Sleep, Exercise, and Eat like a baby!

I am late with this weekly podcast of Paleo Quick Tip of the Day, which usually comes out on each and every Wednesday- but I have a good reason!  My wife and I have been caring for our 14 month old grandson and, although it was truly a joy to have him in the house and yard for four days and nights, it is also- a lot of work!

 

If you have a little one or more, you know what I am saying is true.  Little children take about all you can give them, and if you are doing a good job of nurturing,  just about all of your time as well.   The other demands of daily life just continue, and so to add in a baby is just lots of work and very tiring. 

 

Now hopefully we all know just how important a good night’s sleep is in a paleo lifestyle!  It is right up there in importance with cutting gluten and grains, eating nutrient dense foods, and avoiding processed and fast foods- right up there at the top of the list.  So, if you have a baby to care for, I recommend your double down on your rest and sleep- when they sleep, you sleep.  I know, you need to do chores as well, but try to sleep more than you normally would- sleep like a baby, if you can, with LOTS of shut-eye.

 

Luckily, with Perfectly Paleo types of exercise, I could do virtual resistance exercises right alongside baby, as he played with his toys on the floor. I swear, as I flexed and pushed, he was doing the same thing, crawling and pulling himself up and dancing!  Paleo Exercise is much like that naturally practiced instinctively by babies.

 

Pushups and sit ups also are no problem, although the little guy gave me the curious eye as I did them!  I also could do all of my stretches on the floor, and my back bridging in the mornings with a little “audience” in the living room.  I also did a lot of “baby lifts”, which he enjoyed immensely!

 

Nutrition?  Baby even helped with that!  For instance, for breakfast we had pasture raised liver sausage and sweet potato.  (Babies like anything, and benefit just as much (or more) than we do from such nutrient dense foods!  Lunch was chicken and broccoli, and supper was ham and carrots and rice.  Of course, I had my green smoothie each and every day, and my little “mini-me” had a sippy cup of coconut milk. 

 

We also had meals of steel cut oatmeal with raisins, cut up apple pieces, and melon slices.  My little grandson ate about as much as I did, which surprised me, since he is only 22 pounds!  (But, I suspect, not for long- his father is 6’ 6” tall…)

 

So, the moral of this story?  Rest, Exercise, and Nutrition- these are the three most important things for your health!  NOT statin drugs, depression drugs, flu shots, high blood pressure drugs, and all of the endless drugs and treatments you see advertised constantly on the television and in print!  Your own, God-g