I'm Darryl Edwards, a movement therapist, paleo nutritionist, blogger and published author of "Paleo Fitness" based in London, England.  This blog documents my experiences with a primal lifestyle that has made me fitter and healthier in my forties than ever before.  I am a contributor to Paleo Magazine and presenter at various symposiums such as Paleo:f(x), PrimalCon, AHS (Ancestral Health Symposium) and other events globally introducing the world to Primal Play.

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Reading List
  • 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
  • The Paleo Solution
    The Paleo Solution
    by Robb Wolf

    Paleo for weight loss, performance and disease prevention. Read my full review here.

  • Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
    Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
    by Robert M. Sapolsky

    The impact of too much stress in our lives - impotence, obesity, heart disease and much more...

  • The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health, and Boundless Energy
    The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health, and Boundless Energy
    by Mark Sisson

    Usually we have to go back to basics to progress, this is a great place to start!

  • 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

    "Think about the toxic chemicals you put onto your body, and are exposed to on a daily basis.  Frankly, quite worrying..."

  • Protein Power
    Protein Power
    by Michael R. Eades, Mary Dan Eades, Mary Deans

    First published in the mid 1990s.  Amongst other things, disputes the 'fat intake causes obesity' argument and reasons why the high carb/low-fat diet doesn't work.

  • 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

    An inspirational read, whether you are a 'runner' or not.  This book also investigates why expensive 'cushioned' running shoes increases the likelihood of injury.

  • 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

    An insight into real, simple and nutritious food.  Insightful.

  • Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
    Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
    by Michael Pollan

    An excellent, non-scientific common sense quick reference to the often confusing question : "What should I eat?"

  • The Paleo Diet for Athletes
    The Paleo Diet for Athletes
    by L. Cordain

    An alternative to Cordain's first book "The Paleo Diet" if who want to consider the impact of Paleo on athletic performance.  It is geared towards endurance athletes but an interesting read nonetheless.

  • Vegetarian Myth, The
    Vegetarian Myth, The
    by Lierre Keith

    I'm an omnivore.  I believe it is healthy to eat naturally-reared meat, non-farmed fish as well as a wide variety of fresh vegetables.  This book is an interesting read and has a lot to say about why becoming a vegetarian isn't necessarily the best option for humans.  However read this, do your own research and make up your own mind.

  • The Second Brain
    The Second Brain
    by Michael D. Gershon

    A discussion about the complex nervous system working in the gut, which produces neurotransmitters such as serotonin.  In fact much more serotonin is produced in the gut than the brain!

  • The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine
    The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine
    by James Le Fanu
  • Swindled: From Poison Sweets to Counterfeit Coffee - The Dark History of the Food Cheats
    Swindled: From Poison Sweets to Counterfeit Coffee - The Dark History of the Food Cheats
    by Bee Wilson
  • Cancer: The Evolutionary Legacy
    Cancer: The Evolutionary Legacy
    by M.F. Greaves
  • 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

    This provides extraordinary insight into the reasons behind adopting a paleolithic diet.  Some aspects are controversial and many may feel it is too dogmatic.  I have often gone back to this book and re-read it for clarification as Dr Loren Cordain is often mis-quoted.  There is now a revised edition (2010 edition) to counter some of its earlier criticisms, this is an excellent resource and a must-read for any one serious about paleo nutrition.

  • Lore of Running
    Lore of Running
    by Tim Noakes

    This book offers a comprehensive insight into the science, coaching and discipline of running.  Energy systems, coaching and training.  Often quoted as the bible of running.

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!