My Review of Solving the Paleo Equation

I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Solving the Paleo Equation by Matt Stone and Dr. Garrett Smith, and really enjoyed this book. Like many people, I have been frustrated and grown tired of all the health and diet so-called gurus out there that all seem to do nothing more than contradict each other. Honestly, one day one super food is the end-all be-all of glowing health and ideal weight and then boom, we read elsewhere that that same super food is bad stuff. The average reader wants to throw a book across the room and go down a dozen doughnuts.

Solving the Paleo Equation is for folks like me, who don’t want to follow the latest craze; we just want down to earth, simple solutions that are easy to follow. Well, this book is it. I came away understanding that we really know more about what our body needs than we realize. It’s broken down into four parts: Stress, Nutrition, Exercise and Sleep.

From the book, we see that stress can wreak havoc on the body, and learn here that there are 12 major stressors, from diet and exercise stress, to irregularity and sleep stress. Nutrition has been a stressor in itself with so much conflicting information out there, but for Paleo followers, Matt addresses some myths that most take on faith in the Paleo way. Such as natural is always better, that we have not adapted to eating grains and dairy, that modern Paleo is the way our ancestors ate. Exercise should not produce vomiting or pain, and that we should listen to our body, which makes perfect, simple sense. Sleep is the topic that was very important to me, and I learned a lot. We all need to get outside every single day, away from our electronic devises with their Electro Magnetic Fields, and get grounded. This chapter has a lot of great and simple steps to take to get a better night’s sleep.

I’ve read lots of books not only about health and nutrition, but insomnia, too. This one is a keeper.

    

Sweet Slumber: How to Get Some Sleep

One of the worst and most heinous things that happen as we become golden is that sleep can sometimes elude us. Adding insult to injury, our bodies have begun to revolt and we discover some aches and pains that totally ruin a night of sound sleep. I know, it seems men don't have this problem getting off to sleep as much as women do, but I know of some men that do. So guys, this is for you too.

We have all seen the daytime television shows that offer advice on the subject of sleep. We watch and think, "Ok that sounds easy enough."   We try some of the solutions mentioned and what happens?  We end up staring at the dark walls for hours, sometimes until daylight comes creeping through the window. Unless you have blackout curtains and can't tell whether it's night or day anyway.

Without sleep, the most even-keeled among us can become hell on wheels the next day, sniping at everyone that  has the misfortune of crossing our paths.  So, for the sake of our families and friends, we need to sleep. I've searched for common sense information on the subject for a while now, and some of what I have read does make sense.

An article from CNN Tech suggests that the light from our devices such as our readers and tablets can mess with our sleep cycles and affect our internal clocks. It is suggested that we turn off these devices at night, keep them out of the bedroom, and switch to a good, old fashioned book (can you believe a book can seriously be considered as old fashioned now?) a few hours before bedtime.

There are certain foods and supplements that are best for getting a good nights sleep, too. According to an article at Health, some foods are great for getting off to sleep while some are not so great. Among the good guys are cherries, sweet potatoes, milk, and turkey. Bananas especially so, because they contain two muscle relaxants, magnesium and potassium. A couple of the worst are chocolate and wine, which really is a downer to think about. Wine and chocolate and a good book? Who doesn't think that is a great combination? Not so much, if you want a good night's sleep.

Lack of enough sleep can also be bad for your heart, according to this video from Huffpost Healthy Living. Not getting enough sleep can lead to developing not only heart disease, but diabetes and obesity as well.

Most of us are busy with family, friends, work, living our lives. We want to be healthy, yet we can become overwhelmed with too much information to sift through.  If we follow a few easy and common sense solutions, maybe they will lead to that sweet slumber we all need and crave.

Let's all get a good night's sleep, and be well.