywhere – On your kitchen surfaces, your computer keyboard, even your children’s toys! They’re poised and ready, waiting to jump down your throat…
The term dysbiosis refers to an imbalance between the levels of “good” bacteria and “bad” bacteria residing in your gut. As having a healthy population…
In last week’s instalment of this series of articles on the gut flora mircobiome and its importance to health, we looked at its role in…
We’re going to take a quick break from the scheduled programming to bring you news of a great new ebook from @ChrisHighcock of Conditioning Research…
It is generally well known that the reason ruminants are able to digest grass, while we can’t, is that they have special bacteria living in…
It has been a couple of years since I last wrote about gut flora, and its role in health and well-being. During that time, gut…
Almost all traditional cultures from across the globe feature some form of fermented vegetable product as part of their cuisine. Fermentation was originally used to…
Most people nowadays only know of curds and whey thanks to the children’s nursery rhyme, Little Miss Muffit. Perhaps the main reason for this is…
Image: Juan Gnecco / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Part of being Primal is being ready for anything. I’ve always prided myself on being up for doing anything and…
When I first switched from a conventional “healthy diet” to a paleo diet, pretty much every aspect of my health improved dramatically. I very rapidly…
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been getting the thumbs up from the chaps in white coats a lot recently, with numerous studies hailing it…
Welcome to the new home of my Primal blog. I have decided to make the change from blogging at Primal Fitness, to this new site,…
Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Part I of this series examined the efficacy of “functional training” and came to the conclusion that in reality there…
In Part I of this series “Is Functional Training a Myth?“, I challenged the conventional wisdom on strength and conditioning routines, and argued that training…
It’s been quite some time since I’ve written a post on the movement/exercise component of evolutionary health and fitness. The main reason for this has…
There is a lot of talk in the “paleosphere” about which foods “want” to be eaten, and which foods “don’t want to be eaten”. Most…
I’m sure that you’ve heard the expression “You are what you eat”. Well its true, quite literally. The food you eat is broken down by…
Who would believe it? Several days of unbroken sunshine in Manchester! In case you missed it, check out this article on Rules for Primal Sun…
Conventional Wisdom has us in fear of the Sun. For thousands of years, the Sun has been revered, even worshipped as a deity for its…
If there is one exercise that is the antithesis of Primal Fitness, it is the stomach crunch. What I can’t understand, is why this ridiculous,…
When I was a child, milk was most definitely “the white stuff”. Everyone knew that dairy was good for you – Essential for healthy bones…
This is an old post – for a more up to date article on back pain/chronic pain please check out this post here. In Part…
This Debate is the first of what is going to be a new regular feature where I take a look at issues of contention/debate within…
Over millions of years, humans developed the ability to identify which foods were nourishing, and which foods would quickly make them sick, using a combination…
This is an old post – for a more up to date article on back pain/chronic pain please check out this post here. In Part…
I watched the first episode of Bruce Parry’s new series, Arctic, the other day. Although you could lay many criticisms at the door of Parry’s…
I’ve never believed that “The Self” is a fixed, concrete attribute of a person – rather that it’s a fluid, ever changing construct, created in…