I'm Darryl Edwards (aka The Fitness Explorer), founder of Primal Play, this website is no longer being updated - please check out www.primalplay.com for current details on my work, passion and lifestyle approach.

What is Primal Play? 

Eat for Health, Move for Life!

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Reading List
  • Animal Moves: How to move like an animal to get you leaner, fitter, stronger and healthier for life
    Animal Moves: How to move like an animal to get you leaner, fitter, stronger and healthier for life
    by Darryl Edwards

    Animal Moves

    • improve strength, speed and stamina
    • increase mobility, flexibility and stability
    • look, feel and perform better

    Find out more and details on how to purchase at www.animalmovesbook.com

  • Paleo from A to Z: A reference guide to better health through nutrition and lifestyle. How to eat, live and thrive as nature intended!
    Paleo from A to Z: A reference guide to better health through nutrition and lifestyle. How to eat, live and thrive as nature intended!
    by Darryl Edwards

    "If you are looking for a simple way to better understand Paleo concepts, Darryl's Paleo from A to Z guide is the go-to resource.
    -Mark Sisson, best-selling author of The Primal Blueprint and publisher of Mark's Daily Apple

  • Paleo Fitness - A Primal Training and Nutrition Program to Get Lean, Strong and Healthy
    Paleo Fitness - A Primal Training and Nutrition Program to Get Lean, Strong and Healthy
    by Darryl Edwards, Brett Stewart, Jason Warner

    "This book is a useful reference to enable individuals just starting out on the Paleo path as well as those who want to explore more challenging, playful and interesting ways to move."

    -Robb Wolf, New York Times best-selling author of The Paleo Solution

     

  • 7 Day Introduction to Paleo Fitness: Get Fitter, Get Stronger, Get Healthier in Seven Days. Move as Nature Intended.
    7 Day Introduction to Paleo Fitness: Get Fitter, Get Stronger, Get Healthier in Seven Days. Move as Nature Intended.
    by Darryl Edwards
  • The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet
    The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet
    by Robb Wolf
  • Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
    Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
    by Robert M. Sapolsky
  • Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health & Boundless Energy (Primal Blueprint Series)
    Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health & Boundless Energy (Primal Blueprint Series)
    by Mark Sisson
  • Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things
    Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things
    by Rick Smith, Bruce Lourie, Sarah Dopp
  • Wahls Protocol, The : A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles
    Wahls Protocol, The : A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles
    by Terry Wahls, Eve Adamson
  • Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, the Ultra-Runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
    Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, the Ultra-Runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
    by Christopher McDougall
  • In Defence of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating: An Eater's Manifesto
    In Defence of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating: An Eater's Manifesto
    by Michael Pollan
  • Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
    Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
    by Michael Pollan
  • The Paleo Diet for Athletes
    The Paleo Diet for Athletes
    by L. Cordain
  • Vegetarian Myth, The
    Vegetarian Myth, The
    by Lierre Keith
  • The Second Brain
    The Second Brain
    by Michael D. Gershon
  • The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat
    The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat
    by Loren Cordain
  • Eat Drink Paleo
    Eat Drink Paleo
    by Irena Macri
  • Cholesterol Clarity: What the HDL is Wrong with My Numbers?
    Cholesterol Clarity: What the HDL is Wrong with My Numbers?
    by Jimmy Moore, Eric C. Westman

Entries in XBox One (2)

Monday
Feb022015

The Kinect technology with XBox Fitness (Paul George)

Training with Paul George of the Indiana Pacers (virtually on my Xbox One anyway!) using XBox Fitness.  The Kinect technology works very well to ensure good form, tracking heart rate and intensity too.  Good to challenge myself with something different every now and again. #Fitness


Sunday
Jan262014

Xbox Fitness: The Future?

Xbox Fitness: The Future?


Me completing my first Insanity workout on XBox One

I love technology, and I can not fail to express the delight that I now own a "next-gen" games console.  The Xbox One.  It is a great way to spend several hours on the sofa playing games but not so great when it comes to avoiding a sedentary lifestyle.  Other consoles have tried to encourage activity in the past with some success such as the Nintendo Wii Fit.  Dance and keep fit games have been available where you perform movements whilst holding your console controller, but these do not add much to the movement experience.

However, here is something interesting, some of the leading fitness programmes and personalities are now available for the Xbox One via the XBox Fitness application (free for XBox Live subscribers).  These programmes include Tony Horton's P90X, Shaun T's Insanity, Tracy Anderson's Omnicentric Metamorphosis and Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30.  The workouts naturally cater for a variety of skill levels, exercise length and equipment demands - however what makes these programmes interesting are the features that are now possible using the included XBox One Kinect peripheral.  The Kinect technology is astounding with high resolution camera, biometric infra-red scanning, several microphone sensors and very smart software.  This offers the potential to make workout videos truly interactive.

In other words, instead of just watching an exercise DVD and repeating a series of instructions - you can view yourself alongside the workout video which mirrors your movement in real-time, the kinect detects body temperature, muscle tension and weight transfer, heart rate (without a heart rate monitor of any kind) and work rate intensity through the Kinect.  Movements are "scored" and achievements awarded based on your efforts.  You are not only told how to execute a movement, but also told to keep up with the trainer when you are falling behind, prompted to go lower whilst doing a press-up, given cues to maintain form whilst squatting and so on.

The system is not perfect (tracking sometimes fails, but that is a rare occurrence) - however this system demonstrates significant potential to the point where I have now done several workouts on the console ranging from 10 minutes to 45 minutes, some of which are very challenging but also much more engaging than a workout DVD! 
  
Keeping an eye on future applications, I am also quite excited about what this technology could do with additional software updates, for example: prompting when you need to take a break based on your exertion levels; taking regular snapshots to check body composition progress; checking fitness markers such as V02 max based on oxygen utilisation and detecting whether you are using equipment or not.
  
If you are fortunate enough to have an XBox one make sure you load the fitness app, and give it a whirl.  You may find you end up spending more time on the fitness apps than the traditional gaming applications!