The Paleo Coach by Jason Seib was just released a few weeks ago. I am familiar with Jason as a Trainer and Gym Owner and business partner of Sarah Fragoso. They do an excellent weekly podcast that I recommended to you a couple weeks ago called the Everyday Paleo Lifestyle Podcast.
This book is divided into three sections: Think, Eat and Move. The first section, Think!, commits a great deal of ink to driving home a key point, that if your motivation for losing weight is simply for aesthetics, you will fail. This is not negotiable. However, if your motivation is health and wellness, you will actually see results that will affect you aesthetically.
He cites example that we are all familiar with and perhaps are guilty of, such as, “I need to lose weight to fit in my wedding dress”, or fit into a bikini, or look good on vacation (those are not my own personal examples, mind you). You get the idea. These all require severe caloric restrictions and ridiculous cardio for short-term results, because these are lifestyles that are not sustainable.
Once he has drilled improved health and real motivation into your head, he moves onto the second section, Eat! He discusses human physiology, in regards to hormonal changes and food, and the impact of glucose and insulin on energy and fat production. Then he discusses how overly processed carbs contribute to this. And eventually he introduces the Paleo lifestyle. The book also includes a couple dozen Paleo recipes for those who need to see a series of meals modeled for them to grasp this concept.
Then he moves onto the third section of the book, Move! In the last five chapters he drives home the need to move, to exercise, to lift heavy things.
He discusses cardio training versus strength training. Jason doesn’t mention CrossFit by name, but he is critical of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), that goes to extremes. I know from listening to his podcast weekly that he is very respectful of CrossFit, generally, but he is very aware that not all affiliates are created equal. His concern is about people being thrown to the wolves. I believe his concerns are not valid for the CF2a club and coaches. However, I believe the outrageous intensity of the CrossFit Games may very well illustrate his concern. Though we know this isn’t the norm.
My favorite chapters are in the back of the book, where people in their 50’s and 60’s are transformed into fit and healthy vibrant people. Gee, why does that appeal to me?
So who needs to read this book? Actually, I believe it would be an excellent book to give as a gift to that friend or relative who keeps asking about Paleo, but is afraid that they will spend the rest of their days eating roadkill. If you are a CrossFitter and you have seriously adopted the Paleo lifestyle, then The Paleo Coach will fascinate you.
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