Push and Pull Workouts

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated January 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Push and pull strength training routines revolve around performing all pushing exercises on one day and all pulling exercises on another. For example one day would be filled with push-ups, another day would be filled with pull-ups. A push pull workout routine can be very effective at building muscle and getting stronger for intermediate trainees. For those new to strength training, full body workouts are recommended to first be learned and mastered before graduating to more advanced training methods like split routines (push pull workouts, legs and shoulders, etc).

Full body workouts are the foundation of the Wild Free Organic 6 month workout routine, and if you intend on following this strength training routine, start with part 1 which is the one month starting phase and follow the natural progression from there.

WFO Workout Routines

Part 1 - Full Body Workouts

Part 2 - Push & Pull Workouts ✅

Part 3 - Leg Workouts

Part 4 - Arm Workouts

Part 5 - Calisthenics & Core Workouts

Full body workouts stimulate the full body all in one go, creating a powerful adaption stress response. Because of this, full body workouts form the foundation of any successful strength training and hypertrophy routine. Additionally, when life becomes hectic, full body routines offer a fall-back where workout frequency can be reduced but progress can still be made, albeit at a slower rate.

As great as full body workouts are, sometimes more volume, frequency, and intensity is needed to stimulate greater adaptations for specific body parts. When this is the situation, the best way to accomplish this for the upper body is with push and pull workouts.

The push/pull split is simple, you simply train all pushing movements in one workout, and all pulling movements in the other. Pushing movements use the chest, shoulders, and triceps, while pulling movements use the back, shoulders, and biceps. Push and pull workouts programmed around compound exercises create the greatest muscle growth stimulus, but the arms will be less stimulated than the torso. Isolation exercises added for the arms at the end of push/pull workouts helps to alleviate this imbalance, and incorporating a dedicated arm workout into a strength training routine is recommended for improving physique symmetry and strength balance. Arm workouts are discussed and incorporated into the routine during part 4, at this early stage of the progression they are not needed.

With this push pull strength training routine, legs are trained during full body workouts that happen twice a week.

Training Philosophy

If you are following a strength training routine, building muscle, increasing strength, and sculpting an aesthetic physique are likely your primary goals. When working out at a gym, the objective is to create a large adaptive stimulus in the desired parts of the body which can be successfully recovered from. The gym is a means to this end, nothing more. It is not a hangout spot, it is not a place to flex the ego. Workouts should be focused in their intention, and once completed, the focus shifts to other important wellness activities which aid in recovery and create lifestyle free of chronic stress. The less stress in daily life, the more stress can acutely apply to the body via strength training, and the greater the results will be.

Target Muscles

Main Muscles Recruiting during PUSH:

Chest

• Pectoralis Major

  • Sternal head

  • Clavicular head

Shoulders

• Anterior Deltoid

• Lateral Deltoid

Triceps Brachii

• Long head

• Medial head

• Lateral head

Main Muscles recruited during PULL:

Back

• Latissimus Dorsi

• Teres Minor

• Trapezius

• Rhomboids

Shoulders

• Posterior Deltoid

Biceps Brachii

• Short head

• Long head

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Main Movements

Main pushing movements for each muscle group:

Chest

• Push-Up

• Flat (bench) Press

• Incline Press

• Chest Fly

• Dips

Shoulders

• Handstand Push-Up

• Press

• Front Raises

• Upright Row

• Lateral Raise

Triceps

• Close-Grip Push-Up

• Close-Grip Flat Press

• Cable Push-Down

• Overhead Triceps Extension

• Skull Crusher

Main pulling movements for each muscle group:

Back

• Pull-Up

• Chin-Up

• Inverted Row

• Deadlift

• Lat Pulldown

• Bent Over Row

• Shrug

• Pullover

Shoulders

• Pull-Up

• Inverted Row

• Rear Delt Row

• Rear Delt Fly

Biceps

• Chin-Up

• Curl

• Preacher Curl

Note - Various implements can be used for the above exercises, such as the barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells, cables, machines, and more.

Push and pull workouts are the best way to build a larger, thicker, and stronger torso. An impressive upper body requires an impressive frame, and upper body compound exercises done correctly built the size and strength of frame needed to pack on serious muscle mass.

Push Workouts

The same exercises from the full body workouts of part 1 are used to create the base movements for the push and pull workouts of part 2. This exercise selection allows us to dynamically adjust the types of workouts scheduled every week to best stimulate the body while also keep progressive overload simple and allowing for routine flexibility in the face of occasional adverse circumstances.

Below are the two push workouts that will be incorporated into the weekly routine. Push workout A is more chest stimulating, and push workout C directs more attention to the shoulders and triceps.

Push Workout (A)

5x5 Incline Press

4x8 Dumbbell Incline Press

5x10 Pec Deck

Push Workout (C)

Dumbbell Front Raises 3x20

Bench Press 4x6

Kettlebell Press 3x10

Lateral Raises 3x15

Tricep Cable Extensions 3x10

What we’ll do with these workouts, the pull workouts, and the full body workouts is we’ll keep many of the same exercises but the rep ranges will be cycled. This stimulates new adaptations, creates accountability for exercise form across different weights, and will build the most aesthetic physique.

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Pull Workouts

Below are the two pull workouts that will be incorporated into the weekly routine. Pull workout B is more back stimulating, and pull workout D directs more attention to the rear deltoids and biceps.

Pull Workout (B)

5x5 Deadlifts

4x8 Behind-the-Neck Lat Pull Downs

5x10 Seated Cable Rows

Pull Workout (D)

One-Arm Lat Pulldowns 3x20

Barbell Rows 4x6

Chin-Ups 3x10

Facepulls 3x15

DB Curls 3x10

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Importance of Exercise Frequency

Frequency of muscle and nervous system is a very important factor as it determines the consistency of the adaptation stimulus.

If you follow a workout split where you only hit each muscle group (chest, back, legs, arms, shoulders) once per week, you can see how ineffective this is for stimulating constant muscle growth. Meanwhile the muscle group that is hit once per week is trained to absolute failure and beyond, causing greater muscle trauma which if improperly recovered from will lead to worsening outcomes.

Higher frequency strength training routines are better at stimulating strength and muscular adaptations, but with more frequent stimulus it is therefore even more important to reduce any unnecessary stressors that exists in life. Even though overall intensity workouts are lower as shown in the graphic above, adaptive stress from the workouts cumulatively is higher and more constant. It is for this reason that body-part split routines are attractive to many trainees, especially if they have a high stress lifestyle. It’s simply difficult to squat 3x a week if life outside the gym is chaotic and stressful.

Create a low stress environment and be diligent with recovery practices like heat therapy and overall progress made with a high frequency workout routine will be much greater and less volatile compared to less frequent higher intensity workout plans.

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WFO Workout Routine Month Two

Push and pull workouts are combined with full body workouts for the Wild Free Organic month 2 strength training routine. Each individual workout outlined among these articles is very adaptable and can be combined with each other in uniquely useful ways.

The following two week workout routine is repeated twice. There are workouts 4x per week, with rest days on Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Week 1

Monday - Full Body (A)

5x5 Squats

4x8 Pull-Ups

5x10 Pec Deck

3x15 Hanging Leg Raises

Tuesday - Pull (D)

One-Arm Lat Pulldowns 3x20

Barbell Rows 4x6

Chin-Ups 3x10

Facepulls 3x15

DB Curls 3x10

Wednesday - Rest

Thursday - Push (A)

5x5 Incline Press

4x8 Dumbbell Incline Press

5x10 Pec Deck

Friday - Full Body (C)

5x5 Deadlifts

4x8 DB Press

5x10 Leg Press

3x30 Reverse Crunches

Saturday & Sunday - Rest

Week 2

Monday - Full Body (A)

5x5 Squats

4x8 Pull-Ups

5x10 Pec Deck

3x15 Hanging Leg Raises

Tuesday - Push (C)

Dumbbell Front Raises 3x20

Bench Press 4x6

Kettlebell Press 3x10

Lateral Raises 3x15

Tricep Cable Extensions 3x10

Wednesday - Rest

Thursday - Pull (B)

5x5 Deadlifts

4x8 Behind-the-Neck Lat Pull Downs

5x10 Seated Cable Rows

Friday - Full Body (B)

5x5 Incline Press

4x8 Front Squats

5x10 Barbell Rows

3x20 Cable Woodchops

Saturday & Sunday - Rest

With this workout routine legs are trained 2x per week, chest 3x, back 3x, arms and shoulders regularly, and core 2x per week.

During the first month of full body workouts, the weight used for exercises was increased by 10% from start to finish. With month 2 the weights are still light and the emphasis is still on exercise form and muscle contractions. Use the same weight on exercises for week 1 of this month as week 4 of last month. On weeks 2, 3, and 4 increase the weight by 5%, for a total compounded weight increase of about 16%. Always round down weight increases, so for example if your percentage jump takes you from 165 to 173, load the bar with 170 lbs. Overall a couple pounds difference has a negligible impact if exercise form and maximum connectivity and contraction is the goal for each rep and set.

Note - Buy 2.5 lb change plates to make more precise weight jumps.

A routine that started with comically light weights at 40-50% of 1RM at the beginning of month 1 now uses weights by the end of month two 27.6% heavier. If you were squatting with 135 to start, now you’re squatting with 170 lbs with similar ease, form, and muscle activation. Congratulations, that’s a big achievement!

Full Body Workouts

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated November 2021. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Welcome to part 1 of the 5 part Wild Free Organic workout series. If you’re a beginner to intermediate lifter, treat the advice given in these five write-ups as gospel and fully believe that you can achieve any physical transformation you set your mind to with consistency and discipline. If you follow the full five month routine, you’ll be blown away by how far you progress physically and you’ll have developed the right mindset for future gains with few setbacks.

Have a vision and focus! Leaping from one direction to the next might feel stimulating and you’ll know a lot, but to use a metaphor, you’ll still be stuck in the valley amongst trees when instead if you had stayed relentlessly focused on the one uphill path ahead, you could be standing on the mountain with far-reaching and clear vision!

Who am I to talk? Well I was once you. I started working out at the age of 19 and for 10 years I learned everything there is to know while simultaneously learning nothing. I made incredible progress and incredible setbacks. Learn from my experience and avoid the hardships I progressed through due to my ignorance and lack of patience. Trust the process! Learn when to seize the moment and also learn when to throttle down. Do what is best for your long-term development, not your ego.

WFO Workout Routines

Part 1 - Full Body Workouts ✅

Part 2 - Push & Pull Workouts

Part 3 - Leg Workouts

Part 4 - Arm Workouts

Part 5 - Calisthenics & Core Workouts

If you want an exercise training program that enables you to make the progress you’ve been striving for without the setbacks, look no further. Clear your mind, go to the gym with a plan, don’t get distracted, and turn your vision into reality.

The following program is balanced in all respects that matter without adding complication and unneeded stress to the process. We’re not here to argue exercise theory, but rather put in the work and let the strength training show the results. With intelligent exercise selection, hard work, and consistency, there is no limit on the physical transformation you can achieve. Enough pep talk, lets go!

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Laying the Foundation

Arnold Schwarzenegger was a brick layer while he was training for his first Mr. Olympia. Arnold understood the importance of laying a strong foundation, and it was this wisdom that his built his body, fortune, and fame upon.

Just like Arnold, you need to lay a strong foundation for your physique transformation. Whether you’re starting this routine after just having finished another or after a period of detraining, we want to start off very slow. Use these full body workouts as a chance to lower your chronic stress level, rest the parasympathetic nervous system, and focus on learning how to recovery. Muscle grows when muscle protein synthesis is elevated greater than muscle degradation. Fat melts off when there is a calorie deficit and little stress. Recovery reduces both muscle degradation and lowers stress, and learning how to recover before starting a new training program in which intensity will ramp up over time will pay tremendous dividends. If stress is low and recovery is in balance, you can work out less and make more progress. More on recovery throughout the rest of the series, but to start read the articles below as many times as it takes to understand the importance of each and execute on them:

• Establish a productive morning routine.

• Address adrenal fatigue issues you might have.

• Develop a mindfulness routine, meditate everyday.

• Fix your sleep!

Skip this small time investment and you’ll end up wasting much much MUCH more time down the road.

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Full Body Workout Routine

Full body workouts are best programmed on a weekly time frame. Three full body workouts every week will sufficiently stimulate the body to adapt and become stronger, faster, and better conditioned.

Don’t worry, any muscle you’ve built won’t melt off while you take an easy month of lifting to build the foundation for your physical transformation. Repeat this weekly routine for 4 weeks in a row. As you progress through this workout series, you’ll learn how you can modify these workouts to best pursue your specific physique transformation goals, but we need to learn the basics first. Use this first month of lifting to reconfigure your lifestyle while still hitting the main compound lifts and stimulating your body from all angles.

Monday - Full Body (A)

5x5 Squats

4x8 Pull-Ups

5x10 Pec Deck

3x15 Hanging Leg Raises

Wednesday - Full Body (B)

5x5 Incline Press

4x8 Front Squats

5x10 Barbell Rows

3x20 Cable Woodchops

Friday - Full Body (C)

5x5 Deadlifts

4x8 DB Press

5x10 Leg Press

3x30 Reverse Crunches

If you want exercise 1RM percentages, do all exercises at 40% of your current 1RM. Don’t test your 1RM to determine what it is, use a little intuition and then shave off a bit to account for your ego. Got your numbers? Good, shave off some more to account for your ego again. If you don’t know what 1RM is, find weights that are so light they almost seem comical to use. Know this to be true, weight doesn’t matter! Watch any interview with an IFBB pro, they’ll say the same. Connectivity and how much tension you generate matters! Do this right or don’t do it at all.

Spend this first month really honing in on exercise form and technique. Contract every muscle fiber and connect to every nerve ending! Even with comically light weights, if you apply that intensity to your form and body awareness you’ll still leave the gym sweating. The less connected you are to your body the greater your likelihood of injury, and being injured sucks! Being injured is a huge setback and can cause long-term problems.

The order of importance for weight lifting for natural trainees is as follows:

A progressive overload increase of 10% is acceptable. Increase weight by 5% at week 3 and another 5% at the beginning of week 4. Since the weight for these exercises will be so light to begin with, you should be able to maintain the same form and connectivity for all the exercises even with the 10% bump in weight at the end of month 1. Congratulations, you just made the easiest 10% improvement of your lifting career!

We want to stack as many of those as possible together unbroken. In part two we add push and pull workouts to the routine and discuss some advanced recovery methods.

Three Ways to Inhale Cannabis

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated November 2021. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Until the advent of vaporizers, there was only one way to inhale cannabis flower for recreational and/or therapeutic effects, through combustion. Inhaling smoke from burning plant matter can be dangerous (more on that below), though with smoking cannabis the risk of developing lung cancer appears to be the same as if you didn’t smoke. Once vaporizers were developed, there existed three methods for inhaling cannabinoids.

Vaporizers are a type of device which heat up a small chamber, just like an oven except much smaller, to a temperature of the users choice. Vaporizers are limited in their top temperature range, unable to reach the temperatures required for combustion of plant matter. In the context of cannabis, vaporizers heat plant material without igniting it. At different temperatures below combustion, terpenes and cannabinoids vaporize out of the flower and phase change into their gaseous state. Typically vaporization is used for cannabis, but other herbs such as chamomile, lavender, and even tobacco can be also be vaporized.

That process is true for what could be called a dry vaporizer. There are also oil vaporizers, which we will refer to as wet vaporizers.

There exist big differences in the health and psychoactive effects of cannabis that is inhaled from either a combusted, wet vaporized, or dry vaporized source.

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Dry Vaporization

Dry vapes heat up materials like herbs or cannabis flower to the point where various compounds in those herbs sublimate out into an inhalable vapor. Examples of compounds that vaporize at various temperatures from cannabis material would include water (100°C, 212°F), terpenes like A-Pinene (155°C), and cannabinoids like THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, 157°C) and CBD (cannabidiol, 170°C).

While the plant matter loaded into a vaporizer might change in color and texture, dry vaporizing does not combust any plant matter, as the minimum combustion temperature of 230°C (445°F) is never reached.

One of the big advantages of dry vaporization is almost all the cannabinoids and terpenes are preserved. When cannabis or other herbs are combusted, the high temperatures destroy most of the cannabinoids and terpenes, while also creating smoke, tar, benzene, carbon monoxide and other known toxic compounds (1)

When cannabis is dry vaporized, 95% of the total mass of the vapor consists of cannabinoids, with the other 5% consisting primarily of water vapor and terpenes.

As far as we currently know, the only risk to dry herb vaporization is the inhalation of hot air. Typical vaporizers, like the Fury Edge by Healthy Rips allow the user to adjust the temperature from 320°F - 430°F (160°C to 220°C). If you are concerned about the risk inhaling heated vapor, there are several ways to cool down cannabis vapor significantly by using glass accessories or water bubblers.

Note - Don’t use a dry herb vaporizer that doesn’t have a 100% food grade isolated stainless steel & glass only vapor path. Heating and inhaling plastic fumes is not good for your health.

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Wet Vaporization

Wet vapes heat up oils to the point where the oil vaporizes, turning into a gas, ready for inhalation into the lungs. Wet vapes typically are sold in smaller pen form factors in which oil cartridges can be easily attached or swapped for use. Wet vapes can heat oils from 270°C to 420°C (520°F to 790°F), well within the combustion range.

For those concerned about the risk of severe lung disease, the risk appears to stem from improperly manufactured cannabis or tobacco oil cartridges which are cut with vitamin E acetate. It’s been found that some off-the-street cartridges cut costs by adding less cannabinoids, resulting in a recognizably less viscous oil, so then vitamin E acetate is added to increase the viscosity of the oil to make the end product appear higher quality.

Cannabis oils typically have two different solvents they use to suspend cannabinoids and terpenes in, propylene glycol and liquid carbon dioxide. Propylene glycol is a byproduct of both the petroleum and biofuel industries. If the propylene glycol is derived from biofuels, then it will be contaminated with herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. These chemicals, the most well known being glyphosate, pose a serious health threat when inhaled, and might be partially responsible for rapid lung disease we see with oil vaporizer use.

If you decide to purchase cannabis oil, either in larger quantities for a high-quality vaporizer or in a cartridge format, make sure to only purchase cannabis oils which use CO2 for the solvent and not propylene glycol, as propylene glycol carries a larger health risk. CO2 can still be derived from contaminated sources.

Keep in mind that intensive refining is needed to create cannabis oil from cannabis plant matter. Cannabis is known for the wide range of therapeutic compounds the plant creates, and a blend of distilled cannabis compounds cannot match the therapeutic potential of the cannabis plant itself. Wet vaping purposely and misguidedly skips out on what is known as the Entourage Effect (2) in order to cut cost and provide a cheaper product to the end user.

Wild Free Organic only recommends dry vaporization for all health and recreational uses of cannabis. Oil vaporization, either of cannabis or tobacco, presents a serious health risk.

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Combustion

Combustion is when plant matter is ignited and burned in order to produce smoke. Smoke is a combination of compounds, from water vapor to organic pollutants and carbon monoxide. The combustion of cannabis versus vaporization has been researched by many, and while vaporization appears to be safe, combustion of cannabis creates and releases over 100+ different compounds, with only ~12% of the total mass of the smoke consisting of cannabinoids. Studies and anecdotal evidence show that dry herb vaporization eliminates the delivery of toxic byproducts associated with the use of smoked cannabis.

Vaporization also gets you more high, and we know Jimi here would have appreciated that! Since cannabinoids are not destroyed during vaporization unlike combustion, you can feel the entourage effect from the cannabinoids and terpenes from less cannabis material than you would need if smoked (3).

The high from combusted cannabis is different though, due to the fact that many of the toxic compounds found in smoke also can exert psychoactive effects such as drowsiness.

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Choose Cannabis Vaporization instead of Combustion

There are reduced respiratory effects for cannabis users who choose vaporization over combustion (4), and this is very important to consider for your long term health and wellness. Dry herb vaporization is the healthiest way we know of other than oral consumption (which is different than inhalation mechanistically) to enjoy the therapeutic and/or recreational effects of cannabis.

Whether you’re new to cannabis or a regular user, a dry-herb vaporizer like the Fury Edge is a great cannabis and yes, even health investment. There is a common misconception that cannabis usage is unhealthy, but it is a merely a tool like any other that can be used for good or bad. I encourage the responsible usage of cannabis.

Cannabis usage for me, through the practice of cannabis yoga, enabled me to discover and connect to my body in ways I didn’t know were possible. Cannabis usage brought to me conscious awareness of the endocannabnoid and bioelectrical system which we all possess.

Dry vaporization is a 180-degree experience compared to traditional smoking. Here are twelve advantages of dry vaporization of cannabis over smoking:

1. No Coughing - Without the smoke, cannabis vapor is easily inhaled and at lower temperatures is highly unlikely to cause a fit of coughing. Only lung bursting hits might cause you to cough.

2. No Mess - Grind up some herb and load up the vaporizer chamber or dosing cap and that’s it. No worrying about ash or disgusting bong water. Overtime cannabinoid resin is created in the chamber or glass pathway, and this is easily cleaned with rubbing alcohol. Dosing caps like you can use with the Fury Edge make cleanup very easy.

3. No Munchies - Cannabis vaporization is much less likely to cause the infamous “munchies”. THC-V, a cannabinoid that vaporizes at high temperatures has an appetite suppressive effect. A strain that contains a lot of THC-V is Durban Poison.

4. Smoother High - Dry vaporization lifts you up and floats you back down, whereas smoking cannabis drops you into a mental valley that needs to be climbed back up. With dry vaporization you can enjoy the sensation but continue to function as normal.

5. No smell - Vaporization produces steam, not smoke. Any scent from the vaporizer is negligible so there is no worrying about anything smelling like cannabis, or you yourself smelling dank.

6. Zero Drowsiness - Vaporization of cannabis flower isn’t dulling and doesn’t cause drowsiness like smoking will. In fact your brain activity might accelerate, so be wary of vaping too late in the evening.

7. No waste - When vaporizing cannabis flower, nearly all the cannabinoids are extracted from the bud and none are destroyed by the heat of combustion. With vaping a lot goes a long way.

8. Inexpensive - There is an upfront cost to a quality dry-herb vaporizer like the Fury Edge, but since cannabis usage compared to smoking is 1/4 to 1/5 as much for the same effect, expect to save lots of money in the long run. Use less bud and get more out of it.

9. Normal Function - Vaporization provide a nice buzz, and connects you to your body more intuitively, but normal activities and though patterns are still the same as ever. Unless someone is very discerning, or you make it obvious, no one will suspect you might be high.

10. Reduced Paranoia - With smoking cannabis it is much more common to be left having feelings of paranoia, fear, or anxiety. With dry vaporization these negative feelings are typically replaced with the feeling of euphoria. Be aware that heavy long-term usage might still cause some symptoms of anxiety.

11. Better Relaxation - After vaping some flower, it’s easier to kick back, unwind, and let go of things. Cannabis vaporization is great way to relax and enter a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state.

12. Stop When you Want - With dry vaporization is is fairly easy to end a high when wanted. Drink more water, take a shower, or eating some food all do the trick. With smoking, the high ends when fat cells soak the THC up, which can take a while.

There are still limits to vaporization and what is safe. You should not do any activities which place you in a greater state of danger or operate heavy machinery. Use common sense and be sensible, safe, and sober when it is the responsible thing to do. For individuals under the age of 25, wait until your brain fully develops before any experimentation with cannabis, it’s not worth the risk of long-term brain alterations.

As a first time user, it’s normal to be scared of the potential psychoactive effects of cannabis. With vaporization, the process is smooth and not scary. Start with a small amount of 1:1 (THC/CBD) flower or 1:1 blend and only vaporize to the lower temperatures. Trust yourself and your body.

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Cannabis Vaporization Guide

First Time: Start with a cannabis-infused tea! Cannabis teas, or a small 1:1 edible are a very gentle way to first experience the effects of cannabis while also maintaining a good connection to your sober mental state. I personally use Kikoko teas, which have great flavor and have various levels of cannabis infusion. Their Sympa-Tea is a great cannabis product for your very first time use containing 20 mg of CBD and 3 mg THC per serving, and their Positivi-Tea is a bit stronger and more uplifting at 10 mg THC and 5 mg CBD.

Second Time: To feel the effects of cannabis stronger and faster, I recommend dry vaporization next, starting with a 50/50 mix of CBD and THC cannabis. Start vaporizing at 345°F and halfway through your session (most vapes have a session timer) increase the temperature to 365°F to vaporize out more and different cannabinoids.

Third Time: After experiencing the effects of cannabis dry-herb vaporization at lower temperatures, I recommend trying a THC dominant strain and increasing the temperature of your vaporizer beyond 365°F. I find the temperatures of 380, 405, and 420°F all provide nice differences in feel and effect.

For Experienced Users: 1 hour before vaporization, apply CBD lotion on your forehead, nape of your neck, and navel. Ingest a 5-10 mg cannabis brownie. After an hour, vaporize a small amount of cannabis flower, do not rush into this. Since cannabinoids have been applied topically, ingested, and vaporized, the effect can be quite strong. It was when I used cannabis in this method that I experienced a transformative connection and understanding of the bodies bioelectrical system. I could feel the electricity!

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About the Potential Side Effects

If at any point you experience paranoia or other unpleasant effects, ground yourself with a meditating posture and breath deeply to find calm. Eating a light meal, a luke-warm shower, or sleeping can also help.

The potential negative side effects of cannabis are much more common with combustion. Additionally the use of THC exclusive strains without CBD to balance can exacerbate negative symptoms such as paranoia and dizziness. Some people are also predisposed to not being able to handle higher amounts of cannabinoids. You can heavily reduce or eliminate the potential negative side effects of cannabis through dry vaporization over combustion (no toxic compounds, no carbon monoxide inhalation, etc) and also by mixing CBD dominant strains into your mix. CBD helps to balance out the endocannabinoid system and promotes calming relaxing effects. I personally use mix CBD with THC strains almost every time I use cannabis.

Disclaimer - If you’re under the age of 25 do not consume cannabis in any way. Since cannabis interacts with the brain and body so thoroughly, use of this herb can cause deviant psychological and physiological changes at young ages (5). Wait until roughly the age of 25 when your brain structure is probably fully developed before considering using cannabis. There have been studies showing long term usage of cannabis can change patterns of brain activity at all ages, be responsible with your usage. The science here is still unclear so an abundance of caution is recommended, and daily use is discouraged.

Updated September 2020

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References

1. Loflin M, Earleywine M. No smoke, no fire: What the initial literature suggests regarding vapourized cannabis and respiratory risk. Can J Respir Ther. 2015;51(1):7-9.

2. Russo EB. The Case for the Entourage Effect and Conventional Breeding of Clinical Cannabis: No "Strain," No Gain. Front Plant Sci. 2018;9:1969.

3. Spindle TR, Cone EJ, Schlienz NJ, et al. Acute Effects of Smoked and Vaporized Cannabis in Healthy Adults Who Infrequently Use Cannabis: A Crossover Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2018;1(7):e184841.

4. Earleywine M, Barnwell SS. Decreased respiratory symptoms in cannabis users who vaporize. Harm Reduct J. 2007;4:11.

5. Wilson W, Mathew R, Turkington T, Hawk T, Coleman RE, Provenzale J. Brain morphological changes and early marijuana use: a magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography study. J Addict Dis. 2000;19(1):1-22.

Improve Digestion in Three Steps

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

The old adage goes “You are what you eat”, and few times have truer statements been made. And humans have known this to be true for thousands of years. Millennia ago, Hippocrates, Greek physician and the “Father of Medicine” said:

“Let food be thy medicine, let medicine be thy food”

— Hippocrates

This statement, so simple encapsulates so much truth to it. Wellness truths like this, so simple and obvious, have continually been met with skepticism and disbelief over time. In fact, much of the food industry at large endeavors to prove these truths false through new food product iterations such as “protein” candy bars, meal replacement shakes, and more ultra processed foods created from highly processed powders and syrups.

Hippocrates is also famously quoted with the following:

“All disease begins in the gut”

— Hippocrates

If you are what you eat, and if all disease begins in the gut, then it follows that the food you eat, and how you digest it, can have a huge impact on whether you have a healthy or diseased mind, body, and soul.

Whether you follow a diet such as primal, paleo, Whole30, keto, vegan, or a combination, what’s important overall is eating a diet full of whole, unprocessed foods and learning and understanding what foods work and don’t work for your body in order to achieve optimal health. Changing your dietary mindset to be inclusive of all foods and to be mindful of what you eat, is the true path towards effortless health. Once dietary mindfulness is developed, it’ll be common sense to buy foods of the highest quality, which will further improve your health.

A lot of people know what a healthy diet should be like, some people understand, and a few have earned true dietary wisdom by acting on this knowledge. Even less so than diet, there is a lack of understand for the second part of the equation, digestion.

Just as you can choose healthy foods, there are also choices that can be made which impact your digestion, for better or worse. Luckily, sticking to a healthy diet consistently is the hardest part of this two part equation, and with just a little conscientiousness, you can guide and assist your bodies digestive system to smoothly and effectively break down and assimilate everything you’ve eaten.

In fact, you can get started in improving your digestion in three easy steps, one after the other! Make an effort to do these three tips for each meal, but even starting off, implementing these 3 easy digestion hacks for just your smallest meal of the day will have a noticeable impact on everything from your gut health & regularity to energy levels & mood. By following these three steps, you’ll reduce or eliminate painful bloating, uncomfortable gas, and more.

Eat your Meals with Chopsticks for Better Digestion

Before you ask...yes, chopsticks!

Around the world, just as many people use chopsticks daily as fork & knife users, around 2.5 billion. And in the countries where chopstick use is predominant, such as Japan, health outcomes are typically better than their western counterparts (1). This isn’t a permanent suggestion, but there is a really great lesson to be learned here.

The goal of this first digestion improving tip is to improve your mindfulness during meals. Few things will make you slow down and focus on your meal more than swapping out your typical utensils for chopsticks. If you already use chopsticks for the majority of your meals, fantastic, you’re ahead of the pack.

With chopsticks, especially for new users, you’ll eat slower, and those who eat slower are much less likely to be obese than those who eat quickly (2). Why? Well this is due to a multitude of factors. Eating slower you’ll:

• End up full faster, reducing overall calories consumed.

• Chew more, increasing digestive enzymes and decreasing food particle size, making digestion easier.

• Be more attuned to your body and the feedback it's giving you, whether that’s positive or negative.

• Reduce your stress, eating in a relaxed parasympathetic state (which improves digestion) rather than a fight-or-flight sympathetic state.

An additional plus is the foods you can easily eat with chopsticks tend to land on the healthier side of things. Have you ever seen a person eat junk food with chopsticks?

A healthier meal consumed more slowly in a less stressful state and chewed (aka predigested) more can only be considered a win. And if you have frequent gut problems such as gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or worse, eating slower will only improve upon your current digestive situation.

Try eating with chopsticks for a week! You have nothing to lose. In fact, if you walk away from it all at the end unconvinced, at the very least you’ll be better at eating with chopsticks than you were when you started. With new found chopstick prowess, Chinese stir-fries, Korean BBQ, and Japanese sushi will no longer be meals out of reach, literally!

Eat your Vegetables Last for Better Digestion

First, if you’re not already eating vegetables, start now. Vegetables are full of fiber, micronutrients, and phytochemicals. The health benefits are too numerous to list here. Nine cups of vegetables and fruits daily is encouraged.

Second, eat your vegetables last.

Now if you’re not eating any vegetables at all to begin with, following the conventional wisdom of eating some vegetables at the beginning of your meal isn’t bad advice. Changing any bad dietary habits you have is most important, and eating vegetables overall is more important than timing your vegetable intake. With that said, if it makes no difference to your overall vegetable intake, there are serious benefits to eating your vegetables last.

First, you won’t eat dessert as often. Having just finished a meal followed by a salad or a head of broccoli, you probably won’t be reaching for the cookies or ice cream. You’ll already be comfortably full from the vegetable fiber!

And it’s the fiber that’s important. Considering we ate this meal slower and more mindfully, the food will be better “layered” and predigested from the start. Take the following typical meal format:

Carbs → Proteins & Fats → Micronutrients & Fiber

Note - A great example for the above would be a meal of rice, protein, and zucchini.

Carbs are quick and easy to digest, and eating them first allows your body to quickly break down and use the carbs for energy instead of fat storage. Proteins and fats follow, with protein being used for tissue repair and muscle gain, and fats being used for various cellular structures and as a steadier, longer lasting energy source. Lastly vegetables provide your body ample micronutrients and very importantly, fiber for your microbiome. Buy organic non-gmo (or biodynamic) vegetables to ensure your pesticide exposure is as minimal as possible.

The microbiome is so important when it comes to digestion and overall health (3). After your stomach empties from your last meal, you begin to enter a state of fasting. If you only highly processed foods, your microbiome will be starving for a fresh source of energy in a couples hours time. By providing your microbiome tough vegetable fiber to digest in-between meals, overtime you create an evolutionary pressure to improve microbiome diversity while preferentially selecting for the good gut bacteria (4). If you only provide your microbiome carbs and fats with no fiber, after that meal is quickly digested you’ll start to experience cravings for another meal, usually junkier than the last. As most people know but few understand, that’s a state of stomach and mind known as being “hangry”, and it’s governed by the microbiome’s ability to influence your mood via your hormone system (5). Plus, the flavonoids from the colorful vegetables and fruits like elderberry will help heal the tight junctions of the digestive system, stopping microbes from entering into the blood steam improving gut and immune health.

To quickly put an end to a cranky microbiome, fasting can be used to reset the digestive system, or for a slower approach eat your veggies last. Provide your microbiome a snack they can chew on in-between meals, in the process stabilizing your digestion and energy levels.

Your microbiome will thank you and your waistline will thank you as your wellness improves.

Go for a Walk after Eating for Better Digestion

After you’ve eaten your meal with chopsticks, reserving a heaping serving of vegetables for last, you’re ready to implement the final part of this three-step digestion hack, walking.

Walking at a leisurely pace after a meal, undoubtedly an enjoyable and healthy activity in and of itself, has also been shown to improve your digestion and overall response to food. 15 minutes of walking after a meal will lower your blood sugar more than a full hour of walking before a meal (6), and walking also increases the rate of gastric emptying (7), meaning you’ve digested your food better. In fact, walking for just 15 minutes after a meal will improve your blood glucose levels for over 24 hours (8).

Movement of the body is so important for your health and wellness, and walking is one of the easiest & lowest impact ways to incorporate movement into your daily lifestyle. Paired after a meal and it’s a great way to breathe some fresh air outdoors, get grounded, connect with your body, and maintain that parasympathetic stress-free state that your mindfully created by first eating your meal slowly with chopsticks.

There you have it, try it out for a month! Make a habit of incorporating these three digestion hacks into your daily routine and take notes as to how you feel.

Eat Fermented Foods for Better Digestion

As a fourth recommended tip, discover the secrets of kombucha. Yes, that wonderful lightly fizzy drink, kombucha is fermented tea, each batch home to a “mother”. The mother is a unique microbiome colony that created the fermentation (0.5% ABV) in the tea..

The secret to kombucha is that you drink it after a meal. Not a whole bottle, but a small amount as a refresher. A bit of kombucha throughout the day after meals is ideal. Now instead of just having eaten a meal, which can range from raw to pasteurized in microbial diversity, kombucha “seeds” each meal it is drinken with. The residual sugar in the tea provides a bolus dose of easy sugar energy for the mother and the preexisting microbiome in your digestive system to get started in breaking down the main meal. This is one of the few times having added sugar in the diet is OKAY.

If you have kombucha or other fermented foods regularly, the greeting of the fermented microbiome to your existing microbiome is a smooth meeting. Eating a varied diet full of new healthy foods and drinking/eating fermented foods is the key to a successful diet.

My favorite brand of kombucha is from GT’s Living Food. Drink a variety to always be exposed to new mothers and for fun flavors! Mystic Mango, Guava Goddess, and Cosmic Cranberry are the best.

You might be thinking, no way can these three simple steps and kombucha radically change how I digest my food, improving my mood and energy levels while also reducing the unpleasant effects of bloating and more.

Well, sometimes the simplest of things can lead to the biggest changes and results in ones life. Likewise these three digestion tips are simple in practice, and used together, powerful in their effect. “All diseases begin in the gut”, and to live life to your fullest healthiest and happiest, taking care of your gut means taking care of you.

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Ready to Heal Your Gut?

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Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.

The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

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Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

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References:

1. World Health Organization, Japan Health Statistics

2. Hurst Y, Fukuda H. Effects of changes in eating speed on obesity in patients with diabetes: a secondary analysis of longitudinal health check-up data. BMJ Open. 2018;8(1):e019589.

3. Makki K, Deehan EC, Walter J, Bäckhed F. The Impact of Dietary Fiber on Gut Microbiota in Host Health and Disease. Cell Host Microbe. 2018;23(6):705-715.

4. Menni C, Jackson MA, Pallister T, Steves CJ, Spector TD, Valdes AM. Gut microbiome diversity and high-fibre intake are related to lower long-term weight gain. Int J Obes (Lond). 2017;41(7):1099-1105.

5. Smithsonian Magazine, Your Gut Bacteria May Be Controlling Your Appetite, Brian Handwerk November 24, 2015

6. Colberg SR, Zarrabi L, Bennington L, et al. Postprandial walking is better for lowering the glycemic effect of dinner than pre-dinner exercise in type 2 diabetic individuals. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2009;10(6):394-7.

7. Franke A, Harder H, Orth AK, Zitzmann S, Singer MV. Postprandial walking but not consumption of alcoholic digestifs or espresso accelerates gastric emptying in healthy volunteers. J Gastrointestin Liver Dis. 2008;17(1):27-31.

8. Loretta DiPietro, Andrei Gribok, Michelle S. Stevens, Larry F. Hamm, William Rumpler. Three 15-min Bouts of Moderate Postmeal Walking Significantly Improves 24-h Glycemic Control in Older People at Risk for Impaired Glucose Tolerance. Diabetes Care 2013 Jun; DC_130084.

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

Five Mindfulness Practices

Article by Jason Brown - Updated November 2021. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Follow along and consider this your first mindfulness exercise.

Take a deep breath, breathe out, and relax. Quiet your mind; feel your senses.

Mindfulness meditation has been proven to provide enormous psychological benefits for both individuals as well as the larger communities who participate in it. Through mindfulness, you can learn to become fully present with the moment and accept all of your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Eliminating resistance to all of the elements that create your experience of life can bring about a sense of inner peace and improve your overall well-being.

While this may sound like a very worthwhile goal, it can be tough figuring out how to start on this journey of developing mindfulness. If you are seeking to start practicing mindfullness, or even just breathe new life into your existing practice, here are the five steps needed to help you create a meaningful routine:

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Set your Intention

Once you’ve decided that you want to practice mindfulness in your day to day, it’s important to define why you’re doing it and what you hope to get out of it. This will help give you an objective to focus on as well as provide you with some motivation to stick with it. This doesn’t have to be anything overly complex and for some, it might just be to learn to live in the moment a little bit more. For others, maybe life has been overwhelming lately and you really need help finding your inner peace. Whatever the reason, setting an intention for your practice of mindfulness will help you get the most out of it by defining a goal you can work towards.

Mindfulness has become somewhat of a buzz word and a sort of “trendy” thing to try out, but this does not necessarily have to degrade the actual value it can provide in your life. By creating an intention that is meaningful to you, you can develop an authentic and powerful practice that has the potential to be a transformative force in your life. 

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Create realistic expectations

Many people equate mindfulness to the idea of spiritual enlightenment or reaching some sort of Buddha-like state. While mindfulness may be the first step on the path towards enlightenment for some people, it does not necessarily have to represent embarking on a grandiose, spiritual journey of that scale for all. There are benefits to practicing mindfulness in any stage of the game.

That being said, it’s not realistic to expect that 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation a week will turn you into a sage overnight.

However, it may in fact help you find a little more equilibrium in your life. You may have also heard of stories of monks reaching nirvana by sitting and meditating under a tree for some period of time. It might be true that a number of individuals experienced something like this, but these stories can easily be misinterpreted to view mindfulness or meditation as nothing more than a tool to help achieve some specific state of being. Mindfulness is not a means to an end, but rather it is a practice that provides you with value for as long as you are engaged with it. It’s not some pill you swallow or thing you try once that changes your perception of the world forever, but rather mindfulness is like a muscle that you develop through regular use and exercise.

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Be Consistent & Disciplined

If you want to turn your intention into a reality, it’s going to take some consistent effort. It’s important to commit yourself to a regular mindfulness routine that will help you to internalize your practice. For some people, this might mean making time at the beginning or end of every day to sit and meditate. For others, it might mean spending 20-30 minutes a day reading some enriching material. It could even be a routine of sitting quietly with no distractions to enjoy a peaceful breakfast before starting your day. Whatever you choose to commit yourself to, the important piece is that you stay consistent with it. Like with most objectives, discipline matters. As previously mentioned, mindfulness can only add value to your life for as long as you continue to practice it, so it’s essential that you create a routine that you can stick with over time. 

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Create Accountability 

When starting any new habit, it’s important to create a system of accountability in order to keep yourself on track. This is particularly true with something like mindfulness where the effects can initially be very subtle or hard to measure. Therefore, creating a system that will push you to stick it out during the initial phases of developing the habit will help you reach the benefits that long-term commitment can bring to your life. One way you could do this is by setting a goal to practice mindfulness meditation for 10 minutes a day and then keep track of how many days in a row you’re able to stay with it. See if you can keep the streak going for one week, then two weeks, and then a month. Next thing you know, it will have become integrated into your normal, daily routine. Another way you can approach accountability is to find a friend who is willing to take this mindfulness journey with you. Check in with one another on at least a weekly basis to see how each of you has been able to follow through with your practice. Not only can this keep you accountable, it is also motivating to connect with someone embarking on the same journey as yourself.

“Eliminating resistance to all of the elements that create your experience of life can bring about a sense of inner peace and improve your overall well-being”

— Jason Brown

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Incorporate Mindfulness into your Daily Life

Practicing mindfulness can be as easy as simply living in the moment and being mindful of your breath

For practicing mindfulness to have significant effect for you, it's important not to fall into the trap of viewing your practice as separate from the rest of your daily life. There are many ways to mindfully meditate, and while you may have certain times of the day or certain activities you commit yourself to for developing mindfulness, the idea is that you will progressively start to become more mindful throughout your overall life.

It’s easy to view meditation as isolated from everything else you do during the day, but imagine what it would be like if you approached all experiences with the same openness and deliberateness that you bring to your meditation. You might slowly start to realize that being more mindful has helped take the edge off of some of the situations, responsibilities, or tasks that normally cause you stress, all unconsciously. Try imagining the 10 or so minutes you set aside each day for deliberate mindfulness as the “recharging” moments that carry you through the stressful parts of your day.

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Practice makes Perfect

Mindfulness is intended to bring lightness, relaxation, and peace to your life. It’s not entirely necessary to view these 5 steps as firm rules for your practice These five suggestions can kickstart your practice to turn an idea into a sustainable routine. There is definitely a science to the power of mindfulness meditation, but there is also an art of how to incorporate it into your life and get the most out of it. Above all else, take the liberty to be creative and experiment with finding a routine that can help bring more peace and joy to your life. 

A Beginner’s Guide to Start Running

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Getting out the door is more than half the battle when it comes to starting to run. Irregular and demanding work schedules, kids, and other commitments make it difficult to commit consistent time to running. On top of that, we’ve lost count of the people who say they are frustrated, because they have constantly been disappointed with their lack of progress—running never seems to get any easier.

The key to overcoming all of these obstacles?

Facing them with a solid plan of attack!

Raceday! From experts to beginners, anyone can participate in a 5k and compete against themselves.

Wild Free Organic Running Series:

1. Beginners Running Guide - 3 Month Plan ✅

2. Incorporate Strength Training into your Running Routine

3. Preparing for your First 5K

4. Final Preparations and 5K Race Day

From running novice to experienced racer, you’ll learn running, strength training, and race tip from these articles written by Triathlete Sarah Alexander and Physician Carten Denne. For absolute beginners, start with the Beginners Running Guide and follow through the other articles as you prepare for your first 5k race!

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There are more training plans out there than we can count, but only a handful that truly seek to guide someone who has been inactive for months or years and wants to be able to run a 5k straight through. One of these is the “Couch to 5k” running plan (C25k), which has helped thousands go from a sedentary lifestyle to completing their first 5k. It provides a progression of walk-runs over nine weeks that builds up to 30 minutes of straight running. While C25k is a great program, and we love the functionality and ease of its app, there are a few critical ways in which the training program falls short:

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Weekly Strength & Mobility

Running is stressful on the body. Particularly when people are just getting started, they tend to not have the lower body strength needed for the demands of running, which makes them vulnerable to injuries like shin splints, achilles tendinitis, IT band syndrome and plantar fasciitis as a result. Staying injury free during the first few weeks of running is crucial.

Committing to 20-30 minutes of strength training 1-2x per week just as a start will do wonders to build strength and prevent injury. Further benefits of strength training include burning fat and building muscle. Improved body composition will help you run further and faster with less effort.

Incorporate strength training into your running routine to see the benefits!

For the aforementioned reasons, we include one strength/mobility session per week in the zero to 5k program below. This 7-minute strength workout is a great one and can be done at home with no equipment!

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Time, Not Distance

While the Couch to 5k plan lets the individual choose whether to run for time or distance. However, when running for distance, people often feel pressure to cover a certain distance in a certain time. For beginner runners in particular, this can lead to over-exertion and bad running from habits which can result in injury, less enjoyment, or both. Plus, having a reliable amount of time for a run session will make it easier to plan ahead and incorporate running into your schedule.

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12 Weeks for Gradual Progression

It takes time for both mind and body to adapt to running. While the Couch to 5k program says to repeat weeks if needed, it can be hard to alter a plan and can even feel like a “failure.” For that reason, we have extended the plan from nine weeks to twelve, giving runners a clean three months to prepare for their 5k. This slightly more conservative approach will decrease the chance of injury and allow for more enjoyment along the way.

There are still some weeks that might seem like a big jump, particularly the jump from wk10 to wk11, which removes walking breaks. The key on week 11 is to remember that you have built up the strength and endurance necessary to make this leap, especially since the overall volume decreases a bit. Focus on the decreased total workout time as opposed to the increase in continuous running—it’s more of a mental leap than a physical one, we promise!

Our “Make a Run For It” Beginner’s Training Plan integrates some of the great foundational aspects of C25k with the changes made above:

“Make a Run For It” Beginner’s Training Plan - Sarah Alexander

As you embark on the training program above, keep these five pro tips in mind to guide you through the peaks and valleys of running and empower you to run a 5k straight through:

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1) Plan Ahead

In terms of your macro schedule, plan your weeks in advance. Obviously things may change along the way, but having a blueprint for your week will help as you learn to integrate running into your life. It is best to space out runs with rest days in between, but what works for one person won’t work for another, so we leave the scheduling of sessions up to you. Consider M/W/F/Sa or T/Th/Sa/Su, but at the end of the day, commit to the schedule that best fits the demands of your life.

On the day to day, try to make running the first thing you do in the morning, before life has a chance to get in the way. Make running your you time. Setting the alarm 40 minutes earlier than normal might seem painful, but you can make things easier on yourself by setting out your gear and placing your shoes right next to the door the night before. Wake up, get up, and go.

“You are the master of your schedule, but no matter how well intentioned we are, something gets in the way! Give yourself the best chance of successfully completing each session by planning ahead.”

That said, some people are just not early birds. If you prefer to train after work, pack running clothes to change into right at the end of the day. Also consider setting a “workout meeting” on your calendar to hold you to your workouts. The most important thing is to be consistent from session to session and week to week.

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2) Bring an accountability partner (or many) on board

As you build the habit of running, you need to make the pain of skipping your run greater than the pain of doing it. Have somebody that trains with you, or who you tell about your training, so you can check in with them each session. Ideally, talk a friend or family member into starting the program with you so you’re both starting from the same level!

Have an accountability buddy, or run with a buddy!

In addition, consider joining a running club. Many companies, local running stores, and local communities have running clubs, which are great resources as you build your habit of running. While you have your accountability partner in place, the more people you surround yourself with who are doing the things you want to do, the better.

Not only can these resources serve as extra motivation to hit the pavement, but they can also help you become a better runner. Remember the golden rule of 5: you are the average of the five people you associate most with. So associate with faster, more experienced, healthy runners. Don’t have an in-person running community in your area? No stress, there are a lot of online running communities that can help as well. Before you know it, you will have built enough momentum that you might even become someone else’s accountability buddy!

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3) Warm up before, stretch after

Doing a dynamic warm-up can take less than 5 minutes and will help you feel better from your first minute of walking. It will also decrease your chance of injury. After your run is the time to do some light stretching. I always think of post-workout stretching to be like a glass of cool lemonade on a hot day—it’s a chance to not only restore my muscles, but also take some deep breaths and soak in the training session I just accomplished. Carving out a few extra minutes before and after each session can feel strange, but properly warming up and cooling down will without a doubt put you in a better place physically and mentally going into the next workout that week.   

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4) Keep a Running Journal

Journaling is a great way to embrace the opportunity for personal growth that comes with any running journey. Tracking your progress will also help you keep track of your progression and keep things in perspective when you’re having a hard time getting through a training week. On top of that, it’s a great way to notice how running is changing your life without having to try too hard—feeling less stressed or in a better mood? Finding changes in food cravings and appetite? Experiencing more confidence? Jot it down! It will be fun to look back on your observations at the end of the three months.

You can also use your log to track your eating if you are running for weight loss. Changing your diet will be a key component to shedding pounds in addition to increased physical activity. Keeping a log—either written or digital—will help you stick with new healthy snacks, take note of what’s working and what’s not, and monitor your energy intake/expenditure.

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5) Keep Running Fun!

When training for an event, you will inevitably face a time when you have to dig down deep to find motivation; there will be days when you don’t want to run. A good way to find that motivation on days when it’s lacking is by packing a fun outfit you’ve been wanting to wear, creating a new running playlist, or downloading that interesting new podcast you’ve been wanting to listen to!

A couple great playlists to check out on Spotify are 170-190 BPM: Hip Hop Playlist and 170-190 Rock Playlist. Not only do these playlists include some great tunes, but they all have tempos that you can run to in order to practice good cadence (strive to hold ~180 strides per minute to reduce chances of injury and improve running economy).

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Thirty Minutes and an Open Door are all it takes

As you integrate activity back into your life and embark on your running journey, keep these tips in mind, and let us know how they are working for you! Stay focused on your end goal but remember to have fun with your training and enjoy the process, as well. What’s important in this journey is that you finish what you started—that in itself is a huge accomplishment, and you will make lasting memories and change your life in the process.

Wild Free Organic recommends Vivobarefoot footwear - modern footwear made with natural human physiology, minimalism, and eco-conscious in mind. Vivobarefoot has zero-drop, wide toe-box shoes that can be used from the office to the gym to the tundra, and everything in-between.

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Sarah Alexander

Since graduating from Chicago Booth with her MBA in 2015, Sarah has competed for the U.S.A. as a professional triathlete. In the process, she has become an expert in fitness and nutrition. She is passionate about helping others achieve their goals and is motivated by the perpetual challenge of defying boundaries to discover her best in athletic and professional pursuits alike.

To learn more about Sarah Alexander visit her website or follow her on Instagram @sarah_alxndr.

The Science of Grounding - Heal Using your Bioelectrical System

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated November 2021. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Grounding, also known as “Earthing”, is a wellness therapeutic technique (1) which has been practiced multi-culturally for thousands of years and is now beginning to be take root in western wellness practices.

Geophysicist Stefan Burns with a Geometrics G-858 magnetometer

Grounding is the practice of connecting your physical body to the Earth, which can be as simple as standing barefoot on grass, or as intentional as grounded meditation and self healing. To explain it simply, when your exposed skin is in contact with the Earth, typically your feet or hands, your body and the Earth connect electrically, supporting the movement of electrons throughout your body, the surrounding earth, and in-between. The effects of grounding depend on the method and duration, and can result in simple easily quantifiable effects such as a sense of calm and well-being, to transformative but hard to quantify healing experiences.

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It All Starts with The Earth

Grounding is the connection between the Earth and the physical body. In fact, you connect electrically to every object you interact with in some capacity. For this discussion, we start with the Earth because it is the largest and strongest electrical object that humans (and all other living organisms) can connect to currently.

How you connect electrically with any object depends on the size of the object, how it is in contact with you, the starting electrical state of both objects, and its inherent conductivity/resistivity.

The Earth is a massive object with a large potential to store, move, and transmit electricity.

The rough physical statistics for the Earth are:

• Diameter - 7900 miles

• Surface Area: 200 million sq miles

• Volume: 2.6x10^11 cubic miles

• Mass: 6.0x10^24 kg

• Magnetic Field Strength at the Poles: 70,000 nT

• Magnetic Field Strength at the Equator: 30,000 nT

To protect life from the relentless bombardment of solar rays from the Sun, the Earth needs a very strong magnetic field.

Magnetic fields have been known of for thousands of years, and it was in the 1600’s that scientist concluded that the Earth behaves like a magnet except on a solar system scale. But how are magnetic fields created?

Magnetic fields are created by moving charged particles. In the case of the Earth, the movement of the Earth’s metallic molten core (2) and magnetotelluric currents throughout the mantle and crust generate and shape the Earth’s magnetic field.

Magnetotelluric (3) currents are naturally varying electric currents that are continuously flowing through the Earth over a wide range of frequencies ranging from 10,000 Hz to 0.0001 Hz. Lower frequencies mean larger wavelengths. Geophysicists have been studying magnetotelluric currents since the early 1900’s, and it is well understood and accepted in the scientific community that magnetotelluric currents are created through the constant influx of charged particles from the sun in addition to the thousands of lightning strikes that discharge massive amounts of energy into the Earth every day.

These high and low frequency electrical currents exist deep within the Earth, from surface to core. Different Earth materials (rock, soil, water, etc) have an effect on the strength and propagation of electrical currents. For example, a nice grassy meadow after a rain would be an excellent conductor, but an electrically resistive geologic layer underneath the meadow would make the area overall more resistive to the Earth’s deeper magnetotelluric currents. Since geology varies across time and space, the electrical status of any area can vary. Areas with only minor geologic and hydrogeologic activity will electrically remain fairly constant. Areas with rapid geologic changes (landslides, earthquakes, floods) will vary electrically over time.

Magnetotelluric waves can be detected at the surface, but trees with deep extensive toor systems are able to bring lower frequency and stronger waves to the surface. Trees are incredible conductors of electrical energy, and it is through trees that most lightning strikes “deposit” their energy deep into the Earth.

Trees are very powerful grounders (4). I had a powerful grounding experience with this tree at the botanical gardens in Rio De Janerio, Brazil.

Geology and trees can affect how well the natural electrical currents of the Earth are present at the surface, and other factors can also influence how easy it is to ground to these currents.

Hydrocarbon based materials like asphalt, plastic, and foam are very resistive. In the modern world, many layers of resistivity are built up that separate humans from grounding to the Earth. Wearing socks, running shoes, and standing on asphalt separate you from grounding to the Earth by three layers of various resistivity and thickness.

“Until connected with nature you are highly insulated from Earth’s electrical life force”

— Stefan Burns - Geophysicist

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We are Bioelectrical Beings

Electromagnetic fields have a profound effect on the human body and mind and to use an obvious example there’s a reason no one wants to be struck by lightening. 10-30% of those struck by lightening die, and 80% of those who survive sustain long-term injuries to their nervous, muscular, and cardiac systems. The fact that we can survive lightening strikes at all is incredible and worth thinking about (6). Our brains create subtle electromagnetic waves and our hearts have a strong consistent magnetic field 1000x stronger than the brain. I’ve measured mine directly before, and when your heat beats the magnetic field amplitude increases the same as a pulse wave. Blood pulse waves strongly generate lower frequency 8-12 Hz alpha brainwaves. The human body utilizes electromagnetic energy across a variety of scales, from very subtle strengths to easily measurable with a magnetometer from a few meters away. In a lightning strike, the electromagnetic fields are so strong that they will override any balance of electromagnetic energy someone has maintained.

If hit by lightning, a massive amount of electricity conducts down the nervous system from the highest part of the body, through the torso and trunk, into the legs, and then discharged out through the feet into whatever is being stood on.

It’s the central and peripheral nervous system that is largely the main system responsible for moving electrical currents through the body. Nerves transmit electrochemical signals from one part of the body to another, and the nervous system is the foundation of your bodies bioelectrical system (7), with other components of the bioelectrical system including the endocannabinoid system, muscle tissue, fascia, and even your blood.

With a lightning strike, in just milliseconds 5 gigajoules of energy travel through an individual, the same amount of energy as 36 gallons of gas. To survive 10-100 million volts from a lighting strike, the human bioelectrical systems must be incredibly well developed and capable of transmitting and grounding the huge amount of energy rapidly. Some people don’t have this ability, their hearts and minds fry, and they pass on. A lightning strike is very dangerous. If lightning is striking within 10 miles of your position head for shelter.

Lightning is an extreme example, but there are other electrical objects we connect with daily. When you hug someone you share electrons, and sometimes a handshake results in a spark! Driving your car or typing on your laptop places you in indirect contact with electronic circuitry. Most appliances are electrically grounded for safety reasons in order not to spark you. Not all electronics are directly grounded though, such as your cellphone, and with the average cellphone containing an energy dense lithium ion battery (8), during use it will ground and discharge some electrons to the most conductive object it is in contact with. Most often, that is you, specifically your hands, which are packed with conductive nerve endings.

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Charged or Discharged

Throughout the day, you are in various electrical states. Early in the morning while still in bed, you’ll have had 8 hours to discharge electrons. Depending on your choice of bedding material (conductive natural fabrics vs resistive synthetic fabrics) you either fairly effectively grounded yourself or you remain some percentage charged up from your electrical exposure the day before. Daily grounding is an important part of getting a good nights sleep.

If your activities for the day are active and outdoors, say taking a swim or reading a book on a lawn, you would have grounded throughout the day and therefore would have discharged whatever human charge you had built up.

If your activities for the day instead included heavy cellphone and computer usage, surrounded by low levels of electromagnetic energy in the form of 4G, 5G, and WiFi networks, then you’ll have absorbed more of a charge than you have given off throughout the day, and you’ll be at a higher energy level.

Going to sleep in a charged state, you might find your thoughts scattered, your body restless, and your mind fatigued.

Going to sleep grounded, you’ll discharge the extra energy quickly, your mind will become calm, and you’ll reach a stable baseline charge in sync with the Earth. It’s the stability of the electrical charge that’s important for your wellness. Having a stable electrical balance allows the body to jump right into 8 hours of restorative healing (9), memory maintenance, and smooth digestion.

A grounding bed sheet, connected to the ground plug of an electrical outlet, can quickly rinse you clean of your charged load every night, allowing the body to rest in an electrical environment the same as we evolved with for millennia.

What’s so special about grounding is it allows us a way to discharge and reduce the impact on our mind and body from being in elevated electrical states. Just as modern technology has provided us with revolutionary technology such as the computer and phone, new technology allows people to ground to the Earth in the comfort of more human environments such as your office, living room, or bedroom.

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Methods for Grounding

Grounding is one of the most easily accomplished, widely available, and free wellness initiatives you can start at any time. All that is required is a connection to the Earth’s surface, the more conductive the better. That can be problematic in the context of a modern lifestyle, which has made it increasingly difficult to accomplish this seemingly simple task.

For example, in public it’s expected and practical to wear footwear. When was the last time you saw someone walk around barefoot? Aside from the chunky foam of your sneakers, in an office or apartment building you’re at best indirectly connected to the Earth through the many floors of the building, the building’s foundation, carpeting, and more. At home while you lay asleep plastic bed sheets keep you insulated and the bed frame elevates you from the floor which itself is elevated from the ground.

To ground yourself consistently, there are a few lifestyle practices you can make habits of, and their are products you can buy to make the grounding process less conscious and something that just happens. The goal is to always make living a happy healthy life, and to stay grounded, the path of least resistance.

The best way to start grounding is to spend some time outdoors everyday, whether that’s at a park, the beach, hiking, in your backyard/communal living space, where ever. It’s well understood that time spent in nature is fantastic for your health and wellness, helping to boost energy levels, reduce stress, promote a sense of relaxation and calm, reduce risk of disease, and so much more (10). All of these beneficial health effects are synergistically linked with grounding, and thirty minutes a day spent grounding outside in these environments is likely to provide the most wellness benefits of all the methods listed here. Kicking off the shoes and spending time in nature is completely free. If you practice mindfulness during these moments, you’ll quickly experience that the wellness benefits of spending time in nature grounding outweigh the use of time. When connections like these are made, that’s when wellness practices become consistent lifestyle practices.

Another way you can incorporate grounding into your everyday life is to do your exercise grounded. Swimming is a great example of a completely grounded activity any sizable body of water is very well connected to the Earth’s natural electrical currents. Walking and/or running is another activity that can be done grounded, granted you wear the right shoes (or go barefoot). For this I recommend Earth Runners adventure sandals. Earth Runners sandals, made for walking or running, feature a conductive lacing which holds snug to your feet, and terminates at a copper grounding plug on the underside of the sandal. You can also transform your own footwear into grounding footwear with Earth Runners DIY Earthing Shoe kit. I personally have grounded my three favorite pairs of shoes this way (two from Vivobarefoot) and enjoy the fact that I’m efficiently grounded anytime I step outside now!

Vivobarefoot Borough (left), Vivobarefoot Primus Lite (middle), Outer (right). Copper Grounding plugs on each situated at the K1 meridian channel.

Another common way to incorporate grounding into your lifestyle is to add a grounding to a common activity you do daily.

If you go walking everyday, stop by the park and walk across it barefoot. If you meditate or exercise with yoga or calisthenics, then do these activities in direct contact with the ground barefoot.

Swimming in a creek, river, lake, or ocean is an excellent way to ground very rapidly to the Earth’s natural electromagnetic currents. Taking cold shower grounds you more effectively to the Earth than the grounding wire in a house.

Contrary to many, I do not typically recommend grounding mats or bedsheets. If you live in a rural area free from large industrial electrical infrastructure, and you drive you own iron ground in at least 50 feet away from your house, then using a grounding bedsheet in these conditions can be transformatively healing. If using a grounding sheet plugged into a modern house’s wall socket, then you are connecting to the same ground all the 50 or 60 Hz electronics in the house use. In an urban environment this ground is right next to the building and in close proximity to other electrical sources. Using a modern house’s grounding system exposes you directly via the earthing sheet to these electric fields, which may or may not be good. The best grounding is always done in direct contact with Earth free of manmade electromagnetic fields.

Using a grounding mat in a home or an office carries the same problems and is best avoided.

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Quick Start Grounding Guide:

1. Spend ample time outdoors in conductive contact with the ground, either barefoot, with Earth Runners sandals, or your own grounded footwear.

2. Meditate grounded, and enjoy how clear your mind is during meditation and afterwards.

3. Exercise grounded, either by swimming or by running/walking/exercising barefoot or with grounded footwear.

4. Work, study, and relax grounded by installing a grounding mat in your office, at your desk, or your favorite lounging spot.

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Get Ahead, Ground!

Depending on how nature oriented your lifestyle already is, the effectiveness of using grounding tools can vary. For those very disconnected from nature, incorporating earthing practices and tools into a daily routine can be transformative. For the tree huggers, the additional benefits of being grounded more often will be less obvious. The important thing with grounding and any wellness endeavor is to be consistent. If you forget to ground for a day or a week, don’t sweat it, simply pick up where you left off.

The wellness effects of grounding are not as quickly obvious as say with techniques like fasting or pain-relieving supplements like turmeric and curcumin since the beneficial health effects are much broader in scope. People more in-tune with their body will notice the effects of grounding very quickly, for others still developing electromagnetic awareness, it might take up to a month to really feel the effects of grounding and to understand how earthing is beneficially impacting them.

Use grounding to connect to your mind and body more than ever before.

Updated September 2021

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References:

1. Oschman JL, Chevalier G, Brown R. The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. J Inflamm Res. 2015;8:83-96.

2. National Science Foundation, Earth's Core Spins Faster than Earth, Research News

3. Louis Cagniard, Basic Theory of The Magnetotelluric Method of Geophysical Prospecting, SEG Library

4. Seeker Project 4 Spiritual Exploration (SP4SE), Tree Grounding Exercise — Connecting with Nature

5. Quora, What parts of the human body have the most nerve endings and why?, Meet Humunculus Man

6. ABC News, 13-Year Old Kid Survives Lightning Strike, says he feels “Like Superman” after CPR, 2008

7. Levin M. Bioelectric mechanisms in regeneration: Unique aspects and future perspectives. Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2009;20(5):543-56.

8. Wikipedia, Lithium-Ion Battery

9. Müller E, Pröller P, Ferreira-briza F, Aglas L, Stöggl T. Effectiveness of Grounded Sleeping on Recovery After Intensive Eccentric Muscle Loading. Front Physiol. 2019;10:35.

10. Scientific Reports, Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing, Nature

Yoga will transform your life

Article by Jason Brown - Updated November 2021. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

We all recognize that in order to condition our bodies and improve our fitness, we need to take up some sort of physical exercise. However, it is often missed that the same concept applies to our mind, and that in order to condition our thoughts, emotions, and internal experiences, we need to take up some form of inner exercise.

When I first heard of yoga, my initial impression was that it just involved middle-aged moms doing aerobics on a mat in an unnecessarily hot room. Luckily, my open-mindedness and curiosity prevailed, and I eventually discovered the many different dimensions of yoga.

On the surface, yoga may seem like an alternative version of exercising for people who prefer to stay out of the weight room, but upon closer examination, you might find that there’s more going on under the hood. While yoga certainly does provide a number of physical benefits including flexibility, core strength, and posture, keep reading to learn how yoga can transform your life beyond the physical benefits.

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Practice Mindfulness with Yoga

It is so easy to get distracted by the hundreds of stimuli that fight for our attention every single minute of the day. Whether it’s our thoughts or the physical things around us, these distractions can make it seem like your default state of mind is to bounce around from one thought to the next. It really takes a deliberate effort to be present with the moment and aware of what is right in front of us.

Most who first start practicing yoga will find themselves impatiently thinking of other things, such as wondering how much time is left until the end of the class. The more you practice, the more you learn to let go and not worry about the time, instead focusing on the movements. The reward is much greater. With the uniquely challenging activities found in yoga, to master and perfect the poses you will eventually be required to completely clear your mind. Once you start to practice losing yourself in the flow you will start to notice that you legitimately feel different when I walking out of each class.

With my personal yoga practice, I eventually realized that the potential to lose myself in the moment existed with every activity that I encountered in my day. This skill can be learned by anyone. Use yoga as a way to practice mindfulness and apply that to your daily routine in a way that resets and reorients your perspective.

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Relieve Stress with Yoga

His holiness the Dalai Lama

A mantra you might learn in your yoga practice is “let go of the things that no longer serve you.”

We hold onto so much weight, from our past experiences to little day to day stresses, and it doesn’t take a genius to realize that reliving or over-analyzing our grievances serves very little purpose.

Of course it's possible to learn from reflecting on our mistakes, but reflecting on a mistake 50 times does not teach you any lessons that can't be learned from reflecting on it once.

Yoga practice strengthens and develops the mind so it’s no longer a battle to calm your thoughts, allowing clarity of mind to develop. Just like a storm at sea, when the storm abates you can now see to the horizon.

“Let go of the things that no longer serve you”

By thinking, reciting, or chanting this phrase in or outside of your yoga or meditation practice, you can learn to actively let go of thoughts and outdated beliefs that add no value to your life. Release yourself from the bounds of your Not-Self. Once these steps are taken and mental solitude is established, be amazed by how much less stressed you are day to day.

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Learn Patience with Yoga

Ever been waiting in line and looked around to see that literally every other person in line has their head down looking at their phone? In truth, this probably occurs to you everyday! Generally speaking, most people lack the patience or ability to wait for something without distracting themselves with their phones. Yoga has the ability to teach patience, both with your mind and body. From the moment we wake up until the second we go to sleep, we are faced with thousands of opportunities to escape our own thoughts through technology, socializing, entertainment, or some form of consumption. Use the opportunity yoga provides to develop a new relationship with your thoughts so you can be both productive as well as mindful during the little down times of the day. You might find that those moments to yourself are sometimes the most enjoyable parts of your day.

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Develop Discipline with Yoga

Motivation and inspiration cannot solely be relied on to produce results in life. While it is certainly helpful to have ambition and drive, the main trait that you can rely on to make progress and achieve your goals is discipline. Inspiration and motivation are emotions. Emotions come and go, they are flux states that are dictated in large part by environmental factors.

Discipline on the other hand is a routine habit that you develop to work towards your vision no matter what mood, emotion, or feeling you’re currently experiencing. With discipline, you learn to experience emotion differently, let them wash over you and you recognize them, but stay distant and in control unless you decide to engage. Being emotional isn’t a problem, it is what makes us human, but emotions can also change your focus and disrupt your mindfulness.

If you have problems fostering discipline in your life, make a positive step forward by committing to something long term. Yoga is a great avenue for this, and over time you will learn that cultivated discipline throughout all aspects of your life can work miracles and enable you to achieve more than you ever thought before.

If you have trouble with discipline, start with your health. Wellness is a foundational element required to enjoy a blissful existence, and developing discipline by taking care of yourself and exercising your mind is a great place to start. Yoga is the scientific practice developed to cultivate this very thing.

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Enhance Focus with Yoga

Multitasking is something that has come to be celebrated as a strength and a sought after skill. What a lot of people fail to realize is that, as cool and useful as multitasking seems on the surface, the potential for productivity is far higher when we focus and concentrate our efforts on one task at a time, entering into a flow state.

Being in the flow is a mental state when everything seems to come intuitively and naturally, no matter how difficult the objective. The best athletes are celebrated for their ability to enter into flow states at those critical buzzer-beater moments.

The human brain is incapable of competently accomplishing two tasks simultaneously, and in order to be fully present and engaged in a conversation, we have to mindedly focus our efforts on the people we’re interacting with.

Learning how to focus will greatly benefit your life across the board, from work to social interactions. Without practice though it isn’t easy focusing on one thing. Being hyper focused can actually be very challenging if you don’t practice the skill, especially if you consider all the distractions of modern life.

Yoga is excellent for teaching focus as it challenges you to focus your attention on a single exercise, or breathing style, mantra, or awareness at a time. Yoga elevates your consciousness to new bounds, and the exercises in yoga often push you outside of your comfort zone to the point that you really have no choice but to cut the noise if you want to execute the pose properly.

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Ready? Take Your First Shavasana

Taking one yoga class is not going to immediately thrust you into spiritual enlightenment, but if you develop a deliberate and intentional practice, you will discover serious life benefits from yoga over time. You might even look back to that first class as the genesis moment that helped you create a new lifestyle, a new mindset, and…a new you.

A healthy mind has the potential to bring a little more calmness to your life and can do wonders for your relationships with other people. If you’re thinking about trying out a yoga class, most studios offer a 1 or 2-week free trial so you can get a sense first hand of what a yoga is like. There are so many different types of yoga so it can also be difficult to choose where to begin. For most beginners, a restorative flow is best.

Most practices include both physical and mental elements, but if you really want to hone in on the inner work and mindfulness part of yoga, I recommend seeking out a Kundalini Yoga class in your area as a good place to get started.

Incorporate Strength Training into a Running Routine

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Strength and power are not usually associated with running, yet, these physical qualities are fundamental to running performance and injury prevention. Strength exercises can vary largely in difficulty, technique and weight added. Resistance training has a wide range, from body weight exercises such as push-ups to barbell exercises such as the bench press, and even to exciting functional movements such as sandbag carries.

Wild Free Organic Running Series:

1. Beginners Running Guide - 3 Month Plan

2. Incorporate Strength Training into your Running Routine ✅

3. Preparing for your First 5K

4. Final Preparations and 5K Race Day

From running novice to experienced racer, you’ll learn running, strength training, and race tip from these articles written by Triathlete Sarah Alexander and Physician Carten Denne. For absolute beginners, start with the Beginners Running Guide and follow through the other articles as you prepare for your first 5k race!

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Why Add Strength Training to a Running Routine?

Strength and power are important to prevent injury and maximize performance for runners, and the answer lies in the physics of running. It revolves around something called “ground reaction forces”. To put it simply, these are the forces that the foot puts on the ground when landing. In return, the forces from the ground are returned to the foot. It has been shown that when the foot strikes the ground, up to 3 times body weight forces are exerted on the leg and foot hitting the ground (1)! Therefore, strong leg muscles are better able to withstand that amount of repetitive force making the runner less likely to get injured.  Also, the more force a runner can place on the ground, the faster they will run (2). So if that has you confused, don’t worry. After you perform the following exercises you will see first-hand how strength training can help.

It is recommended to do these exercises after a run or on a separate, non-running day. Incorporate them into your morning routine. Resistance training, although very beneficial, will tire the muscles used for running. Running with fatigued muscles can change ones running form and increase the risk of injury (3, 4). For advanced trainees, it is important to have a day or two dedicated to weight training per week. This can be after an easy jog instead of a run. A lifting session is not meant to be done on ones dedicated rest day.

Below is an example of what to add in after a run. Paired with a 5k running plan and proper diet and your results will be striking. Many of the basics (the push-up) are explained in a way to make them easier to perform and better understood how to progress. There are also new movements most runners have never performed before.

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Beginner Strength Training for Runners

Whether you are an elite marathoner or just got of the couch for the first time in 5 years, the following exercise are an essential starting point for your exploration into strength training.

2x a week perform the following circuit. Focus on proper form, consistent breathing, and don’t rush through the exercises.

• Squats 3 x 10-20

• Push-ups 3 x 0-20

• Lunges 3 x 10-20

Note - sets x reps (i.e. 3 x 10 is three sets of ten repetitions)

Exercise: Body Weight Squat

To perform this exercise for the first time it is often helpful to have a chair behind you as you sit back. The movement should mimic sitting into a chair, using your legs to control the motion on the way down. Once your behind touches the chair, stand back up using just the strength of your legs. Squats strengthen the large muscles in the legs that are responsible for generating power. Try starting with 3 sets of 20 repetitions with about 30 seconds rest between sets.

Exercise: The Push-Up

Don’t start thinking this deadly gym class favorite has come back to haunt your dreams. No need for struggling to hold a proper form or suffering with your knees on the hard ground. We are going to make it easier and hopefully more fun by using the negative push-up. First, start at the top of the position and lower slowly to the ground. Then to get back to the starting position, role up using your legs and abs. The purpose of negative push-ups is to maintain the form while on the eccentric (downwards) part of the movement. You will be able to take on regular push-ups after being able to do several of these. Begin with 2 sets of as many repetitions until fatigue, and as you build strength in your arms, shoulders, and chest, you can add more sets and reps.

Exercise: Lunges

Along with the squat, this leg exercise is great for runners. It will build power in the legs and can be altered to make it more difficult as you progress. The movement of the lunge is done by stepping out with one leg and letting the other knee gently move toward the ground. The “stepped out” foot is then brought back to place the feet together. When done properly this movement should not put stress on the knees or ankles. When you can do 20-30 consecutive lunges, then a jumping lunge can be integrated into the routine. Adding a jump in the movement will further develop the explosive leg muscles used in running.

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Intermediate Strength Training for Runners

Once you have mastered the basics for your chest and legs, the following exercises will further challenge your strength and power systems, especially those of the back and core, pushing your running PR’s lower.

Combined with the above beginner routine, 1x a week perform the following circuit. Focus on stability through the midsection throughout all the movements.

• Australian Pull-Ups 3 x 10-20

• Hollow Body Holds 3 x 10-30 secs

• Burpees 3 x 10-50

Exercise: Pull-ups/Australian Pull-up

Another body weight classic is the pull-up. No need to fear if you are not quite ready for a full on pull-up. There are many other variations that work the same muscles and movement patterns. In order to bust out perfect chest to bar reps, your whole upper body must be able to generate coordinated force. Progressing through exercises ensures this is an easily accomplished goal, only requiring hard work and commitment.

The Australian Pull-Up can be used if you are new to upper body pulling movements such as the pull-up but you are not strong enough to do a pull-up. After progressing to 10-15 repetitions continuously with good form, your arms will be ready for any hill out there!

Exercise: Hollow Body Hold

Gymnasts and divers are very familiar with the pleasant burn from this abdominal strengthening movement the Hollow Body Hold. This involves lying on your back with the hands and feet off the ground about 8-12 inches. Not to bad right? Just wait. To make it harder, contract and stabilize your core, starting to rock back and forth like a see-saw on your whole back without bending in the waist or letting the feet/hand touch the ground. This movement takes time to learn but the effort is worth the results, namely a stronger, more defined midsection!

Exercise: Burpees

Simple yet effective, burpees can be done anywhere or everywhere. Start in the push-up position and lower to the ground. Push to the starting position, and then jump the feet to the hands in one fluent motion. Now stand up and finish but jumping in the air with the hands over the head. After landing, place the hands on the floor and step the legs back. Now repeat that!

Not only can these be used to improve fitness but also to measure it. For women, doing 40-50 in a 3 minute period indicates that you are fitter than average (5). This movement may involve a small learning curve, but there are many ways to make this movement easier and manageable for just about anyone.

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Advanced Strength Training for Runners

Kettlebell training and running go hand in hand!

Once you’ve progressed through the basic and intermediate routines, you can start to experiment with more complex strength training movements.

Do not rush learning and mastering the basics! Basic strength exercises can be scaled and modified for a long time, really it is a life long learning process.

Combine the below routine with the beginner routine (1x a week) and the intermediate routine (1x a week). Perform the following exercises to completion one after the other, focusing on building full body power and explosiveness.

• Power Cleans 3 x 5

• Head Bangers 3 x 8

• Single Arm Dumbbell Snatch 3x15

Exercise: Power Cleans

Rarely are runners ever introduced the explosive, whole body movement known as the Power Clean. As far as strength, power, and muscle development goes, power cleans checks all the boxes. Like most barbell lifts it is best to learn the movement from an experienced lifter. Hire a coach so you can learn how to perform the movement correctly, effectively, and safely. It is recommended to start very light, starting with 3 sets of 5 reps. The time invested into this movement will pay dividends on the race course. Especially for a strong finish. 

Exercise: Head Bangers

Head Bangers are a modification of the infamous pull-up. Start with pulling up on a bar to place your chin over it. Then push your body away from the bar as far as possible followed by quickly pulling yourself back to the bar. This should all be done without letting your chin fall below the bar. 

There are many variations to this motion including changing the grip on the bar or leg position. When first starting this movement, aim for 3 sets of 8, and following the principle of progressive overload, add a few more reps each week.

Exercise: Single Arm Dumbbell Snatch

Coordination, speed, and strength are what you will develop with the Single Arm Dumbbell Snatch, and it’s imperative you perform this movement safely. Single arm dumbbell snatch 

This lift can be done with lighter weights at first and increased after gaining experience and proper patterning.

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Become a Multi-Disciplinary Athlete

Whether you’re new to running or an advanced trainee, you’ll benefit from incorporating proper resistance training into your wellness routine.

Strength Training builds muscle, burns body fat, ramps up your metabolism, and strengthens your skeleton, tendons/ligaments, and fascia.

Strength training the right amount will make you a better runner, and a healthier person.

Wild Free Organic recommends Vivobarefoot footwear - modern footwear made with natural human physiology, minimalism, and eco-conscious in mind. Vivobarefoot has zero-drop, wide toe-box shoes that can be used from the office to the gym to the tundra, and everything in-between.

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References:

1. Cavanagh, P. R. & Lafortune, M. A. Ground reaction forces in distance running. J. Biomech. 13, 397–406 (1980).

2. Nagahara, R., Mizutani, M., Matsuo, A., Kanehisa, H. & Fukunaga, T. Association of Sprint Performance With Ground Reaction Forces During Acceleration and Maximal Speed Phases in a Single Sprint. J. Appl. Biomech. 34, 104–110 (2019).

3. Gerlach, K. E. et al. Kinetic changes with fatigue and relationship to injury in female runners. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 37, 657–663 (2005).

4. Christina, K. A., White, S. C. & Gilchrist, L. A. Effect of localized muscle fatigue on vertical ground reaction forces and ankle joint motion during running. Hum. Mov. Sci. 20, 257–276 (2001).

5. BMI, Endurance-strength Abilities, Female Students, Health-related Fitness. Int. J. Sports Sci. 9 (2013).

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Carter Denne

Carter Denne is a physician with a Masters Degree in health science. With a strong background in athletics and sports science, Carter applies his health and wellness knowledge in his career and through educating others.

You can follow and connect with Carter through his Instagram @carterdenne.

Preparing for your First 5k

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I’ll never forget my first running race.

Lining up at the start line, I was admittedly under-prepared, had no idea what to expect, and could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. Of course, once the gun went off, it continued to beat out of my chest for the 3.1 miles that followed—but for a different reason! The exhilaration that came from confidently completing an event that previously scared me was a formative experience, and the strength of spirit running has given me has certainly made me a better person and athlete.

As fantastic as my first running race was, it would have been much more enjoyable with proper guidance and knowledge leading up to the event. With that in mind, in this post, we lay out the top reasons to sign up for a 5k race as well as the essentials of preparation so you are ready to put your best foot forward on race day!

- Sarah

Wild Free Organic Running Series:

1. Beginners Running Guide - 3 Month Plan

2. Incorporate Strength Training into your Running Routine

3. Preparing for your First 5K ✅

4. Final Preparations and 5K Race Day

From running novice to experienced racer, you’ll learn running, strength training, and race tip from these articles written by Triathlete Sarah Alexander and Physician Carten Denne. For absolute beginners, start with the Beginners Running Guide and follow through the other articles as you prepare for your first 5k race!

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Why Sign up for a 5k Race?

If you’ve been wanting to be more active and are looking for a goal to motivate you to get started, a 5k running race is a great event to consider. It’s challenging, but relatively short at 3.1 miles, increases your fitness across multiple disciplines such as cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility, and it’s fun! Of course, it can be nerve-wrecking to sign up for an athletic competition, especially if you’re worried that you will be “too slow to run a race” or that you might come in last, but there is little to feat. Fitness is a personal journey, and any progress forward is to be celebrated. Five kilometers—or 3.1 miles—is an excellent distance to start with, because it’s achievable for first-time and seasoned runners alike. Humans are natural born runners, and the joy of running races is that most competitors, regardless of their speed, are out there for the same reason: working towards a goal and striving to be a little better than they were yesterday!

Signing up for a 5k can be the perfect way to set new fitness goals. The difference between exercising in general and training for an event is that with training every workout becomes purposeful. Most find training more motivating, more enjoyable, and results in better progress, as you’re less likely to skip a session with a target ahead of you. Beyond fitness, facing a fear or challenge like a running race can provide confidence that extends to many facets of life beyond running. Crossing the finish line of your first race will be something you will always remember. On top of that, preparing for and racing in a 5k can be a fabulous way to connect with a new community of positive, motivated people working towards a similar goal. And many races benefit local or national charities, making participation in one a great way to give back.

Depending on your current level of fitness, it’s good to give yourself six to eight weeks to prepare for an event. There are many great resources to find an event near you at the right time, I recommend:

• Race-Find

• Active’s Race Directory

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Gear Up

Proper gear is essential for injury prevention, faster progress, and it can also be motivating!

One of the joys of running as compared to other sports is that it doesn’t require much gear to get started: all you need is a properly fitted pair of shoes, a suitable sports bra (for women) and comfortable sportswear that allows you to move and makes you feel good. It’s also helpful, but not absolutely necessary, to invest in a sports watch. Make sure you do take the time to visit a local running store to know that you are in the right set of shoes for your feet. Particularly if you’re looking to shed a few pounds, the extra weight and pressure on your joints can make you vulnerable to injuries, so it’s critical to be in shoes that provide the right support based on your running gait, foot, and body type.

Regardless of weight, some might need shoes with extra cushioning, while others may need extra arch support. Taking the time to find a shoe that feels comfortable and provides appropriate foot support will save you time and agony down the line.

Note - If you are overweight or obese, please start slowly with running, and focus on a healthy diet/lifestyle for weight loss! What’s it worth getting into shape if you hurt yourself in the process. Take the time to do it safely and correctly.

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The Biggest Changes Start with the Smallest of Steps

You have registered for your goal race and have all the right apparel for training. You’re next step? Get training!

While it is great to leverage the motivation that comes from a new goal, trying to do too much too soon can lead to injury and burnout. With running, consistency and frequency are the keys to progression, whether you’re a beginner or have been racing for years. So consider selecting and following a training plan to prepare for your goal race.

There are many great training programs available online to get you started. When selecting a plan, it is understandable to try to take on a routine that you want to be able to handle. But one lesson life will teach you is that you have to start from where you are, rather than where you want to be. The key is selecting one that fits your schedule and current ability, so you will stick to it.

If you’ve been inactive for a few months or longer, begin by walking on the treadmill, road, or trails to get your body used to activity. Give yourself a manageable progression of walk time before switching to a run-walk strategy like this six-week beginner 5k training plan, which includes three runs per week. Eventually, you will build up to being able to run your workouts straight through and start increasing weekly volume! If you’re already there, consider a program like this intermediate 5k training schedule, which includes an additional run every week as well as an optional cross-training day to continue building your fitness while mixing it up and avoiding the impact of running.

As you get into training, it’s not uncommon for the little voice in your head to tell you from time to time all the reasons why you will fail or should skip a day. Adopt a positive mantra that will help re-focus you; it can be as simple as “no excuses” or “I can do it!” I think about how I want to feel on the start line, knowing that I did everything I could to run my best race. “Your race is in your hands” is all it takes to get me out the door!

That said, life happens. If you only have time to run for half the time scheduled, do that half! If you have to miss a session, don’t try to scramble things around. Just pick back up with your schedule and re-commit to executing each future session. If you are not able to keep up with the program, repeat the earlier, easier sessions and gradually increase the time on your feet, or consider adopting a lower level plan so that you can consistently complete each session.

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Prioritize Proper Running Form to Build a Strong Foundation

As you embark on your run training program, remember that running is about more than just going from point A to B. Practicing proper running form will help you progress more quickly and, ultimately, perform better.

One key component of run form is posture. For running, good posture means the following:

• Running with your head tall (like there is a string pulling you up from the back of your head)

• Shoulders level but relaxed

• Back long, not hunched forward, will help you breath and move better

• Your arms should swing naturally back and forth, driving with your elbows (think about trying to shine a light out behind you from your elbows)

• Keep your hands relaxed

Everyone will have different cues that help them: some need to think about keeping their shoulders back and relaxed, while others need to be mindful of rounding their shoulders too far forward; some need to remember to maintain forward lean, while others may lean too far forward from their waist and need to think about standing taller. Running with others or getting a friend to video you running can be a great way to gather feedback and make the adjustments important for you!

The other major aspect of run form is foot strike, which is the way that your foot hits the pavement. Some people land on their heel (“heel-strikers”), others on the middle of their feet (“midfoot-strikers”), and still others on their toes or forefoot (“forefoot-strikers”), and there isn’t necessarily a “correct” or “incorrect” foot strike.

However, landing on your toes, while great in a sprint finish, can be fatiguing and make your calves tight over time; and heel-striking can indicate that you are over-striding (taking steps longer than they need to be), which wastes energy and can lead to injury.

While foot strike is individual, most experts agree that you should aim to land with your foot directly underneath you and roll through the forefoot as you toe off the ground with as short as possible ground contact time. This would be classified as a mid-foot running gait.

Running this way will provide better efficiency, meaning that you can run the same speed with less effort, and help you avoid unwanted injuries. As with posture, video can be a helpful tool to determine your foot strike. You can also look at your running shoes for hints about where you are striking the ground based on wear patterns.

Wild Free Organic recommends Vivobarefoot footwear - modern footwear made with natural human physiology, minimalism, and eco-conscious in mind. Vivobarefoot has zero-drop, wide toe-box shoes that can be used from the office to the gym to the tundra, and everything in-between.

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Fuel Up - Proper Nutrition for Proper Results

Running can be a great way to shed unwanted weight. In fact, few other activities burn more calories per minute than running! But achieving your weight loss or fitness goal requires proper nutrition, fueling your body with high quality foods day-in and day-out. This means not over-eating—just because you’ve increased your activity, doesn’t mean it’s time to go crazy with the carbs! At the same time, it also means not skipping meals or forgetting to eat/drink enough to exercise at your best. Skipping meals can actually lead to weight gain due to behavioral factors and will detract from your performance in your next workout. Be mindful of your diet and pay attention to how eating well improves your performance. Foods like pasture raised eggs that blend healthy fats with protein will also help you sustain your performance over time. After your runs have some dairy or plant protein to aid in recovery and strengthen your muscles.

In conjunction with your training, considering eating smaller, more frequent meals that are well-balanced, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats. While everyone is different, typically a good starting point for most people is to eat 50-60% or your calories from complex, unprocessed carbohydrates, 20-25% from protein, and 20-25% from healthy fats while limiting processed food and added sugars (sugar from fruits and veggies is okay!).

Just like your run training, your dietary changes must start with where you are. Instead of making drastic changes than can result in more frequent “cheat days” or “cheat meals,” create an eating schedule that you can consistently maintain. Keeping a log of what you consume and how many calories you are burning each day can give you a better perspective of your energy intake and expenditure. MyFitnessPal is one of the many great online tools to help you do this. Runners come in all shapes and sizes, but as you develop lean muscle mass and eliminate extra pounds, you’ll find that you are able to run faster and further with less effort. And these athletic benefits will translate over to all other parts of your life! Sounds pretty great huh?

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What’s Stopping You?

Whether you are signing up for your first 5k in an effort to lose weight and get active or you are trying to reach a new level of performance, there will always be naysayers. Rather than worrying about what others think or say, focus on the process you’ve set in place and remind yourself of how hard you’re working. They are likely jealous or insecure and are missing out on all the mental and physical benefits of running that you are reaping. Simply by putting yourself out there and committing to the process of preparing for that 5k race, you are an inspiration and are on the way to discovering a better you! So what are you waiting for? Let’s get running!

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Sarah Alexander

Since graduating from Chicago Booth with her MBA in 2015, Sarah has competed for the U.S.A. as a professional triathlete. In the process, she has become an expert in fitness and nutrition. She is passionate about helping others achieve their goals and is motivated by the perpetual challenge of defying boundaries to discover her best in athletic and professional pursuits alike.

To learn more about Sarah Alexander visit her website or follow her on Instagram @sarah_alxndr.

Five Wellness Habits to Follow

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated November 2021. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Depending on your current lifestyle, life can move fast, with responsibilities and stress pilling up. When this happens, unhealthy habits are created and used as coping mechanisms which only serve to make things worse. Once habits are formed, it can be hard to get out of those unhealthy routines. Humans are creatures of habit - and that isn't necessarily a bad thing! If mindfulness throughout the creation of a new habit, we can let our unconscious actions better serve our health and wellness.

To make sure that the changes you want to make become healthy habits that don’t cut into your free time or morph into an added stress, start with the basics. The goal is to make life less stressful, and to aid you in the journey here are five easy-to-follow habits to speed your growth into a healthier you!

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Drink More Water

Everyone knows the importance of drinking water for optimal health, but 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Dehydration causes fatigue, lead to heat exhaustion, or even cause death in extreme cases. When you keep your body in a state of chronic dehydration, all the major systems of the body are stressed to critical levels. If you were hoping to find a magic wellness potion that will change your life forever, water is the closest thing you've got! Below is a small slice of how water intake impacts your health:

• Drinking enough water improves mood, aids concentration, and promotes a clarity of mind.

• The detoxification system of the body, led by the kidneys and liver, uses water to filter and flush out toxins through sweat, urine, and feces.

• Water is absolutely vital for skin health, and remember the skin is the largest organ of the body!

• Water aids in digestion, improving and stabilizing intestinal motility.

• Adequate water intake can balance blood pressure to healthy levels by lowering or raising it.

“Water is the foundation of all life as we know it”

If you’ve never made a habit to drink pure water consistently and in adequate volume, then you’ve been missing out of a whole new level of health and wellness. To remedy that, make it a habit to drink water at certain times of day. For instance, have 16 - 32 oz of filtered water everyday right when you wake up. Pairing water intake to events like waking up, finishing work, or before a meal is a good way to ensure you drink the recommended 1 gallon (4 liters) of water per day. There are many ways to make sure you're staying hydrated throughout the day, brainstorm what works for your current lifestyle, so even if you're busy, you’re well hydrated and your fluid intake isn’t a stress factor.

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Incorporate Movement into your Life

If you don't have time everyday to exercise or go for a long walk, that doesn't mean you can't move! By squeezing in some movement in-between your regular activities, you can improve your energy levels while laying the foundation for a more structured exercise routine.

If you already work, small bouts of movement done consistently throughout your day will accelerate your fitness goals.

Burn some calories, make small health improvements, and all without a trip to the gym. That’s a win-win and a textbook example of a healthy habit.

To start incorporating more movement into your everyday life, choose exercises you can do quickly and without any equipment. Connect those simple exercises to activities you do often, and eventually that daily task acts as a movement trigger, becoming a habit.

Movement Habits to Follow

• Before or after you use the restroom, do 15 squats.

• If you're reading a long email or article, hold your arms up high above your head as you're reading and stretch a bit. Don’t be surprised by how quickly your shoulders start to work!

• If you watch TV, use the natural breaks to exercise! If you're watching cable, perform sit-ups during the commercial breaks. If you're watching a streaming service like Netflix, do a 1-minute plank or push-ups a couple short of failure in-between episodes.

• While heating up food, do some stretching! Quad and hamstring stretches are particularly accessible and can be done anywhere.

• Perform a wall sit while brushing your teeth! The guideline for oral health is to brush your teeth for 2 minutes; work your way towards holding the wall sit for the entire duration.

• If you're walking up stairs, do 15 calf raises from a step when you get to the top of the flight. The step lets you get a full range of motion, and really gets the calves burning. Practice your balance on the bottom step.

For a more structured exercise routine calisthenics is highly recommended as zero equipment is required, and calisthenics can be performed by all ages. Calisthenics is easy to scale to the individual; if you don’t know how to start, follow a simple calisthenics routine.

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Plan Your Meals

Meal-prepping is a game changer, not only for your finances, but also for your diet and time management.

If you have a hectic schedule, once or twice a week, plan out your lunch and dinners for that period of time. Knowing exactly what to shop for while you're at the grocery store keeps your trips short and effective, and keeps you from wasting money on impulse food purchases, which might be more unhealthy or go unused. Cooking ahead of time and having a prepared lunch means you'll consistently be eating healthier, nor will you misuse money or time ordering out. Planning ahead on what to eat for dinner saves you time, money, and increases your schedule flexibility. If a time crunch arises, a healthy meal has been prepared and is ready to go.

For some, meal prepping is the end destination. Personally I like cooking my meals fresh everyday, but meal prepping was certainly a very valuable step on the way towards fully intuitive healthy eating. make sure when meal prepping that you store your food in glass containers to avoid exposing yourself to endocrine disruptors like phthalates, BPA/BPS/BPF.

Eat More Vegetables

As you're preparing your meals, make it a habit to include a serving or two of vegetables with every container. You've already made the decision to eat healthier, and eating more vegetables is universally recognized as one of the best ways to accomplish that goal. 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day should be your target, and it's easy to accomplish that since if meals are pre-made and ready to go. As an added benefit, changing the vegetable side dish to a meal helps keep every lunch and dinner interesting, so you can prepare your carbs and protein in bulk and then add fresh vegetables with every meal. To prepare veggies fresh really quickly and healthily, use an air fryer. Lightly cooking broccoli, cauliflower, or squash in an airfryer only takes 5-10 minutes and doesn’t require the use of any oils.

Pack Healthy Snacks

It's okay to get hungry between meals, and if energy levels hit a slump, having a healthy snack on hand can support your health and wellness goals by keeping you aware from tempting junk food. Fruits like an orange or apple contain satiating fiber, or a granola mix with nuts and seeds can help improve your fat metabolism.

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Practice Mindfulness

Taking a few moments for yourself every day, breathing, and practicing mindfulness is a great way to reduce stress, prevent burnout, and lead to a healthier happier life.

When and how you want to use your time is up to you, but make a habit of spending some me time to yourself at least once a day. Spending time in nature and grounding is of the best things you can do everyday for your mental health, and can reduce feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and depression.

In the morning, this "Me time" could be taking a few extra moments after waking up to stretch, do your daily hygiene, and prepare a delicious breakfast. At work, it could mean pausing from an assignment to step outside and take ten deep breaths of fresh air. Later in the evening a walk of any length clears and calms the mind while also incorporating more movement into your daily routine.

All these recommendations seem like common sense, but when caught in the rat race it takes a conscientious effort to make time for yourself and make wellness a priority in your life. Once mindfulness habits are set, you’ll be amazed by how much less stress you have in your life, how much calmer you are, and how much more focused and productive you’ve become!

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Sleep a Full Eight Hours

When responsibilities pile up and there is so much to do, it's convenient to think that getting a couple hours less sleep per night will be OKAY. well, It isn't. The eight hours of rest you should be getting every night is the time when the mind and body heal and restore.

““Our bodies used long periods of sleep to restore and rejuvenate, to repair tissues, grow muscle, prune synapses, and synthesize hormones.””

Sleep is when the brain takes the information from the previous day, parses it, and turns it into long term memories. It may seem like staying up to finish work is the better option, but 9 times out of 10 you're better off getting a good night's rest and coming back to finish your work in the morning. Quality sleep is crucial to productivity and overall happiness.

If you have trouble establishing a set bedtime, set an alarm an hour before your desired bedtime and begin your bedtime routine. Turn down the lights, place your phone on the charger, brush your teeth, and do all the things you want to do in order to wake up the next morning bright and alert. Be conscientious of your circadian rhythm and let the cycle of the sun guide your morning, afternoon, and evening activities. Plan your bedtime slightly earlier than the eight hours of sleep you need, that way in case it takes a while to fall asleep, you still get eight quality hours of sleep per night.

Improving your sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health and wellness, and it’s really quite easy with the creation of some habits and a little discipline.

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Five Habits to Healthy

There you have it, five wellness strategies to help you live a happier, healthier, and more appreciative life. Be patient during the process and start by adding one new habit at a time, and as one becomes a permanent habit, add another in. There is no first place winner as it relates to your wellness journey, everyone’s life if unique and takes a different path. The best way to see long term success is with small consistent steps forward which result in accelerating forward progress.

Cannabis Yoga

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated March 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Pairing the consumption of cannabis and movement together has been practiced for thousands of years. Movement and cannabis are synergistic to each other, and together can create a powerful experience which draws awareness to the present moment and elevates consciousness.

What makes yoga and cannabis such a powerful experience physically, emotionally, and spiritually, is the endocannabinoid system. Running parallel to your nerves, sending signals from the body back to the brain, the opposite of normal. Both yoga and cannabis activate the endocannabinoid system, creating transformative experiences when used together.

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What is Yoga?

It's hard to describe yoga. In the western world, yoga is mostly thought of as a fitness modality, and treated as such.

Yoga is more than just a type of fitness, it is an eight limb path developed to be a guide for how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. Yoga will transform your life. Yoga is challenging yet easy, peaceful but also uncomfortable. The practice of yoga calms the mind but also poses challenging spiritual questions. Yoga is the ultimate tool for inward reflection and self-realization. Think of yoga as the equivalent of a cat discovering it is the cat on the other side of the mirror.

In terms of the physical, yoga is the best way I’ve learned to communicate with my body.

Yoga enables you to feel more than just musculature but also my connective tissues, fascia, joints, ligaments, and the skeletal system. Due to the way the brain and nervous system works, it is inherently difficult to feel and communicate with these deeper levels of your body because it can be dangerous. The improper application of stress on small areas can cause damage, and for this reason the connection between body and mind is initially dulled as a preventive safety measure.

Through the interactions of the endocannabinoid system, both yoga and cannabis increase the ability for the mind to connect with smaller and smaller sections of the body, and the practice of yoga is a way to responsibly learn these new feeling connections.

To understand how this works you must first learn and understand the endocannabinoid system.

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Connect to your Body with Cannabinoids

The endocannabinoid system is a biological system composed of cannabinoid receptors that runs parallel to the central and peripheral nervous system. Endocannabinoids are lipid-based retrograde neurotransmitters produced by the body which bind to cannabinoid receptors.

Fury Edge vaporizer by Healthy Rips. Vaporization of cannabis flower or consumption are the healthiest ways to consume cannabis.

The endocannabinoid system helps the body connect to the brain (1). This natural cannabinoid system is activated when cannabinoids are created or consumed, sending retrograde signals back to the brain along the nervous system using cannabinoid receptors (2).

To the uninitiated, this is very powerful because typically it is the brain which is sending out signals to the body to control bodily functions, motor patterns and more. Retrograde signaling provides feedback and enhanced connectivity from the body to the brain.

How you consume cannabis, and the quality of the flower used are very important for ensuring you create an experience which elevates your consciousness, and not intoxicates it.

Breathing exercises stimulate the endocannabinoid system, as does the consumption of cannabis. The practice of yoga is very breath focused, so when breath work and exogenous cannabis are combined together into one experience, the endocannabinoid system is highly stimulated, pushing tons of feedback from the central and peripheral nervous system to the brain.

Because the endocannabinoid system is closed related to breathing, it is involved in the many functions throughout the body. These include:

• Motor learning

• Appetite

• Pain-sensation

• Mood

• Memory

• Cognition, cognitive development

• Fertility

• Physical performance

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My Cannabis Yoga Experience

When I first tried yoga in the past sober, it was fun, but not a revolutionary experience. I definitely was not convinced of the benefits of yoga. It struck me as being a subpar workout.

Back then, my head was a storm, pulling my attention away from what is really important in yoga, which is syncing the breath to the flow of the body; clearing the mind, and being present. With more classes eventually I would have made the connection, but I didn’t take more classes because at the time the experience wasn’t anything special.

Cannabis yoga is best practiced with a trained professional

A couple years later at the invitation of a friend, I participated in a cannabis yoga class. I was newly experimenting with cannabis, so I found the concept interesting and thought why not.

After vaporizing a small bowl of cannabis sativa, we started the Yin Yoga class, and immediately I began making the connections between movement, breath, and the benefit of calming the mind. That first cannabis Yin Yoga class was an evolutionary experience, and really was the catalyst for my journey of spiritual development.

Now that I have had the initial “wow” experience, I don’t need cannabis in order to enjoy the incredible benefits of yoga. At the time though, cannabis helped me to cut down on the high frequency noise constantly humming through my head, enabling me to focus and experience a clarity of mind unlike ever before.

My first cannabis yoga class was an incredibly enlightening experience. Cannabis elevates consciousness, and the clarity of mind and connection to body that I experience every time I practice cannabis yoga helps to ground me in the present moment, relieve stress, wipe clean my anxiety, and fosters a deep sense of peace.

Due to the retrograde nervous system actions of yoga and cannabis, and the mental and physical awareness that brings, cannabis yoga can be a tremendously powerful experience for many people, and something few people in western society have experienced. Our modern world is endlessly distracting and creates a barrier between behavioral consciousness and elevated consciousness, and cannabis yoga under the guidance of a professional yogi can shift your consciousness out of a distracted information-rich environment.

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Experience Yourself

If you wish to experience cannabis yoga yourself, follow the guide below:

1. Create your environment: Find a quiet secluded place free of distractions. Silence or turn off your electronics. Set aside one hour for yourself to intuitively feel and discover your body as never experienced before. A yoga music playlist, quiet in the background and without ads, can help create the mood for self exploration. Otherwise the sounds of your environment are also ripe for conscious exploration.

2. Consume some cannabis: If using a mild edible, consume it 1 hour before the cannabis yoga session. If inhaling cannabis, do that a few minutes before, breathing deeply to ensure zero irritation to the lungs. Use a 50/50 mix of THC dominant cannabis flower and CBD dominant cannabis flower for a more well-rounded, paranoia free experience

3. Begin by Breathing: sitting cross-legged or in lotus posture, spine upright and head forward, begin taking slow deep breaths and find your natural rhythm. Expect your breath to change throughout the course of this yoga session, follow your instincts and don’t overthink.

4. Begin Moving: self expression through movement. Start with small movements. You can begin with your head, circling it and looking side to side to release built-up tension. Explore your shoulders, shrug them up and down, roll them, forward and back. Twist, bend, splay open! No matter your shape or body type, let go of your preconceptions and you’ll be amazed as your body begins move where it needs and wants too. Like a leaf floating down a river, follow the current and enter into a flow state of pure intuition and expression.

5. Meditate: when movement comes to an end, either because you’re tired or because it is time to recover, resume your starting seated posture or enter shavasana and return to slow deep breaths. Movement can be incredibly healing because it breaks up stiff tissues and improves circulation throughout the body. This can create a cellular mess that needs to be cleaned up by the immune system, kidneys, and liver. Practicing meditation for 10 - 20 minutes at the end of cannabis yoga starts the recovery process, lets you enjoy the bliss of the moment, and gives you time to understand the experience you went through.

If you want a more structured movement plan, then follow the simple beginners flow below:

• Lotus Pose - Starting position

• Table Pose - Engage your body

• Cat Cow Pose - Loosen up the back

• Child’s Pose - Open the Hips

• Pigeon Pose - Feel Your Legs

• Rabbit Pose - Contract Your Spine

• Cobra Pose - Stretch Your Spine

Please share your cannabis yoga experience, or any you have had before in the comments below.

Updated October 2020

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References:

1. Pacher P, Bátkai S, Kunos G. The endocannabinoid system as an emerging target of pharmacotherapy. Pharmacol Rev. 2006;58(3):389-462.

2. Russo S, De Azevedo WF. Advances in the understanding of the cannabinoid receptor 1 - focusing on the inverse agonists interactions. Curr Med Chem. 2019;26(10):1908-1919.

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Stefan Burns

“My wellness journey has evolved many times, and throughout this process there have been constants I’ve deeply realized. These truths form the foundation of a healthy and balanced lifestyle which anyone can build on. It’s through Wild Free Organic that myself and others share the wellness practices we’ve learned through our experience and backed up by science. Thank you for being here, and bless you.”

🙏 Namaste

Use Fasting to Reset the Digestive System

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated November 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter! Stefan Burns YouTube.

Fasting for an extended length of time can quickly heal the gut, balance the microbiome, and improve digestion, and as a result fasting can be used to help overcome many health problems such as obesity, inflammatory diseases and conditions, a malfunctioning metabolism, and poor sleep.

Abstaining from food for a significant period of time heals the lining of the digestive system, reduces stress on the immune system, and resets the microbiome by increasing symbiotic microorganism diversity while simultaneously eliminating sugar-loving and disease-causing pathogens through nutrient starvation.

Performing a 1 to 2 day fast after consuming a nutrient dense and fiber-rich meal is a powerful method of healing not only the digestive system but can be used to correct many common health and wellness ailments.

When the digestive system is functioning properly and the microbiome living within is healthy the metabolism is increased and stabilized which provides abundant consistent energy, sleep is deep and restful, bathroom visits are dependable, skin clears up, and a thin waist line becomes possible. Through it’s selective evolutionary pressures on the microbiome (one of the main production centers of neurotransmitters in the body) fasting also has the capability of improving mental health. A healthy gut produces the neurotransmitters we need for proper cognitive function at the right ratios required for optimal wellness. Fasting therefore can be used to help with depression, anxiety, and even neurodegenerative mental disorders.

In this article we discuss the following:

1. How to improve gut health with fasting and 48-hour fasting

2. What microorganisms inhabit the gut and characteristics of an unhealthy microbiome

3. Tissues of the digestive system

4. How drinking herbal teas while fasting helps

5. A 48-hour fast action plan

6. Practicing gut health mindfulness

With proper planning and the right structure, a 48-hour fast is a short enough time period to be accomplished without great stress and is a great way to experience all the amazing benefits of fasting for yourself.

If you’re completely new to fasting, I recommend you read this article and my article titled Fasting for Beginners. After reading both you’ll have a good handle on what fasting is, how it is beneficial to health, and how to perform it safely. In addition to these resources, Chapter 8 of the Holistic Gut Health Guide is entirely devoted to fasting and how it can be used to improve gut health.

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Ready to Heal Your Gut?

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Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.

The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

Purchase

Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

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Improve Gut Health with Fasting

Restoring the digestive system back to a state of normal functioning will liberate you of digestive woes everyone has experienced at some point, which include brutal stomach aches, intense bloating, waves of nausea, or even running-to-the-bathroom trips. Poor gut health places a huge energy drain not only on health but on life as a whole as it’s hard to deal with anything else when dealing with a gut flareup.

From my personal experience in healing my gut, I have found fasting to be an absolute gamechanger and the quickest way to heal an ailing digestive system. Once all the organs of the digestive system are healed and functioning normally, fasting does not need to be done as frequently.

Healing my gut was a ten year health journey that led me to research the cutting edge of metabolic and microbiome science as well as study the ancient wisdom of herbalism. Tempered with ample personal experience, I discovered that most people need to reexamine their relationship with food, not only what they eat, but when and how often they eat. The body has two metabolic operating systems which are vastly different in how they function; eating places you into an anabolic state of growth and inflammation, whereas fasting places you into a catabolic state or repair and healing. Both are useful and necessary states of the body but they must stay in balance to one another.

Changing the food you eat doesn’t matter much if fundamentally the reason why you’re experiencing any number of health problems is because the body needs to go catabolic in order to heal and repair at a cellular level. Until then, staying anabolic will only exacerbate any health issues that exist. Only by going catabolic and by spending sufficient sufficient time catabolic in the protective state of cellular cleanup and repair known as autophagy will certain health issues resolve and then a more normal eating schedule can be resumed.

Making the changes necessary to incorporate fasting into your everyday life is far less risky than doing nothing at all. Never letting anabolism and catabolism enter into unbalanced territory is the real key to staying healthy and fit over the long term, and I’ve developed a simple dietary framework known as the FoodFast Method to make living this balanced lifestyle easy. The FoodFast Method teaches you when it’s best to eat and when it’s best not to eat, and it also offers guidance on what foods are best in terms of nutrition, gut health, and the microbiome.

The 48 Hour Fast

The first reaction many people have to the suggestion of a two day fast is “You’re telling me I can’t eat for 48 hours? I won’t do that, it’s crazy!”

In western culture fasting is rarely done, and going without food for more than a few hours is uncommon. If unaccustomed to fasting, long lengths of time away from food leave most with stomach convulsions, intense hunger, and maybe a side dish of hangry.

It’s best to ease into new health modalities. whether it be fasting, keto, vegetarian, etc. Going all in often leads to going all out shortly later, so my advice is if you’re completely new to fasting, then completing 2-3 introductory 24-hour fasts is recommended over starting right off with a 48-hour fast. A 24-hour fast is logistically and psychologically much easier to complete successfully, will help reset and heal the gut noticeably, and will provide you valuable experience on how to identify and control food cravings. Now that my gut is healthy, a 24 hour fast is my favorite way of gently nudging my gut health back to balance if disrupted for some reason.

If you are ready for a full 48 hour fast, the process is simple. You don’t consume any calories from food or drinks for 48 hours. Water of course is allowed, as are natural zero calories beverages such as black coffee or tea. Using artificial sugars are a strict no-go, more on that below. I recommend only drinking pure spring water during fasts as natural electrolytes will be present without the chemical contamination that tap water has. Drinking tea is also okay during a fast and in many ways is actually beneficial. For those with inefficient metabolisms, drinking green tea while fasting is a very effective way to reduce appetite while increasing the metabolism of body fat. Green tea fasting is the most powerful form of fasting that i’ve discovered. Herbal teas are also very useful, for example dandelion and chamomile are herbs both great at normalizing digestive function and a 1:1 herbal tea blend of dandelion and chamomile is a great way to expedite the gut healing process during a fast. More on that below.

I recommend starting fasts 24 hours or longer after a 6 pm dinner. With this schedule, the first 10-14 hours will be easily accomplished with a full stomach during the evening and then during sleep. Breakfast is easy to skip if one drinks plenty of water and keeps moving, and skipping breakfast is something everyone has done before. It’s during the afternoon when the real challenge of having not eaten appears, as it’s a natural lazy point in the day. For a 24 hour or longer fast, a quick walk, 15 minute nap, or cup of green tea fixes any dip in energy experienced.

If you’re performing hard mental or physical work during a fast it will be more difficult as energy demands will be higher. In this context a fast is not recommended unless safeguards are put in place and fat metabolism is already strong and well established. Fasting is a profound healing tool, but in its own way it is a unique stressor to the body, especially if never experienced before. Respect the process and don’t overutilize your energy reserves. One thing that fasting teaches is how to balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Periods of time spent in both sympathetic (go go go activity) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) states are needed for optimal wellness. Fasting is a great tool to use to help deeply relax.

With a fast that starts at 6 pm if lunch is eaten at noon the next day then that marks the end of a 18-hour intermittent fast. Waiting to eat until dinner at 6 pm would be a 24 hour fast or the halfway point for a 48-hour fast. At 24 hours into a fast the body is burning body fat for energy while extracting the final nutrients available from the digestive system. The quality of the last meal eaten is very important for this reason.

After 24-hours energy levels may begin to dip. Others report experiencing a surge in energy due to their unique physiology. To be successful in fasting for a full two days, cruise control must be maintained. On day 2 the goal is to avoid the traffic jams of life, simply skipping breakfast and lunch again, relaxing when possible, and eating your first refeed meal at 6 pm for dinner. Staying grounded in the present moment is they key to successfully completing a fast and it’s all worth it in the end because you’ll feel significantly better and also because the refeed meal will be one of the best of your life.

By the end of a 48-hour fast there should very little to nothing left in your gut. No fresh food means the microbiome has to scavenge and work extra hard to survive in a low resource environment. Fasting has all these amazing health benefits partly because of the selective evolutionary pressure it applies to the microbiome. Microorganisms that depend on sugar die off while hardier microorganisms that can process more difficult nutrients like fiber survive in greater proportions. There are many ways to cleanse the microbiome, and fasting is one of the easiest and most powerful.

What Microorganisms Inhabit the Gut?

There are three types of organisms that make up the microbiome: symbiotic, commensal, and pathogenic. Pathobionts are a subsection of commensal organisms which lean pathogenic.

• Symbiotic Microorganisms

  Symbiotic microbes work with us, and the relationship between host (us) and microbe is beneficial to both parties. Symbiotic microbes will provide nutrients and/or energy in exchange for shelter and food. The microbes which primarily digest indigestible fiber are symbiotic, in the process releasing short chain fatty acids in the colon for our metabolic use. Symbiotic microorganisms also help by breaking down nutrients into pieces small enough to be transported into the body across the gut-blood barrier. The cellular mechanisms of the body are unable to transport and use nutrients that haven’t been broken down sufficiently, so microorganisms that assist in fully digesting food down to the smallest parts possible is advantageous to the host.

• Commensal Microorganisms

  Commensal microbes coexist with us without harming us. They’re like your friendly neighbors you never talk too. They assist in the breakdown of food but more for their benefit than yours. The issue with commensal microbes is when they start to overpopulate the small intestine, a condition known as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which has many health complications such as gas and inconsistent gut motility. Additionally, when commensal microorganisms reach populations that are too large, they begin out-competing helpful microorganisms though the power of numbers, reducing the nutrients you uptake while further growing their population in size. If this trend isn’t stopped, commensal microorganisms can evolve into pathobionts.

• Pathobiont Microorganisms

  Pathobionts are commensal organism that can cause harm under certain circumstances. A good example of commensal that turn into pathobionts are those who form biofilm colonies. Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that are difficult to dislodge due to the protections they have been built up around them. Biofilms have a hard time forming on mucous layers, which is one reason why sufficient and consistent digestive mucous production is important, and if mucous coatings are thin then pathobionts will form biofilms directly on the surface of human epithelial cells, causing inflammation and a strong immune response. The immune system has a difficult time breaking apart biofilms as they typically lie outside the body and in the digestive system. As a defense mechanism biofilms that are disrupted release harmful chemicals. Pathobiont biofilms are hard to readily identify and treat, but are usually a contributing factor in gut health problems, especially unexpected gut health flare-ups.

• Pathogenic Microorganisms

  Pathogenic microbes are harmful to health. When their populations are low, their detrimental effects on health are negligible, and the immune system keeps them actively under check, but when the gut is inflamed and epithelial tight-junctions are eroded and unhealthy processed foods are the norm, then the perfect environment for pathogenic microbes is created. Pathogenic microbes aren’t content gnawing on a thread of fiber, they seek out quick energy, and under the conditions of a fast when energy is scarce, pathogenic bacteria are the first to go. This die-off reaction can cause symptoms like fatigue, headache, and stomach pain, and this is something to be aware of when performing fasts longer than 24 hours. Selecting against pathogenic microbes is highly desirable for long term health and wellness, and if a large pathogenic microorganism population exists in the gut, a die off reaction will occur during fasting which may cause symptoms. During a fast keeping the kidneys and liver stress free by limiting the chemicals or medications that are used is best (examples being alcohol, NSAIDS, or prescription drugs).

An Unhealthy Microbiome

With an unhealthy gut, beneficial microorganisms are in short supply, commensal populations are large and unruly, and pathogenic microorganisms exist unchallenged. This type of microbiome is one that preferentially craves sweets, fried foods, and excess salt, and after having its demands met produces metabolic waste products known as endotoxins that leads to symptoms of brain fog, unstable energy levels, and fat gain.

How to Restore Healthy Gut Flora

The pathogens that contribute to you feeling awful are not helpful in any way (besides bringing awareness to the problem that exists), and a primary objective in transitioning from a diseased digestive system to healthy gut is to restore the microbiome to a state of symbiotic balance. Fasting is effective at doing this as fasts longer than 24 hours eliminate microbial overgrowth and assist in the removal of biofilms as protective mucous layers are restored. A 48-hour fast will wipe out a lot of pathogenic microorganisms, and if you don’t feel them what they need afterwards then their populations will stay low. With reduced nutrients available some of the symbiotic microorganisms will not survive either (we’re talking about trillions of microorganisms dying), but with a healthy refeed meal symbiotic microorganism populations quickly rebound and will have evolved to be more resilient to future periods of resource scarcity.

After a few 24 and 48-hour fasts with healthy eating in-between the composition of the microbiome will be radically different and the digestive system will have healed tremendously. The secret with fasting is to be extremely discretionary with what enters into the body. Limiting intake to just water (and herbal teas), air, and sunshine makes for the best effect. No diet soda, no chewing gum, and limit the black coffee.

Now let’s discuss artificial sugars. Artificial sugars have an undesirable effect on your microbiome by eroding mucosal linings. Artificial sugars reach the deep recesses of the gut by eroding protective viscoelastic mucus lining, creating an energy-rich pathway for commensal and pathogenic microorganisms to get into direct contact with now unprotected epithelial cells. Once directly on these cell membranes pathobionts create their biofilm strongholds. Biofilms are resistant to probiotic and antibiotic treatments and are often the source of unexplainable reoccurring gut problems. Pathobiont biofilms are very tough to dislodge, and the double whammy of consuming artificial sugars is that they are toxic to many other microorganisms. For these reasons never consume artificial sugars, especially during a fast.

Gut Health and Microbiome Basics Video Short Course

by Stefan Burns

Cells of the Digestive System

Epithelium cells are the barrier of the digestive system that separate the contents of the gut from the bloodstream. Epithelium cells are on the front line every minute, allowing nutrients to pass through them to enter the bloodstream but blocking entry to microorganisms, nutrients too large for easy transport, or toxins.

If all things are functioning normally the epithelium regenerates completely every 5 days. Therefore, 20% of the epithelium is regenerated daily. When fasting, autophagy (cellular cleanup and repair) increases and healthy cell turnover of the intestinal epithelium quickens now that it is no longer being setback by the active digestion of food.

A two day fast is enough time for about 40% or more of the epithelium to completely regenerate in a low-inflammation environment.

The human digestive tract

When the digestive barrier and mucosal lining are fully regenerated and the tight-junctions between cells are strong, then when normal inflammation from digestive returns, the responsibilities of the immune system are decreased compared to when excess inflammation is present. With greatly reduced numbers of microorganism invaders and undigested food particles entering into the blood stream, the immune system can regenerate after a period of overactivity and stress, taking the time it needs to heal. The immune system requires certain components in sufficient amounts to function properly, and micronutrients such as zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin C are critically important for normal immune function. When under stress, the greater demands of the immune system can cause nutrient deficiencies to occur which then place stress on other areas of the body. Healing the digestive system, diversifying the microbiome, and improving diet can help remediate or even eliminate diseases of the immune system.

Fasting for Auto-Immune Diseases

For those who suffer from auto-immune issues, fasting can be a major breakthrough in recovering from their condition. The digestive system is the main patrol ground of the immune system, it’s where the most interactions between the human body and the outside world occur on the microscopic level. A cross-wired immune system that attacks itself is increasingly being found to result from a dysfunctional and diseased gut environment. Auto-immunity and the microbiome are intricately linked.

After thousands of years of gut health education from wise ancients like Greek philosopher Hippocrates, the collective consciousness is now beginning to understand the huge importance of the digestive system for overall health and wellness.

Simultaneously the importance of the microbiome is being better understood by the general public. The impact of the microbiome passed from mother to child during birth has lifelong health implications. A healthy birth from a healthy mom results in a healthy baby and future adult. If microbiome inoculation that occurs during birthing is disrupted, such as during a caesarian section, then that child is more likely to experience a range of undesirable health outcomes such as asthma, auto-immunes, troublesome weight-gain, and more. Thankfully the microbiome is simply a collection of microorganisms that is relatively easy to manipulate once you have the tools to do so. Fasting is the most powerful of those microbiome altering tools, and therefore it’s also one of the most powerful tools for people looking for relief from their auto-immune issues.

Autophagy & Apoptosis

We’ve touched on autophagy already and now we’ll go more in-depth.

Autophagy is the protective state that the body goes into when nutrients are scarce. Autophagy increases the recycling of malfunctioning cellular components, helps old cells die peacefully, and promotes the regeneration of new cells in their place. The longer a fast goes for and the scarcer nutrients become, the deeper into autophagy the body goes. 16 hour intermittent fasting boosts autophagic processes throughout the body noticeably, whereas 24-72 hour fasts increase autophagy to a much greater degree, and for an even more profound regenerative healing effect, fasting for a week or longer can work miracles. Many “incurable” diseases and severe auto-immune issues have been cured through multi-week fasts under medical supervision at fasting clinics worldwide.

Autophagy is also incredibly important in the fight against cancer. Cancer cannot be cured until the autophagic system can be deployed to destroy the cancer cells plaguing the body. In the case of cancer, fasting-induced autophagy has been shown to protect healthy cells from chemotherapy treatments while increasing the effectiveness of the chemotherapy on cancer cells.

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Autophagy is clearly a very useful process that thankfully is encoded into human DNA. It has to, we wouldn’t be able to live otherwise because without rate limiters reactions in the body would spiral out of control and life simply wouldn’t be able to sustain itself.

Autophagy is difficult in its own way though. Autophagy increases as available nutrients and energy decreases. To go into autophagy means to dive into nutrient and energy scarcity. If purposefully utilizing the power of autophagy for deep cellular healing and renewal, be mindful and listen to the needs of your body. Recording how you feel and any observations you make in a health journal is highly recommended.

If you want to learn more about extended-length fasting, I highly recommend you watch an amazing documentary, The Science of Fasting.

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Drink Herbal Teas while Fasting

As touched on earlier, one way to greatly increase the efficacy and safety of fasting is to drinking herbal teas throughout the fast. This can be green tea, or herbal teas like a 1:1:1 blend of dandelion root, chamomile flowers, and peppermint leaves.

Green Tea for Fasting

Green tea fasting is one of the easiest types of fasting I’ve experienced. Drinking 2-3 cups of green tea (zero additives) everyday during a fast reduces appetite and increases fat oxidation. Energy levels are more stable throughout the fast when drinking green tea, and the amino acid L-theanine found in green tea promotes a sense of calm and relaxation.

Pique Tea sells a wide selection of organic teas in their unique “tea crystal” format. Tea crystals readily dissolve in hot or cold water and are super convenient for on-the-go use.

Use the code WILDFREEORGANIC for 5% off at checkout

Mountain Rose Herbs has a wide selection of organic green teas that are perfect for use in green tea fasting. I prefer their pearl jasmine green tea for its flavor and extra flavonoids.

Steep the leaves in 170 F (75 C) water for 3-5 minutes and enjoy!

Herbal Teas for Fasting

Green tea is an excellent beverage to drink while fasting, and so are herbal teas in general. For example a dandelion root, chamomile flower, and peppermint leaf herbal tea has the following benefits for the digestive system:

• Reduces inflammation of the digestive system from the stomach to the large intestine.

• Exerts beneficial antimicrobial pressures on pathogenic microorganisms while promoting the growth of helpful symbiotic microorganisms.

• Increases the production of digestive enzymes and restores beneficial mucous linings.

• Strengthens epithelial tight junctions thanks to flavonoids like apigenin.

• Restores normal gut motility (the transit of food through the system).

• Boosts fat metabolism which reduces energy lulls from improper digestion or from the fasting process itself

Another herbal tea that would be very helpful to drink during a fast would be a ginger, elderberry, and ginseng tea. Endless combinations exist, and drinking a new tea in the place of breakfast, lunch, and dinner helps to keep the fasting process exciting which has clear benefits.

Mountain Rose Herbs carries a huge assortment of organic herbs perfect for those interested in adding herbal remedies to their fasting and gut health protocol. Next to fasting drinking herbal teas are the next best thing you can do to improve your gut heath. Again the introductory herbal tea I recommend is a 1:1 blend of dandelion root, chamomile flowers, and peppermint simply because its so effective.

Meal Recommendation for Breaking your Fast

Next to the action of actually completing a fast, refeeding after the fast is the second most important part of the gut healing process. The body and microbiome are longing for food so feed yourself and your microbiome only with the best. The body is uniquely poised to use the new influx of nutrients for the proliferation of new healthy cells, and the greater the quality of the the refeed meal the greater the healing effect that will be experienced overall. Make no food mistakes*!

Refeed meals also influence the composition of the microbiome that will soon rebound in population, as bacteria double in as little as twenty minutes under ideal conditions. A meal which is undesirable to pathogenic bacteria but loved by healthy symbiotic bacteria like lactobacillus and bifidobacterial is ideal. Raw and fermented foods harbor their own healthy microbiome populations and assist in the digestion of the first reintroduced meal while also diversifying the surviving microbiome.

The foods that make up a refeed meal and its size depends on the length of fast completed. A 48 hour fast for example should be broken with a high-fat content meal as it’s likely that the first stages of ketogenesis is being experienced and to eat a sugar-heavy meal would cause quick metabolic and blood glucose changes which wouldn’t be beneficial. Fiber is another beneficial nutrient to select for in refeed meals as fiber influences the microbiome beneficially and is transformed into short chain fatty-acids in the colon which benefits fat metabolism.

*Note - Pesticides are to avoided at all costs as they erode the lining of the digestive system and function similarly to antibiotics. Eat organic non-gmo foods to reduce your exposure to dangerous pesticides like glyphosate.

Post Fast Salad:

• 2 Cups Mixed Greens

• 1/2 cucumber, sliced

• 1 Tbsp raw pumpkin seeds

• Drizzle extra virgin olive oil

• Drizzle raw honey

• Drink - GT’s Raw Kombucha

The meal above is great as a first refeed meal after a 24 to 48-hour fast because it is easy to prepare, completely raw, and will supercharge the regenerative effects of the fast. Having a salad shifts the microbiome favorably, and the addition of a fermented food helps to diversify it further. The body will absorb every nutrient possible from this meal. A fast is a period of low sugar intake, so only drink a quarter of the kombucha in order to limit the amount of quick sugars ingested.

When a salad and kombucha are combined as a meal, the mother (microbiome) of the kombucha begins attaching to and breaking down the raw foods of the salad right away, improving digestion as compared to if the salad was eaten only by itself. The cucumber and pumpkin seeds go great on a salad, adding nutrient and flavor variety to the meal, while both having antimicrobial and anti-parasitic benefits. Parasite infections can also be a huge source of gut health issues.

Pro Tip - Take a piperine supplement with your refeed meals to further improve the digestion of the meal. Piperine is derived from black pepper and it one of the most gut-helpful phytochemicals known, improving digestion and enhancing the bioavailability of other nutrients. Nootropics Depot sells a 10mg piperine supplement which you can take 1-3 of with a meal, or if you want to keep it 100% natural simply crack extra black pepper onto your plate.

In my introductory FoodFast Method article I have many more pre-fast and refeed meal suggestions that are worth checking out. Eating the right food after a fast is very important and don’t underestimate the important of a refeed meal in helping the gut to heal as quickly as possible. Fasting to fix gut health issues but continuing to eat poor quality foods in-between will only make limited progress. Best progress will be making in resetting the gut with fasting when equal attention is paid to both fasting and feeding.

My Personal Experience with Fasting

Ever since grade school I noticed I had an unruly digestive system which manifested in various ways, and as I entered into the world of strength-training and bodybuilding in my twenties, I increased my food intake in order to build muscle, which placed even more stress on my digestive system. I did begin improving my diet dramatically during this time, increasing my consumption of whole and unprocessed foods, but this did not provide all the relief I was hoping for.

The only way things were going to turn around was if I provided my digestive system an extended break from the stress and rigors of digestion, and once I stumbled upon fasting my gut health began to quickly take a turn for the better. Some health issues take a long time to heal, but thankfully most of the tissues of the gut turns over so quickly that once the right solution is found the digestive system can be healed quite rapidly. It took me many years to figure out what I needed to do to heal my gut simply because almost no one, from my gastroenterologist to discussion online, was examining the situation from a broad enough vantage point. That’s the still mostly the case it seems, though awareness on natural healing methods for the gut like fasting and herbal teas is increasing.

After some periods of daily intermittent fasting and a few longer 24, 48, and 72 hour fasts, I quickly learned which foods were best for my body, what foods I was intolerant to, and what foods I needed to 100% avoid. Fasting gave me control over food and sugar cravings and eventually eliminated them as I began to crave more vegetables. Healing my gut shifted my microbiome to the point where it could actually process fiber and other plant materials without creating excess gas and flatulence, a serious problem for me before.

Quickly into my discovery of fasting for gut health, I noticed a few things always happen at the end of long fasts:

First, the digestion of vegetables improves. Desperate for energy, the microbiome and digestive system is happy to work together to fully break down tougher to digest foods such as lightly cooked or raw vegetables. A 48-hour fast improves microbiome balance and diversity, and the newly evolved microbiome helps to breakdown and process fiber and other complex plant-based nutrients that before may have been difficult.

Second, fat metabolism improves noticeably. After a period of fasting, energy dips throughout the day are filled in faster by a metabolism that is able to quickly switch to fat burning, whether from short-chain fatty acids produced by microorganisms digesting starches and fiber in the colon, or from body fat stores. A 48 hour fast takes the body right to the edge of ketosis, a metabolic state where only fatty acids and amino acids are used to fuel the body in the absence of carbs, and visiting ketosis regularly, even if just for a few hours, is good for the development of a strong metabolism.

Third, the gut is very thankful for the break in digestion with every fast. When eating a regular breakfast, lunch, and dinner day 24/7, it’s easy to overwork and stress the digestive system, which leads to chronic gut inflammation. To use a quote from Yoda as inspiration:

“Chronic gut stress leads to leaky gut, leaky gut leads to IBS, IBS leads to gut disease”

Humans evolved in conditions of ever changing nutrient availability. In conditions of resource scarcity, the body most regenerate to stay alive. During autophagy, epithelial tight junctions heal rapidly, solving many of the problems of leaky gut, IBS, and SIBO. Healing intestinal tight junctions helps to reduce systemic inflammation of the body and overtime can reset food intolerances and allergies. I have experienced this myself, having fully eliminated a fructose, gluten, and dairy intolerance that my body knew I had but my brain refused to recognize for many years.

Having practiced the FoodFast Method for a few years now, I have a lot of experience with how different diets may affect a fast.

Other Fasting Lessons Learned

Before I was a vegetarian, fasting was relatively easy because meat protein takes a long time to digest, and I consumed a lot of meat protein (>2 grams per kg daily). That said, my gut health significantly improved after transitioning into a vegetarian diet because it caused me to eat way more vegetables and living foods. With a vegetarian diet, fasting can be more difficult if fat metabolism isn’t well developed, so consuming a diet abundant in healthy fats from sources such as avocado, nuts, and seeds will maintain and improve fat metabolism in-between fasts, in turn making the fasting process easier.

For most people going vegetarian will be a big benefit for gut health for more reasons than I can discuss in this article, but care must be taken to not go too high-carb and to stick away from junk food and sweets that are technically vegetarian but really shouldn’t even be characterized as food.

Ready to try a 48 hour fast? Here’s the Action Plan

Below is a step by step guide to help you safely and easily accomplish a 48-hour fast so you may experience the powerful healing effects of fasting for yourself and with the least amount of stress and complications.

• Drink More Water while Fasting

  Starting before the fast begin drinking more water. Less food intake means you’ll need to drink more to intake the same amount of water, so drinking sufficient water beforehand will be prepare you to be successful and not become dehydrated. Water quality is very important, I recommend only drinking spring water, reverse osmosis water is okay too.

• Eat Dinner Early and then Sleep 8 Hours

  After a full dinner it’s easy to put the snacking and cravings aside, so in my opinion it’s the perfect time to start a fast. Eat your last meal before the fast as an early 6pm dinner. The meal eaten before a fast should be hearty and nutrient rich with plenty of fiber, a vegetable grain bowl with avocado being an excellent option. Go to sleep around 10 pm and after a full eight hours of sleep you’ll be well rested and ready to attack the day while already being one quarter of the way into the 48-hour fast.

• Listen to your Body, Follow the Plan

  Once you’ve waken up, you now have to make it to bedtime again without eating. Listen to your body, keep drinking water or herbal tea, and flow with your energy levels. About 16 hours into the fast you’ll have exhausted all quick sources of glycogen (carbohydrate) energy sources for your body and will be burning body fat in greater amounts. The food in your digestive system is also still providing a slowly dwindling stream of nutrients and energy for your body to run on, that’s why the couple of meals before a fast are so important.

  If you feel sluggish and hungry while working, change what you’re doing find a different way to stimulate yourself. Going outside into nature is always highly refreshing and keeps a fast on track. Stay active but don’t overexert yourself, drink something lightly caffeinated like green tea if experiencing an energy slump, or simply take a short nap if tiredness really sets in. Don’t reach for the food unless it’s absolutely necessary! You should never feel bad about breaking a fast if you truly need too.

• Trust Yourself to Make the Right Decisions

  Once you’re comfortably in cruise control, look at your future schedule and plan around the chaos of the everyday. Building order and structure into your routine allows you to persevere and stay on track in case of unexpected events happening.

  If at any point you experience extreme dizziness, loss of vision, or other troubling signs of low blood sugar, end your fast with a small healthy snack like apple slices with almond butter. Be happy with the progress you made and prepare to try again for a longer attempt when better prepared. Every fast completed better prepares you for the next.

  For safety I recommend having a small healthy meal prepared and ready at all times during a fast so the fast can be broken with a healthy meal and not with whatever is most immediately available.

• Reintroduce Food Slowly

  Once you’ve finished your fast of whatever duration, reintroduce food back into your system. I would not recommend eating a huge meal after a fast; start simple! Bone broth, steamed veggies, a salad, or soup are all good choices. The longer the fast the longer the food reintroduction period should be. Buy the food needed for the first couple refeed meals the day before you end the fast so you’re prepared even if you have to break the fast early. Eat the freshest food possible for the refeed meals.

  To track how long I’ve been fasting, I use the app ZERO (found on iTunes and the Google Play Store). It can be used to track mood and how you feel throughout the fast, and you can keep a record of your fasts to compare to each other. Very useful!

You Successfully Completed a 48 Hour Fast!

Congratulations, you’ve finished your first 48 hour fast! I’m sure you experienced positive gut health changes from the beginning to the end of the fast.

I developed the FoodFast Method to make it easy to incorporate fasting into one’s lifestyle at the right frequency for optimal health and wellness. I wish I had discovered the FoodFast Method when I first began healing my gut and microbiome because it would have saved me years of gut health suffering, but I am grateful I experienced what I did because that is what led me to develop the method that others can now use. Now that I’ve been following the FoodFast method intuitively for a few years now, I can confidently say that it’s the single most effective way of keeping the gut healthy that I know of.

“Practicing a lifestyle centered around wellness does not have a singular end destination, but rather is an ever evolving journey. Be open to all health possibilities and trust your instincts.”

Practice Gut Health Mindfulness

During any fast or health experiment, be observant! Pay attention to everything you experience. At any given time ask yourself “How does my body feel, what emotions am I experiencing, and what is my current state of mind?” If you’re going to be your own doctor, then you need to play the role of the observant scientist.

Only with careful observation will the truth of what’s happening in your body be fully realized.

Because fasting severely restricts what enters into the body, used correctly it can be used as a diagnostic tool that by its own right is powerfully transformative.

Heal Your Gut Naturally

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If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.

I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.

I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.

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IMPORTANT - Please only attempt a fast if you are ready, physically and mentally, to go through a period of no food consumption. If this will be dangerous to you, please do not attempt this.

References:

1. Correction to Lancet Infectious Diseases 2020; published online April 29. https://doi.org/10.1016/ S1473-3099(20)30064-5. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20(7):e148.

2. Suez J, Korem T, Zeevi D, et al. Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature. 2014;514(7521):181-6.

3. Harpaz D, Yeo LP, Cecchini F, et al. Measuring Artificial Sweeteners Toxicity Using a Bioluminescent Bacterial Panel. Molecules. 2018;23(10)

4. De luca F, Shoenfeld Y. The microbiome in autoimmune diseases. Clin Exp Immunol. 2019;195(1):74-85.

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

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How to Reset Dietary Beliefs

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

There exist hundreds of popular dietary protocols, each diet having a hallmark distinction. The paleo diet advocates you as our paleolithic ancestors did 10,000 years ago, which means no processed foods. The vegan diet eschews all animal products, from meat to honey. Whole30 cuts out added sugars, beans/legumes, alcohol, dairy, and grains. As much as these diets might seem different from each other, they all are the same in one respect, they restrict and limit your food choices. If you want to break the viscous cycle of lose weight → gain weight → lose weight→ gain weight then a different mindset is needed.

Many individuals have great success following the paleo, vegan, or Whole30 diets, even though the foods that are allowed to be eaten vary dramatically. And for some this new diet fits their lifestyle and they are able to remain permanently at a healthier weight. For most though, dietary restriction only works in the short term. In the long term, it has consistently been shown that 80-95% of dieters who lose significant amounts of weight regain the weight they lost months later (1). In fact, almost everyone who has dieted before has experienced life-changing weight loss at one time or another.

When foods are restricted and activity levels increase, dramatic short term changes in body composition and health can be achieved, but during the diet, psychologically it’s like a rubber band being slowly being pulled back more and more.

Once the rubber band can stretch no one, and the initial goal of twenty, thirty, or fifty pounds lost is achieved, dieters let their discipline slip and reintroduce the foods they crave back into their diet. The rubber band snaps back. A small reward for a job well done becomes a binge, and then snowballs back into old dietary habits. Dieters didn’t break their sugar addiction or eating disorder, they created a temporary bubble where they put bad habits on pause, and then the bubble popped.

If the psychology of dieting isn’t addressed, then most diets will end in failure.

Inclusion > Exclusion

When a new diet, habit, or lifestyle practice is started, the first thought might be to conceptualize all the foods, bad habits, and environmental factors that will be cut out of your current life in order to improve your health and wellness.

On the surface, this appears good. Undoubtedly there are many things can be damaging to your health in excess, and eliminating them from your life can be a huge step forward.

The issue is, exclusionary ideologies do not take into account human behavior or psychology. Humans are not machines or robots. To permanently change your dietary mindset, it is imperative to switch to a mindset of inclusion rather than exclusion. As omnivores, we evolved with digestive systems that are capable of digesting most any food.

To heal a damaged dietary psychology or food disorder, the first step that needs to be taken is for all the foods of the world to be made available and OKAY to eat to the dieter.

Often times, it is the fact that a food is restricted that makes it so appealing. Likewise, and we’ll use the example of ice cream, if ice cream is made off-limits, then once the protocol has been broken, feelings of guilt and shame can compel someone to begin an ice cream binge, which spirals back into their eating disorder. If the ice cream isn’t made strictly off limits (even if it is best to avoid the processed calories), then a bowl of ice cream is much less likely to turn into a binge. Having a bowl of ice cream might not have been the best decision, but it is much better than a binge session fueled by negative emotions. Since the ice cream isn’t odd limits, and the consumption of food comes from a place of self love rather than self hate, feelings of guilt, shame, or self loathing never manifest. With personal growth and patience, you can empower yourself to skip the ice cream or eat something else entirely, even if the ice cream is allowed.

Empower Yourself to Eat Healthier Foods

To elevate beyond the junk food, practicing a inclusive diet is much more powerful when we examine healthy foods. Take the following example:

Let’s say you have a goal to reduce your processed grains consumption, and now it’s dinner time. On your plate you have a baked potato, chicken breast, and bread. You notice that there are no green vegetables.

If your goal is to reduce processed grains consumption, there are two ways to approach the issue.

The first is to totally exclude the bread and test your discipline. The second option is to simply add an additional healthy food to the meal. For example, add some salad greens and make sure to eat the salad greens before the bread. By doing using this method, the bread isn’t banned, but rather selected against. Overtime habits like this will become second nature, and overall food quality eaten day to day will improve.

When following inclusive dietary practices, time is given to the dieter to make the health connections they need to understand in order to fix the underlying problem. In this example, this person realizes when they eat bread, they don’t feel well, experience big energy swings, and have poor digestion. Once realized, why would they want to eat bread?

By practicing mindfulness and the gradual reduction of trouble foods, these connections between trouble foods and negative physiological effects are made possible. Once the connection is made, it’s no longer a question of willpower to not eat something, it’ll be a decision that is consciously made and stuck with.

With an inclusive mindset, unhealthy foods can initially be used to encourage healthy food behaviors. If these inclusive principles are structured right, lasting healthy food behaviors can be established. As healthier foods start to make up a majority of the diet, taste-buds will change and now junk food once desired becomes gross and overly sweet.

You might have noticed this strategy is one that many parents will use with their kids to encourage them to eat their vegetables. “You can’t have your dessert until you finish your vegetables!” For old or young minds alike, this strategy works.

One of the caveats to this method is that food allergies and intolerances should be strictly avoided. It is possible to reverse a food allergy and/or intolerance, but it takes a significant amount of time, as the gut needs to heal many times over and the immune system needs to completely forget the trigger it learned and become non-reactive to those food proteins. For allergies or intolerances, it will take many months if not years for these issues to possibly be resolved.

Food Frequency: Weekly vs Daily

Another important aspect of any diet is food frequency. Everyone has their stable foods they enjoy, and the depending on what someone eats in a day, their calories, macronutrients (fats, carbs, protein), fiber, vitamins, and minerals can vary dramatically.

When considering starting a new diet, often macronutrient and micronutrient goals are established. For example, a new diet could dictate the following:

Macronutrient Ratios:

• 35% fats

• 40% carbohydrates

  • 40 grams fiber daily

• 25% protein

Micronutrients:

• 100% RDA magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc

• 100% RDA B-vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12)

• 2000-5000 IU Vitamin D

• 100% RDA vitamins A, C, E, K

If using a calorie tracking app like MyFitnessPal, it can satisfying hitting macronutrient and micronutrient targets daily, but what happens is overtime discipline wanes and it becomes harder and harder to hit exact macronutrient targets. Or maybe you hit your protein target early in the day through protein heavy meals. Later in the day, in order to stay “in range”, all protein must be avoided. Having a healthy unprocessed meal without any protein is difficult, but it sure is easy with a large bowl of ice cream! Macronutrient tracking certainly can be effective, but it also create situations at times when it is okay binge on junk food because macros must be met.

For micronutrients, things get even trickier. When trying to hit exact micronutrient targets everyday, it is very difficult to get every exact micronutrient to 100% daily with a healthy diet composed primarily of unprocessed foods

Supplements then can be seen as the answer, with certain supplements needing to be taken on certain days to bump everything to 100%. You can use protein shakes, ice cream, and supplements to hit macronutrient and micronutrient targets, but is the diet healthy or sustainable?

“For a diet, when macronutrients and micronutrients are the priority, and not the consumption of whole organic unprocessed foods, it is still possible for food quality to decrease while being within the parameters of the diet”

For further illustrate the point, let’s use magnesium. Magnesium is the second most common micronutrient deficiency worldwide, a master micronutrient used in hundreds of chemical reactions and cellular tasks. Clearly it’s important to get enough magnesium, and in the context of a holistic diet, which do you think is better? A magnesium supplement, or eating a 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds? Both with provide 200 mg of magnesium, but the bioavailability of the magnesium in pumpkin seeds will be much greater, while also providing unique phytochemicals, helpful health benefits, and satiating fiber, protein, and fat. The supplement won’t come with calories, but the bioavailibility will be lower, and the fillers it is combined with is questionable. You need calories to survive, so don’t shun calories from health foods so you can indulge in junk foods.

Macronutrient ratios and micronutrients are lower priority than eating for health, longevity, and wellness. When eating a well-rounded diet from a variety of whole unprocessed foods, macronutrient and micronutrient targets might not be achieved everyday. The mindset of hitting targets daily can be very limiting, but thinking of hitting targets on a weekly time schedule is very liberating. This is especially true in the context of the modern agricultural system, where quality and nutrition of the same foods have been declining for decades. Think depleting soil nutrients, increased pesticide and dangerous herbicide usage, monoculture farms, etc.

The body is able to store glycogen, fat, amino acids, and micronutrients (2). On some days ratios or RDAs might vary from the weekly target, but over a week long period, everything typically will come into balance. Additionally, with a weekly mindset, having a treat now and then isn’t “allowed” or “banned” based on macronutrient rations. Instead emotions and energy levels can guide food choices intuitively, an important step towards outgrowing an eating disorder. How you arrive at a desirable outcome is just as important as the outcome itself.

Think and Act Long Term

The journey towards wellness is one of patience. When your health is suffering, it is highly seductive to reach for the solution that promises the quick fix. If it took many years to develop an eating disorder or add 30 pounds of body fat, you cannot expect the fix to be quick. It might take as long to heal as it took to become unhealthy, though typically the journey is shorter by at least a factor of two.

Patience, love, understand, and being at peace with your current situation are the first steps that need to be taken in order to begin the healing process. Until honesty and truth are at the forefront of your wellness journey, expect to yo-yo between progress and setbacks.

Mindfulness is one of the most powerful tools available at your disposal. Bring conscious awareness to your actions and the decisions and you’ll be surprised by how fast things can accelerate when setbacks no longer occur.

Develop a long term mindset, and instead of eliminating your worst food offenders, incentivize the healthy foods, making sure to include those first into your day. Before you realize it, you’ll be past any prior plateaus you struggled with accelerating towards your long term health goals!

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References

1. Wing RR, Phelan S. Long-term weight loss maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;82(1 Suppl):222S-225S.

2. James Collier. Storage of Micronutrients in the Body. Dietetics

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

30 day Arm growth experiment

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated June 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

I performed a 30-day experiment to grow my arms and forearms because even though I had been training my arms with compounds for years and increasingly directly with bodybuilding techniques, my upper arms and forearms were still sitting at just 15" and 12.25" respectively, and decided I wanted to grow them both to the next level.

The premise was simple:

Build as much size as possible in one month while simultaneously improving the symmetry between my biceps, triceps, and forearms

To do that I dramatically increased my arm training frequency, changed my exercise selection, altered my diet, and focused on recovery.

Background - Having a 77.5" wingspan at a height of 72.5", I have found it difficult to increase the size of my arms. Strength was never a limiting factor except in tricep-heavy pressing movements. I've been able to row and pull-up as much as my back can handle, and grip (mixed) more than my deadlift, but I always have had issues adding arm mass. I've tried blood flow restriction training (BFRT), the "chin-ups & compounds = big arms" approach, a dedicated arm day, everything that is typically recommended. I saw limited progress from each of those methods, but my arm size never increased dramatically like promised.

With the experiment, I started a lean bulk a few days prior and I made my arms a major focus. Every day for a month, I did five weekday morning workouts exclusively targeting the arms. Other weekly regular workouts also included direct arm training scattered between two bodybuilding workouts, four weekday full body workouts, and a Saturday strongman workout. The full workout protocol is below.

30-Day Before and After Results

Arm Measurements - Day 1 vs Day 30. Pictures Taken Flexed but Unpumped

In the span of 30 days my left and right arms increased from 15 1/8" to 15 1/2", an increase of 3/8"! To gain that much size naturally in a month is phenomenal. Additionally, I started to do a lot more direct forearm work, increasing in size my left and right forearms from 12 1/4" to 12 3/4", a whopping increase of 1/2"!

Arguably my forearm gains are the more impressive of the two results from the 30 day arm challenge, having registered 1/2” gain from a smaller starting diameter.

Symmetry approved across the board. My forearms are now more symmetrical with my upper arms, and I was able to add some size to the long head of my triceps, which forms the coveted “horseshoe”. All measurements were performed upon waking up in the morning, flexed with no pump.

Scroll through the four photos too see all the data. You’ll notice that I actually put on 1/4” on my upper arms in the first 10 days of the program, and then there was a 20 day plateau until I hit my first 15 1/2” measurement. If you’re fine with slightly less overall progress but over a shorter time-frame, run the below workout protocol over weeks instead of the full 30 days.

30 Day Arm Challenge Protocol

In order to push new arm growth, this program will push your limits and require dedication and consistency. Quick 15-20 minute morning arm workouts keep muscle protein synthesis elevated locally in the biceps, triceps, and forearms, and the nightly workouts push the myofibrillar hypertrophy further with heavier, higher recruitment exercises.

Nutrition for Arm Growth

For muscle growth to occur you need to eat in an overall caloric surplus. Since the arms are already a smaller, more difficult muscle group to grow, I would keep calories on average about 300-500 over maintenance. I stacked my calories and carbs around my workouts. I drank a muscle building shake containing pasture raised eggs and protein after every morning and night workout, and that helped tremendously. Meal timing is only useful though if the rest of your diet is cleaned up and on point.

I was also running a Cistanche and Cholesterol Protocol during this 30-day arm challenge, and I definitely think that positively contributed to my success of adding 3/8” to my upper arms and 1/2” to my forearms. None of these nutritional tips will matter though without enough water. Proper hydration is so important because water is the primary component of muscle tissue, so endeavor to drink 1 gallon of pure filtered water daily.

Recovery for Arm Growth

With this much intensity, frequency, and volume applied to such small muscle groups, sleep and recovery need to be prioritized. Aim for 7-9 hours of high quality sleep per night. I also used the sauna 3-4x a week for 20 minutes. While in the sauna I massaged my arms and forearms, driving blood-flow to the area and breaking up any tight tissues I encountered. Heat therapy is very healing and boosts growth hormone release. By massaging my fascia I allowed my arms to stretch the fascia and therefore, room to grow. Be mindful of your cortisol levels and don’t run into adrenal fatigue.

Morning Workouts keep Growth Stimulated 24/7

Muscle protein synthesis stays elevated for hours after exercise, and the purpose of morning workouts for this arm growth experiment is to elevate MPS first thing in the morning. Morning workouts are also a good opportunity to increase the mind muscle connection and get a satisfying arm pump. It’s during the five weekly morning workouts where you can really examine what needs to be worked on symmetry wise, and modify any variables that might improve symmetry. Establishing a morning routine is important, make arm workouts a part of it!

Evening Workouts for Building Arm Muscles

Muscle protein synthesis in the arms is declining around the time an evening workout is scheduled. Evening workouts load the weight higher and stimulate muscle protein synthesis for the body more systemically. If you are going to a gym, there is more equipment at your disposal too, so a great variation of exercises can be performed. At the end of an evening workout, perform some stretching and self-recovery practices in order to reduce muscle degradation. If muscle degradation levels are high, triggering MPS is less effective. Recovery is just as important as the workouts themselves!

Morning Workouts

These workouts are performed in a circuit fashion, with each exercise proceeding the last. Rest for 60-90 seconds in-between. If 5 rounds is too long of a workout to perform in the morning, perform 3 rounds instead.

Monday, Thursday

Ring Tricep Extensions 5 x 20 - 30

• This exercise is easy on the elbows and hits the triceps long head very effectively. Sit deeply into the stretch at the bottom and engage with your triceps to drive out of that position. Keep the tension constant.

Ring Curls 5 x 20 - 30

• Ring Curls are a great exercise which overloads the biceps safely. Your body-weight provides a good stimulus, but the force curve of the exercise ensures relatively even resistance throughout the curl. If you don’t have rings perform them later at the gym on a smith machine.

DB Wrist Curls 5 x 10

• Wrist Curls are one of the best ways to build forearm mass, and the Dumbbell variety is no joke. Start counting reps once you can feel the burn.

Tuesday, Friday

Band Tricep Extensions/Overhead Band Tricep Extensions 5 x 20

• I like to superset these exercises. Hang two bands off of a pull-up bar, one more stronger than the other. I use two 41” resistance bands, and when you tire with the stronger band from the tricep extesnions, move to the lighter band for the overhead exercise. Focus on improving you mind muscle connection with your triceps on each rep, and hold the top of each contraction for a couple seconds

Hammer Curls 5 x 20

• Hammer Curls are a fantastic dumbbell exercise which evenly builds the biceps and forearm muscles. Keep your elbows in front of your body to place more strain on your biceps and to limit the amount of movement “cheating”. If you perform this exercise correctly you’ll discover it’s one of the best arm and pump exercises.

Forearm Club Raises 5 x 25 - 20

• Find an offset weight such as an Indian club or a thick piece of metal piping. This movement trains forearm adduction, and is a very balanced forearm builder.This also makes for a good burnout exercise after the other two upper arm movements.

Wednesday

Wednesday’s workout is one of the easiest to perform at home, only requiring a doorway pull-up bar. I also like this workout because it improves body-weight movement patterns and strength. The arm pump I got from these workouts was the weakest, but has the most functional carryover.

Close-Grip Push-Ups 3 x 30 - 40

• Place your hands close together but neutral (diamond push-ups can aggravate your shoulders). Perform push-ups, keeping your core tight, scapula in proper positions, and direct all your focus to the triceps. Be sure to lockout each rep as that is where the triceps are activated the most.

Close-Grip Chin-Ups 5 x 10 - 15

• Grab onto a chin-up bar with a supinated grip, hands just a couples inches apart. Perform a chin-up but lay slightly more horizontal and place all your focus on your biceps. Squeeze at the top and slowly go back down to a dead hang. Done properly these are a fantastic bicep mass builder.

2-3” Bar Hangs 5 x Hold As Long As Possible

• Bar hangs are a great way to build forearm strength and endurance, and I like to do them for less time on thicker handles. Wrap your thumbs around the bar and if getting a thick bar setup is too difficult, perform towel hangs instead, which is just as challenging for your grip.

Night Workouts

Upper and lower arm exercises for the night workouts were more varied than the morning exercises, in both exercise selection and in set and rep schemes. Below are 3 example mini arm workouts you can add onto your routine over the course of a week.

Arm Workout 1

Barbell Curls 4x8

• The classic bicep building exercise, the key is to keep your elbows in front of your body in order to place most of the strain directly on your biceps. Use an E-Z bar to reduce wrist strain if that’s an issue you encounter.

Decline Close Grip Bench Press 4x8

• Two variations include performing this exercise on a flat bench with a smith machine, and using a Slingshot. The smith machine takes the small shoulder stabilizers out of the exercise, allowing the triceps to be focused on easier this way. The slingshot helps to reduce the weight of the bar off of the chest, therefore reducing the activation of the chest and placing it onto the triceps.

Behind the Back Barbell Wrist Curls 4x10

• With arms behind the back, it’s really easy to activate the forearms. Don’t count reps until your forearms are already burning, and then push through the pain. Use short rest periods for this exercise.

Arm Workout 2

DB Zotterman Curls 4x12

• Zotterman Curls are one of my favorite bicep exercises, very similar to hammer curls in the muscles they target. The zotterman curl brings the arm across the body, and by doing so you’re able to contract the top of the movement better than a hammer curl due to a move protected shoulder joint position. You’ll have to alternate reps here, so it makes for a good finisher when the biceps and forearms are already fatigued.

Overhead DB Tricep Extension 4x12

• The Overhead Dumbbell Tricep Extension is a classic tricep exercise, and one that’s easily performed at any gym. Standing or seated, I like this exercise less for the contraction at the top and more for the deep stretch I can achieve on my triceps at the bottom. Sink into that stretch, feel your triceps, and then use your triceps to drive the weight upwards.

Reverse DB Curls 4x20

• Reverse Dumbbell Curls are a very flexible exercise, and they can be performed from heavy to very light with a variety of reversed grip positions.

Arm Workout 3

Bicep Preacher Curl Machine 4x15

• I like to use machines every once in a while as a way to take the stabilizer muscles out of the movement in order to fully target the desired muscle, in this case the biceps. I like to hold the stretch, the contraction, and keep the MMC my focus during the movement itself.

Tricep Extension Machine 4x15

• Same concept as above with the Triceps Extension Machine. I find it difficult to contract the triceps compared to stretching the muscle (both can help grow a muscle), and this machine makes it really easy to get an amazing contraction on your entire tricep muscle. Hold the contraction and use a slow controlled tempo in-between.

Plate Pinches 4x Hold As Long As Possible

• Plate Pinches are a semi-unconventional grip exercise, but one that is easily performed at any gym. The two ways to perform this exercise is to to pick up a single 25 - 45 pound plate and hold for as long as possible, or increase the width of the pinch by stacking 10 pound plates together. Both methods improve grip strength.

GROW BIG ARMS

Follow this routine diligently for 30 days and I can guarantee you’ll see noticeable hypertrophy results. In fact, if you have the advantage of having a shorter wingspan with long muscle bellies, you’ll see even better results than I did! If you follow this routine, please share your results via the comments below.

Cistanche Provides and Extra Edge

And if you’re looking for an extra edge in building muscle, getting stronger, and leaning out I recommend you research into the herb cistanche. I used cistanche to boost my free testosterone levels by 53% in just thirty days, it’s one of the only proven testosterone boosting herbs that exists. Nootropics Depot sells cistanche powder with a high level of standardization.

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Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

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