Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation: A Step-By-Step, Gene Reprogramming Action Plan [Paperback]

"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 carbohydrate-dependant "sugar-burner" into a "fat burning beast" as Sisson puts it, where the fat stored on your waist, hips, thighs and everywhere else becomes your body's preferred fuel source, and your 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 pictures, 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. MarksDailyApple.com provides extensive support with thousands of articles on living Primally in the modern world.

Key ConceptsYou really can reprogram your genes by the way you eat, exercise and live from day-to-day. The clues to optimal gene expression are found in evolution: adapt the simple lifestyle behaviors of our (genetically identical) hunter-gatherer ancestors into hectic modern life. Your body prefers burning fat over carbohydrates: Eating Primally will return your body to its "factory setting" as a fat-burning beast80 percent of your body composition success is determined by how you eat - particularly your ability to regulate the wildly excessive insulin production of the Standard American Diet.Grains are totally unnecessary: Grains (and legumes for that matter) offer minimal nutrition, a high insulin response, and contain anti-nutrients that promote inflammation and compromise digestion and immune function.Saturated fat and cholesterol are not your enemy: They are critical to cellular health, hormone function and metabolism, and only cause problems when insulin production is excessive.Exercise is ineffective for weight management: Energy burned during workouts is negated by increased appetite/caloric intake. A chronic exercise pattern results in burnout and compromised fat metabolism.Maximum fitness can be attained in minimal time with high-intensity workouts. Brief, intense strength and sprint workouts promote optimal gene expression and broad athletic competency. You can get super-fit in only a few hours per week!

Armed with the secrets to healthy living, you'll take decisive action over your 21-day journey to: Eliminate SAD foods that promote weight gain and chronic health problems.Go Primal: restock your kitchen and implement winning strategies for shopping, dining out, and snacking.Understand the spectrum of best to worst foods in each of the Primal food categories.Implement Primal Blueprint Fitness workouts, blending frequent slow-paced movement, regular brief, intense strength workouts, and occasional all-out sprints.Slow life down: enjoy the simple pleasures of "slow" food, intuitive exercise, focused work habits, relaxing evenings, and plenty of time for play, socializing, and sun exposure.

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 expectations for health and longevity.

"While health and fitness is my life, I understand that many people are just too busy, too stressed, or perhaps even too intimidated - to make major lifestyle changes. The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Transformation book makes getting Primal easy, simple and totally do-able - no matter what your starting point is right now."

Gabby Reece - professional volleyball star, international supermodel, fitness celebrity, and busy mom

"After seven years of nagging diet-related illness, I felt completely recovered within one week of eating Primally - one week! I've experienced a breakthrough in energy and vitality that feels better than winning the lottery."

- Timothy Williams, West Los Angeles, CA

Lost 32 pounds from 5'9 " 185lb to 153lb, in 2 months

"With my insulin and blood glucose under control, I can go a whole day without food and still feel energized. I'm freaking happy all the time, and losing weight without really trying!"

- Tara Grant, Travis AFB, CA

Lost 82 pounds, from 5'9," 235lb to 153lb, in 18 months