If you haven’t yet heard, Wednesdays are our Guest Blogger Series day! It’s a day where Matt and I get a bit of a mid-week break while getting to share with you some of our favorite online bloggers. And for their hard work, they get the benefit of your readership – we encourage you to please show all of them your support by visiting their blog and social media links at the end of this post!
Today we are very please to welcome Jeremy Herndon, the publisher of Paleo Living Magazine – an online publication. We were happy to meet Jeremy on the Low Carb Cruise; and then again at AHS12. When we realized the awesome project he was working on, we were happy to sign up and contribute; we’re even happier he’s sharing that with you all today for free!
I’m giving away free stuff to everybody! (It’s true) But first, I have a story about Paleo…
THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY
I met Stacy less than a year ago at a poker table. I didn’t know who she was, other than that she was trying to take my money. About an hour in, I learned that she was one-half of the dynamic duo masquerading as the Paleo Parents. I admitted – somewhat embarrassingly – that I’d never actually read a single post.
As you can tell, I really know how to make a great first impression.
See, I don’t have kids, so I figured that a blog about parents wasn’t quite my thing. Except, I was wrong. It’s totally my thing – lesson learned. But there’s a bigger lesson that I figured out at the same time, partially because I started reading this blog:
INSPIRATION IS AT LEAST AS IMPORTANT AS EDUCATION
Education is great. In fact, I strongly believe that many health problems could be prevented with better information. But education is only a starting point.
Shockingly, we humans don’t always do what we know we should. Eating well, exercising, getting our families to eat healthy and exercise – These things are hard.
That’s why bloggers like Matt and Stacy provide an invaluable service. They don’t just educate us. They let us into their lives, and they give us an honest glimpse of their triumphs, struggles, and failures. And by doing so, they INSPIRE.
Inspiration is critically important, because getting healthy and living well are never easy. I know that I’m preaching to the choir, but luckily, this story has a twist.
YOU GET TO BE THE HERO OF THE STORY
Bloggers and podcasters make a difference in the world if and when people trust them. And that’s great. But if you stop and think about it, you also already have quite a few people who trust you (your friends, family, colleagues, classmates, etc.). And that is perhaps even more important, because ultimately, you can play a huge role in the success or failure of the Paleo movement by helping the people who already trust you.
Here are just a few examples:
- Lead by Example. This goes without saying, but getting amazing results by actually eating Paleo and living well are the greatest testimony there is. It’s not enough by itself, but it’s a good start.
- Don’t ever be Satisfied in the Quest to help Others. Too often, we get satisfied with how we’ve changed our own bodies and our own lives. We think that it’s other people’s loss if they don’t want to listen or learn. But it’s not just their loss.We need more people demanding healthy, clean, and real food, or else the market will never adjust.We can’t force anyone to change, but you can certainly keep trying to encourage and congratulate them for healthy eating at every opportunity. Do it gently, subtly, and nicely, but keep fighting the good fight to help your friends, family, and colleagues.
- Be as Accommodating as Possible. My last recommendation may sound a bit evangelical, but it comes with a caveat. I firmly believe that we should be as accommodating as possible in our encouragement. For instance, giving up gluten is not going to solve all of the world’s health problems. But you know what? It’s a great step in the right direction. If we can get one person to simply stop eating gluten, then we’ve made an awesome difference today.
- Don’t Ever Get Discouraged. Great changes take time. Think about the civil rights or women’s rights movements – those were centuries-long struggles, and we’re still not all the way there. But those movements never give up, and there are always a thousand voices in the dark. That can be you when it comes to healthy eating and living. You know what works and how great it feels. If you ever start thinking that no one is listening, just remember how long it took to achieve rights as obvious to most of us as the right to vote.
Without being too dramatic about it, the health of the world depends largely on individuals like you trying to help one person at a time.
THE FREEBIE PORTION OF THE STORY
For those of you who didn’t skip straight to the bottom, there’s a connection between what I’m giving away and my story.
I publish Paleo Living Magazine, which is a magazine for the iPad Newstand that brings together the best Paleo information each month. We publish articles, stories, interviews, and recipes from great bloggers like Matt and Stacy, Sarah Ballantyne, George Bryant, Mark Sisson, Nom Nom Paleo, Juli Bauer, and many more.
And for the next 27 days or so (until the end of October), you can get a free 3 month subscription. (Details below.)
Here’s the connection to the story. Paleo Living is meant to provide great and useful information, but I have a primary goal of inspiring and at least partially converting as many people as possible. Unfortunately, if people aren’t already looking for a Paleo magazine, they’re unlikely to find and be inspired by the stories, articles, recipes, and interviews. But you can help!
If you know anyone who might find Paleo Living interesting or who might be helped by learning a little bit about Paleo, then please tell them about the free 3-month subscription. Everybody loves freebies, and imagine how great you’ll feel if your friend or family member actually starts eating and living healthier just because you sent them a free subscription! You could literally change and/or save their life.
Ok…I’ve kept you waiting long enough. If you have an iPad, then here’s how to get your free subscription:
On your iPad, go to the App Store and search for Paleo Living. Install the app (should be the first result) called Paleo Living Magazine. Once you’ve done that, go to your Newsstand, and launch Paleo Living. On the home page of the app (not inside an issue), tap the Subscribe button, and then tap Current Subscribers. At that point, you’ll be able to enter the code PaleoLiving3Month. (The code is case-sensitive).
Also, I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank Matt and Stacy for publishing my long-winded story and call for your help. Thanks!
