| Humans navigate the world using heuristics or rules that are generally true about reality. There are certainly exceptions to these heuristics, but they are definitely way more useful than not. One of my most reliable heuristics is that "chronic anything" is bad. Cardio? You know how I feel about chronic cardio. That kind of moderate-high intensity, high-volume day in day out chronic cardio training is the same stuff that destroyed me and spurred the creation of the Primal Blueprint as a way out of it. Calorie restriction? Going low calorie, low protein, low everything day in and day out will slow down your metabolism, burn muscle, and reduce your energy. Inflammation? Chronic inflammation is the kind of inflammation that breaks down your body and leads to disease. Stress? Stress that doesn't let up will drive you insane, depress your workout output, ruin your sleep, and contribute to disease. And the flip side is that acute doses of the same things are usually beneficial. Sprints? Go hard once a week, then rest. Fasting or shortened eating windows? Much more effective than constant calorie restriction. Eat big, then fast. Acute inflammation? That's how you heal and recover from illnesses and injuries. Acute stress? The acute stress response is beneficial. Exposing yourself to acute stressors is how we adapt to them and get stronger. The "chronic anything is bad" heuristic has rarely failed me. Do you have any heuristics you follow? Let me know in the comment section of New and Noteworthy. | 