It’s a question I’ve posed to clients and seminar attendees in the past: what direction or wisdom would you share with your younger self if you could go back ten, twenty, thirty years (or more)? The idea obliges us to think about the whole of our journey thus far – how we’ve viewed health or success, how we’ve valued our well-being against other commitments, how we’ve weighed instinct against authority – among endless other inquiries.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

We’re springing into summer, and into perfect weather for outdoor activities—we’re already there in Malibu. I’ve been catching some rays (and vitamin D as a result) while hiking, paddle boarding, cycling, and playing Ultimate Frisbee. The key word in that last sentence is “playing”—it’s central to how I stay in shape and enjoy life. But it wasn’t always this way.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

Although I’ve always been a science guy, I’ve found myself drawn to philosophy at times. For the most part, I take a pretty practical approach to it. I want something I can use. Navel gazing doesn’t interest me, and neither does splitting hairs or playing a game of clever semantics. Philosophy, as I appreciate it, isn’t an academic study but a useful template (or choice of templates actually) for life practice.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

Elle chats with Ted McDonald, who is a yoga teacher, endurance athlete, fitness trainer and entrepreneur. With over a decade of experience teaching yoga, Ted founded a company called Adventures Yoga Retreats, which takes people on fitness excursions to transform their lives. In addition, Ted is also the designated yoga teacher for the Tour de France BMC racing team. In today's show, he discusses his journey to adopting a primal lifestyle after finding out, as a self-perceived fit individual, that he was insulin resistant. He hones in on the fundamentals of yoga practice, how many carbs to include in your diet, and the compatibility of endurance training with a primal diet.

Enjoy a special promotion from this episode's sponsor: DNAFit.com

Click here and enter the code PRIMALBLUEPRINT at checkout for a whopping 30% off your own personal genetic test!

Today we announce a spin-off podcast dedicated to matters of endurance training and racing, the Primal Endurance Podcast. The decision to launch a new channel was inspired by the November 2015 planned release of the book Primal Endurance. I have been working hard on this project with Brad Kearns for a long time, and we are particularly passionate about Primal Endurance becoming a movement instead of just a book—a catalyst to reshape the disastrously flawed conventional approach to endurance sports.

Enjoy a speciel promotion from this episode's sponsor: DNAFit.com

Click here and enter the code PRIMALBLUEPRINT at checkout for a whopping 30% off your own personal genetic test!

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

Ambivalence and lack of personal investment aside, I can’t ignore the bitter debate raging between raw milk advocates and raw milk skeptics. I may not have a personal dog in this fight (for what it’s worth, I seem to tolerate pasteurized milk just fine), and lots of Primal folks reading this are in the same boat, but many of my readers do drink milk — or would like to drink it if a healthier version existed. Raw milk may or may not be that version. Plus, it’s always interesting to wade into the fray to see whose claims are science-based and whose aren’t.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

Mike DiLandro hosts today’s episode and talks to Nicolette Hahn Niman, the brilliant author behind Defending Beef. Nicolette works on a cattle ranch in Northern California, has two young sons, and has gained national notoriety for writing and speaking about sustainable farming. Besides running a cattle ranch, Nicolette has had a long career as an environmental lawyer in the field of pollution related to the poultry and livestock industry. On today’s show, she helps cut through the misinformation about livestock sustainability and offers solutions to the environmental impacts we face in creating a healthier, more sustainable, and environmentally conscious system for meat production.

Whenever I’m strapped for time and equipment and still need a solid workout, I turn to the burpee. Burpees are bodyweight exercises, and thus require no equipment or weights. They are full body movements that employ every muscle group, require only as much space as you need to do a pushup, can be done anywhere, can be done slowly and methodically or quick for a sprint-like workout. While burpees are great for all the reasons I listed above, there are some reasons you might want an alternative.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

No matter how well we think we’re doing in terms of responsible eating choices (e.g. grass-fed beef), somebody turns around and brags that they’re eating a pastured heritage beef breed. If we’re of a particularly sensitive or maybe just competitive nature, suddenly we’re sucked into a Portlandia version of social shame and ethical hell. How did we exchange sanity for perfectionism, and how do we find our way back? When it comes to making simple food decisions, where do we draw the line between putting helpful knowledge into practice and putting ourselves through a moral gauntlet?

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)

To answer the title, kind of. The same basic principle of yogurt-making applies to all yogurts: the inoculation of milk with specific strains of yogurt bacteria followed by incubation at a temperature warm enough to encourage growth and proliferation. Yogurt is milk transformed into a creamy, tangy, more nutritious product. All yogurt is initially created equal, but after that, all bets are off. For whatever reason, food producers have seen fit to ruin a perfectly good thing with misguided additions and subtractions.

(This Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Brock Armstrong)