Mark Sisson

Bird photography is one of the most challenging genres of photography, and can test even modern high-specification cameras to their limits. This practical book guides you through both how to understand your camera and how to develop your own style and approach. With technical, practical and creative insights throughout, it also emphasizes the importance of fieldcraft and understanding your subject.

Mark Sisson, the leading voice in the Evolutionary Health movement and author of the bestseller The Primal Blueprint, extends the primal theme beyond the diet and exercise basics in this much anticipated sequel. The Primal Connection presents a comprehensive plan to overcome the flawed mentality and hectic pace of high-tech, modern life and reprogram your genes to become joyful, care-free, and at peace with the present. You’ll make scientifically validated, highly intuitive connections across the board, emerging with a renewed appreciation for the simple pleasures of life and our most precious gifts of time, health, and love. The connections are organized into 6 categories: · Inner Dialogue: Reject self-doubt and gain mastery over your thoughts and actions by following the Ten Habits of Highly Successful Hunter-Gatherers. · Body: Rediscover the pleasure of touch. Rethink footwear to cure foot and back pain; learn correct posture and biomechanics, maybe for the first time ever! · Nature: Relieve stress at the biochemical level simply by immersing yourself in pleasant natural surroundings – anywhere, even if you are city-bound. · Daily Rhythm: Prioritize healthful sleep habits, wholesome diversions, solitary downtime, and limit technology to remain focused, creative, and productive. · Social: Withstand the pull of instant gratifications and narrow your social circle to honor real-life friends over Facebook. Build a supportive and nurturing tribe. · Play: Rediscover your innate cravings for daily doses of spontaneous, physical fun! Finally understand the true meanings of pleasure and leisure. The Primal Connection allows you to have it all; you’ll honor your ancient genetic recipe for health while still enjoying the comfort and convenience of modern life. Q&A with Mark1. How does this book differ from The Primal Blueprint? The Primal Blueprint focused on the ten lifestyle laws of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, with particular emphasis on what seem to be the most urgent and obvious life changing elements of the Evolutionary Health movement: eating primal foods and exercising in a manner aligned with optimal gene expression. The Primal Connection extends the primal theme to matters of the psyche and the disconnects inherent with high tech modern life and how to fix things. 2. What are the overarching themes of The Primal Connection? You’ll embrace three critical themes that will help you withstand the destructive forces of modern life. First, your genes expect certain inputs to make you healthy, strong, and happy. If you create a different experience—slamming junk food or blasting artificial light and digital stimulation after dark, you’ll compromise long-term health, period. Your genes don’t know, or care, whether the inputs they receive are health-promoting or health compromising, they are simply programmed to fight for homeostasis at all times. Drink a soda and your genes respond by prompting the release of insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. In this refrain, the development of type 2 diabetes from prolonged excessive insulin production, and the subsequent resistance of cells to respond to insulin, is not a genetic defect but an example of gene expression at work. Your genes will fight valiantly to moderate the wildly excessive intake of carbohydrates in the Standard American Diet by producing insulin until this genetic mechanism becomes utterly exhausted and a diabetic condition develops. The second theme is that abundance and scarcity are often mismatched with our genetic expectations. For example, our ancestors had abundant leisure time and scarce material possessions. This is something our brains are still wired to expect and appreciate, but the exact opposite often plays out today. Consequently, we feel stressed and anxious about busy schedules and consumerist, “affluenza” mentalities because they in conflict with our hard-wired genetic reference point. As Dr. Art DeVany, PhD expressed, “Modern life leaves our minds restless and under-utilized because we are confined, inactive, and comfortable. We cannot be satisfied with more and more, because we are evolved for another lifeway in which material goods do not matter. The result is that we are deeply unsatisfied with modern life and don’t know why.” Our genes simply don’t know what to make of all our “stuff”, and our lack of physical or cognitive down time to get refreshed and rejuvenated for the challenges of daily life. The third theme is that your deep primal drive to pursue behaviors that generate feel good hormones—the key to prevailing in the survival of the fittest game—must today be tempered with common sense and evaluation of long-term repercussions. For example, we are hard-wired for a sweet tooth because we experienced an adaptive benefit to avoid poisonous plants (plant life that is sweet is universally safe to consume and rich in calories and antioxidants—survival promoting!) and consume seasonal fruits and tubers that enabled our bodies to store energy for winter months of minimal caloric intake. Yep, our ancestors fattened up for the winter! Today, with massive amounts of sugar at our disposal and few modern citizens wishing to fatten up for the winter months, it makes sense to temper this sweet tooth wiring with sensible caloric intake that is aligned with long-term health. For example, emphasizing seasonal fruit intake but refraining from year-round intake of overly cultivated, overly sweetened fruits. The same is true for the massive amount of digital stimulation we are exposed to daily. We are hardwired to be attuned to novel stimulation in our environment and kick into the fight of flight response at a moment’s notice. 3. What are some examples of actual Primal Connections? Go barefoot: Forget motion control shoes, custom-made orthotics and other modern comforts and supports that weaken your feet, promote inefficient mechanics and promote pain and injury. Transitioning to a barefoot or minimalist shoe lifestyle promotes correct walking, running and standing technique and relieves foot and back pain. The Primal Connection details the right way to do it so you don’t get injured or discouraged. Darken your evenings: Soon after the sun sets, our genes are programmed for an elegant chain of hormonal processes that make us feel sleepy and facilitate a smooth transition from a wakeful state to sound sleep. Unfortunately, today’s artificial light and digital stimulation after dark short-circuit our circadian rhythms, one of the most fundamental and health-critical natural cycles on the planet. Make your evenings as dark and mellow as possible by wearing orange or yellow-tinted sunglasses, switching to orange light bulbs or candlelight around your house, and avoiding digital screen use in the final hours before bedtime. Mellow, darkened evenings will help reconnect you with your circadian rhythm, promoting restorative sleep and high-energy mornings. Stand up at your work desk: Warning—the chair is a modern creation of dubious value. Prolonged use can be hazardous to your health and body composition goals. Retrofitting your workstation to include a standing option (okay to switch back and forth of course) will improve concentration and fat metabolism. Don’t fear the sun! Sunbathing helps prevent cancer—especially the most serious form of skin cancer, melanoma. Strive to maintain a slight tan (never burn of course) during the peak season. Go ahead and screen sensitive areas, but make a point to expose large skin surface areas to direct sunlight regularly. This will ensure that your body produces healthy levels of vitamin D, which helps to regulate healthy cell division and thus protect against all forms of cancer. (Cover image my vary)

Based on 8 key concepts and 5 action items, this book outlines a blueprint to get your health back on track - and your body fit and toned. It helps improve health conditions, including migraines, tinnitus, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Following the popularity of The Primal Blueprint Cookbook and Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals (both attained Amazon's #1 ranking for low-carb cookbooks), best-selling author Mark Sisson and gourmet chef Jennifer Meier team up again to transform ordinary meals into culinary masterpieces with Primal Blueprint Healthy Sauces, Dressings & Toppings. You'll get acquainted with the essential list of Primal-approved ingredients: butter, coconut milk, flour alternatives, puréed vegetables, nut butters, eggs, healthful oils, vinegar, salt and assorted herbs and spices. Then, it's off to the races to create your dips, rubs, dessert toppings, marinades, seasonings, salsa, pesto, flavored butter, tapenade, gravy and much more. The rich and satisfying flavor these sauces, dressings and toppings bring to your meals will not only boost nutritional and antioxidant values, but will also ban the objectionable sugars and fats found in most conventional flavor enhancers from the table! From staples like ketchup, mustard and hot sauce, to the more exotic creations like Blueberry Chutney, Carrot Salsa and Avocado Lime Dressing, each recipe enhances the nutritional value of your meal and uses only Primal ingredients. That means no gluten, grains, legumes, added sugars or unhealthy trans or polyunsaturated oils. And you don't have to compromise great taste or spend hours slaving over complicated preparations. With options organized into convenient categories and presented with vibrant photos and simple instructions, going Primal just got easier—and a whole lot tastier!

The Primal Blueprint 90-Day Journal -- A Personal Experiment is a comprehensive diet, exercise, and lifestyle logbook/journal to help you stay focused, accountable, and motivated to live Primally. The n=1 (an experiment of one) format allows you to dial in the exact foods, workout patterns, and supporting lifestyle behaviors you need to peak -- with your physique, fitness goals, and everyday energy and immune function. The 90-Day Journal is the ideal practical guide to support Mark Sisson's best-selling The Primal Blueprint and The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation. Unlike many rigidly structured workout logs and food diaries, this journal allows for plenty of creativity and free-form expression. Filled with detailed how-to-use instructions, experiment suggestions, and handy Primal resources, this journal is exactly what you need to launch your experiment of one! Inside the 282 pages you'll find detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to conduct personal experiments and use the book to discover how your body works, and sample experiments for weight loss, improving sleep, moderating systemic inflammation and others to set you off in the right direction. In addition, you'll discover a spacious, two-page daily journal spreads with assorted customization options for meal and workout particulars, subjective Success Scores (for daily energy, motivation, health and goal progress), and data from unique personal experiments that you design and track during your 90-day journey, as well as a handy Primal resource section covering all the key Primal Blueprint concepts, food and meal suggestions, workout guidelines, macronutrient values for common meals and snacks, and more.

Explains what you need to do to get the body and health you want - with the minimum amount of effort. This title helps you to: Lose weight quickly and easily; Increase your daily energy levels; Get a strong, fit, lean body; Sleep soundly; Improve cholesterol and blood sugar; and, more.

Primal Blueprint author Mark Sisson presents a fun, easy-to-follow, practical guidebook to help you "get Primal" in only 21 days. First, you'll learn eight Key Concepts that represent the most important day-to-day elements living Primally, then tackle five Action Items that will enable you to literally reprogram your genes toward a long, healthy, and energetic life. The Action Items are presented in a fun and life-transforming 21-Day Challenge, featuring daily diet, exercise, and lifestyle endeavors with corresponding journal exercises. You'll transition out of the regimented, carb-dependent, fat-storing Standard American Diet (SAD), the chronic, overly-stressful exercise patterns recommended by Conventional Wisdom, and other health-compromising elements of hectic modern life. Instead, you'll smoothly implement the evolution-tested lifestyle behaviors of our hunter-gatherer ancestors to promote optimal gene expression. By eating Primally, you'll transform from a "sugar-burner" into a Sisson's so-called "fat burning beast", where stored body fat becomes your preferred fuel choice, and energy, hormone, metabolic, and immune function are optimized automatically. With an intuitive mix of Primal workouts, you'll get exceptionally fit in only a few hours per week -- and have fun while you're at it! The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Transformation is stocked with photos, diagrams, concise section summaries, workout descriptions and photos, resource lists for Primal-approved foods and foods to avoid, recipe suggestions, and detailed real-life success stories to help you stay confident and focused on your Primal journey. Unlike many complex, regimented, quick-fix programs, the Primal Blueprint 21-Day Transformation is a simple, sensibly-paced journey shaped by personal preference and a strong emphasis on enjoying comfortable modern life. The material is scalable for everyone, from Type-A fitness die-hards who might benefit from a more relaxed approach, to couch potatoes who need motivation to take that first step. Mark Sisson guides you in a light-hearted, irreverent tone that will make you feel comfortable and inspired, and never intimidated. You can expect quick results in the first 21 days (fat loss, improved energy levels, fitness, and blood test markers), but your 21-Day Transformation is only the beginning of a life of ease and contentment that is possible when you live in harmony with your genetic requirements for health and longevity.

Since it’s initial release in 2011, Primal Blueprint Quick&Easy Meals has become one of the best-selling primal/paleo cookbooks of all time, presenting over 100 simple, quick preparations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, snacks, sauces, toppings and rubs. All the recipes are designed with speed and efficiency in mind. While at times a prolonged gourmet meal preparation experience can be fun, the reality of hectic daily life can often compromise your healthy eating goals. With Primal Blueprint Quick&Easy Meals, you can discover numerous go-to meals that will help you stay on track with your healthy eating goals even when you don’t have much time to cook. Mark Sisson and chef/food writer/photographer Jennifer Meier show you how to delight your family or guests every time with quick, delicious meals using local produce, CSA meats, healthy fats (yes, and real butter) and nutrient powerhouse herbs and spices. The recipes are free of grains, refined vegetable oils, and added sugars that are the most objectionable elements of the modern diet. Each recipe has a naturally low glycemic impact and comes with a complete macronutrient profile, so you know exactly what you're putting in your body - no guesswork required. Each recipe also has a “Time in the Kitchen” value, so you’ll know exactly what to expect, be it 30 minutes or 5. As you build momentum for Primal eating, you'll find that you won't even miss the boring, low-fat, high-carb foods that previously were the central focus of your diet. And no matter your experience in the kitchen, you'll learn how to prepare delectable dishes like Bacon Souffle Frittata, Dill and Caper Salmon Burgers and Chorizo and Almond-Crusted Halibut. This isn't a crash course diet, and this won't be a cookbook that collects dust on your bookshelf. These and other Primal recipes provide the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating that you'll eagerly come back to again and again. Now, there are no more excuses for you to get into the Primal lifestyle, start losing weight, staying healthy and having more energy while enjoying nature's most satisfying foods! This updated edition contains a bonus section of keto-friendly recipes, inspired by Mark Sisson’s 2017 New York Times bestseller, The Keto Reset Diet.

Enjoy this comprehensively updated, expanded, and redesigned paperback version of the original bestseller, which was one of the first primal/paleo cookbooks ever published back in 2010. The all-new design features stunning photography, an overview education on primal eating, shopping and lifestyle elements, updated recipes with macronutrient breakdowns and metric conversions, do-it-yourself preparations for the popular Primal Kitchen brand salad dressings and mayonnaise's, and icon designations for recipes as gluten-free, vegetarian and keto-friendly (inspired by Mark Sisson’s 2017 New York Times bestseller, The Keto Reset Diet.) The Primal Blueprint Cookbook has everything you need to get started with a primal-style diet, or get more creative with your primal meals. These recipes are free from refined sugars, grains, and vegetable oils, and honor the ancestral foods of meat, fish, fowl, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and healthy modern foods such as high fat dairy and dark chocolate. You learn about the basics of primal cooking and living, source the best ingredients and kitchen items, and then be off and running with creative recipes in the following categories: Meat, Offal, Fowl, Seafood, Vegetables, Eggs, Primal Substitutes, Marinades, Sauces and Dressings, Desserts, Beverages, Primal Kitchen mayo and dressings, and Keto Recipes. Even if you’re an enthusiastic meat eater, you’ll break through to the next level with the creative preparations of Offal (animal organ meats.) If you think dessert is only about sugar, you’ll be amazed at the array of primal-approved savory treats you can prepare. With the Substitute Recipe section, you can still enjoy your breads, crackers, muffins, pancakes, and rice, and will perhaps even agree that primal-style tastes even better. This offering from Mark Sisson, New York Times bestselling author, publisher of the number one primal/paleo blog MarksDailyApple.com, and Jennifer Meier, with 2018 updates by Tracy Dunigan, and Dr. Lindsay Taylor and Layla McGowan (Mark’s co-authors on the bestselling Keto Reset Instant Pot Cookbook), contains over 100 recipes and hundreds of vibrant photos (all from McGowan) to help you dial in these fun and easy to understand recipes. Join the wildly popular primal/paleo movement, as millions are transforming their lives by ditching nutrient-deficient processed modern foods and eating the nutrient-dense foods that have nourished humans for 2.5 million years of evolution. As you ditch refined sugars, grains and vegetable oils and start emphasizing primal foods, you’ll transition away from the disastrous state of carbohydrate dependency and chronically excessive insulin production that is agreed to be the number one public health problem in the developed world. Instead, you’ll become what Sisson calls a “fat burning beast.” This means you are able to burn fat as your primary fuel source instead of relying on regular high carbohydrate snacks and meals. You’ll enjoy stable energy, appetite, mood, and cognition all day long, and efficiently reduce excess body fat without struggling or suffering in the manner of a typical calorie-restrictive diet. By teaching your body to prefer fat for fuel, you can efficiently reach and maintain your ideal body composition for the rest of your life. As you build momentum for Primal eating, you'll find that you won't even miss the bland, boring, low-fat foods that previously were the central focus of your diet. How can you argue with a menu that includes Roasted Leg of Lamb with Herbs and Garlic, Salmon Chowder with Coconut Milk, Tomatoes Stuffed with Ground Bison and Eggs, and Baked Chocolate Custard? The Primal Blueprint isn’t a crash course diet. These and the other Primal recipes provide the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating, high energy and protection from common health problems that arise from eating SAD (Standard American Diet).

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Mark Sisson unveils his groundbreaking ketogenic diet plan that resets your metabolism in 21 days so you can burn fat forever. “Sisson masterfully delivers a comprehensive guide . . . to finally achieve success as it relates to health and weight loss.”—David Perlmutter, M. D., author of Grain Brain Mounting scientific research is confirming that eating a ketogenic diet could represent one of the greatest nutritional breakthroughs of our time—and that it might be the healthiest and most effective weight loss strategy ever. Going “keto” by eating high fat, low-to-moderate protein and low-carb foods enables you to break free from the disastrous effects of carbohydrate dependency by resetting your metabolism and promoting metabolic flexibility—where your body learns to burns fat instead of sugar for energy, even when you go off plan. Unlike many other ketogenic programs that require challenging restrictions and deprivation or offer misinformation, Mark Sisson, bestselling author of The Primal Blueprint and publisher of the #1 paleo blog MarksDailyApple, presents a unique two-step, scientifically validated approach for going keto the right way. He first reveals the real secret to rapid and sustained weight loss, which is in becoming "fat-adapted" before entering full nutritional ketosis. It takes as little as 21-days to reprogram your metabolism to burn fat for fuel, by ditching processed grains, sugars, and refined vegetable oils in favor of nutrient-dense, high fat, primal/paleo foods—and you''ll see immediate results. Next, you’ll fine-tune with Intermittent Fasting and then foray into full ketogenic eating for a further weight loss boost and improved health. With The Keto Reset Diet, you can eat to total satisfaction by enjoying rich, high-satiety foods, and even weather occasional slip-ups, using: • Step-by-step guidance • A helpful list of toxic foods to avoid and nutrient-dense food to replace them • Daily meal plans, including a recipe section with over 100 keto friendly recipes You’ll use keto as a lifelong tool to stay trim, healthy, energetic, and free from the disastrous health conditions caused by the typical American diet. The Keto Reset Diet is the definitive guide to help the keto-beginner or the experienced health enthusiast understand the what, why, and how to succeed with ketogenic eating.