I'm Darryl Edwards (aka The Fitness Explorer), founder of Primal Play, this website is no longer being updated - please check out www.primalplay.com for current details on my work, passion and lifestyle approach.

What is Primal Play? 

Eat for Health, Move for Life!

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Reading List
  • Animal Moves: How to move like an animal to get you leaner, fitter, stronger and healthier for life
    Animal Moves: How to move like an animal to get you leaner, fitter, stronger and healthier for life
    by Darryl Edwards

    Animal Moves

    • improve strength, speed and stamina
    • increase mobility, flexibility and stability
    • look, feel and perform better

    Find out more and details on how to purchase at www.animalmovesbook.com

  • Paleo from A to Z: A reference guide to better health through nutrition and lifestyle. How to eat, live and thrive as nature intended!
    Paleo from A to Z: A reference guide to better health through nutrition and lifestyle. How to eat, live and thrive as nature intended!
    by Darryl Edwards

    "If you are looking for a simple way to better understand Paleo concepts, Darryl's Paleo from A to Z guide is the go-to resource.
    -Mark Sisson, best-selling author of The Primal Blueprint and publisher of Mark's Daily Apple

  • Paleo Fitness - A Primal Training and Nutrition Program to Get Lean, Strong and Healthy
    Paleo Fitness - A Primal Training and Nutrition Program to Get Lean, Strong and Healthy
    by Darryl Edwards, Brett Stewart, Jason Warner

    "This book is a useful reference to enable individuals just starting out on the Paleo path as well as those who want to explore more challenging, playful and interesting ways to move."

    -Robb Wolf, New York Times best-selling author of The Paleo Solution

     

  • 7 Day Introduction to Paleo Fitness: Get Fitter, Get Stronger, Get Healthier in Seven Days. Move as Nature Intended.
    7 Day Introduction to Paleo Fitness: Get Fitter, Get Stronger, Get Healthier in Seven Days. Move as Nature Intended.
    by Darryl Edwards
  • The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet
    The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet
    by Robb Wolf
  • Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
    Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
    by Robert M. Sapolsky
  • Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health & Boundless Energy (Primal Blueprint Series)
    Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health & Boundless Energy (Primal Blueprint Series)
    by Mark Sisson
  • Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things
    Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things
    by Rick Smith, Bruce Lourie, Sarah Dopp
  • Wahls Protocol, The : A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles
    Wahls Protocol, The : A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles
    by Terry Wahls, Eve Adamson
  • Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, the Ultra-Runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
    Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, the Ultra-Runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
    by Christopher McDougall
  • In Defence of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating: An Eater's Manifesto
    In Defence of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating: An Eater's Manifesto
    by Michael Pollan
  • Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
    Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
    by Michael Pollan
  • The Paleo Diet for Athletes
    The Paleo Diet for Athletes
    by L. Cordain
  • Vegetarian Myth, The
    Vegetarian Myth, The
    by Lierre Keith
  • The Second Brain
    The Second Brain
    by Michael D. Gershon
  • The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat
    The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat
    by Loren Cordain
  • Eat Drink Paleo
    Eat Drink Paleo
    by Irena Macri
  • Cholesterol Clarity: What the HDL is Wrong with My Numbers?
    Cholesterol Clarity: What the HDL is Wrong with My Numbers?
    by Jimmy Moore, Eric C. Westman

Entries in MovNat (21)

Monday
Jun182012

MovNat Certified Trainer!

Yesterday I completed my MovNat accreditation as a MovNat Certified Trainer (MCT).  Like most certifications this is only the beginning of my journey with MovNat and is one of several areas of fitness, health and lifestyle that I focus on when formulating my own philosophy on wellbeing.

Here I am with Erwan Le Corre, Vic Verdier and Brian Tabor of the MovNat certification team.  I even managed to laugh in a photo which does not happen very often! 

 

Saturday
Nov202010

300 Second Interview: Erwan Le Corre (MovNat)

Fitness Explorer with Erwan Le Corre

An inspirational interview with the founder of MovNat - Erwan Le Corre.

Why MovNat? 

MovNat is a synthesis of my philosophy and practice.  In a nutshell it's my lifestyle that can be shared, taught and transmitted.  I’ve been researching and working on this for 20 years.

MovNat the notion of natural movement, a practice, a discipline, fitness regimen, physical education method or a lifestyle choice, can gain recognition and obtain a well-deserved place in today’s society.

MovNat so that people will not be intimidated to move naturally in public spaces anymore.

MovNat so people are liberated and empowered thanks to a powerful and effective way to become strong, healthy, happy and free, or if you will, true to their nature.

 

What did you want to be when growing up?  Any regrets? 

When I was a kid I wanted to be an explorer, a sailor or even a pirate.  I’ve done a bit of all these :D.  I don’t have any regrets, life is a fabulous adventure to me. 

Having a clear mental picture of what you want to experience in life is really important because when your vision and reality match you feel uplifted. Life becomes a process you can play a creative role in, a journey that is the destination. 

John Lennon said, “life is what happens while you’re busy planning.”

That’s true because spending your life planning all details of it is the best way to not get to where you want to go.  The devil is in the details. You want to stay creative and adaptive. Visualize with confidence, but sometimes go with the flow. 

You now live in the US, how does it compare to life in France?

Everything goes faster here.  The pioneer spirit is still alive, with this desire to do something new and to achieve.  I love that can-do-attitude because that is my mindset too, so in that sense I am very American. France can be very creative but also very conservative.  French people generally tend to see everything in a negative light. 

But I also sense a increasing fear of the future in the US.  I think this country is still young, and therefore still has a great power of resilience, but I don’t see change coming from politics.  The most powerful change will come from a change of lifestyle. I would like to help. 

What are you reading at the moment and what inspired you to do so? 

I’m reading “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers” by Robert M.Sapolsky.

It perfectly explains the science behind the “Zoo Human Syndrome” - the plethora of physical and mental afflictions that undermine modern human's health and wellbeing.  If you want to be strong, healthy, happy and free again, it is high time to question what’s “normal” in our modern lives! 

 What is your favourite holiday destination? Why?

Holiday?  Honestly, I’m never really on vacation, I tend to be at work all the time, but I love what I do.  It’s more an expression of who I am than a chore; I’m driven by passion and vision.  I do have a favorite place in the world though; it is Corsica, a French island in the Mediterranean. It is a beautiful island that combines mountains, forests and lakes, desert and sea.  The nature there is phenomenal. It is a unique place.

 What is your favourite pursuit when not doing MovNat?

I love to learn new stuff and to travel.  But to me that’s the MovNat attitude.

 If you could have any super-power what would it be?

The power to heal people and to relieve them from any suffering they have.  I’ve designed a concept that I hope will help many to engage in a healthy lifestyle. We’re not supposed to be weak, sick, depressed and caged.  Quite the opposite.  We were meant to thrive.

 What are the differences between Georges Hebert's Methode Naturelle and MovNat?

The main difference resides in the coaching system, which has been updated.  It is more elaborate and efficient in MovNat.  It also has solid scientific backing.  MovNat's philosophy is formulated to better fit with today using modern forms of communication, for instance video and the Internet.  

To clarify “Methode Naturelle” is not where this started, since Georges Hebert modernized the work of Amoros that preceded him by a century.  MovNat is today’s evolution of a philosophy that is more than 200 years old, the story will go on and propel itself into the future. 

 MovNat has been gaining momentum in the last few years - did you ever feel as if the world was never ready for this form of natural movement?  What kept you going?

I did not think the world was ready when I was 19 and living a similar lifesyle. 

What kept me going was a strong sense of self, of who I had chosen to be and how I had chosen to experience life in today’s world.  I've always had the intuition that my quest had a meaning and that I would have things to share on a larger scale some day.  Over time this feeling has proven to be true.

20 years later much has changed, it is easy to see MovNat is one of these things people really need  today.  MovNat is more than the coaching or the practice of natural movement, it can be a lifestyle.  I envision that more and more people will crave for such a lifesyle, because it is the perfect antidote to a Zoo human predicament.

What has been your most surreal experience?

Feeding wolves in a park one night, by holding raw flesh between my lips, and inhaling their breath as they would snatch the meat with mind-blowing speed and lightness.  I was 20 and it has been the most primal experience of my life.

 

Monday
Nov152010

Video: A Time to Work Out: A Time to Play Out

A Time to Work Out: A Time to Play Out

Here's is my latest video with some of the workouts recorded recently in the local park (and other outdoor locations).  It's a composite (and does contain a little old footage), but most of it is new.

I wanted to provide an honest portrayal - some of these workouts were captured on the first take rather than edited to appear perfect.

Exercise is Boring:

For some exercise isn't exciting.  In the most part I agree.  Exercise can be mundane and boring.  The word exercise or workout implies difficulty even before we start.  But maybe our current views on fitness require some balance.  

At times we should treat activity as a child does:

Let's try something different:

  • stop counting reps;
  • stop looking at stopwatches;
  • stop wondering how heavy it is;
  • stop analysing what muscles are working;
  • stop focusing on the objective;
  • stop focussing on failure;
  • start focusing on the movement;
  • start enjoying the moment;
  • start being imaginative;
  • start enjoying the activity;
  • start focussing on progress;
  • start seeing movement as rewarding, not punishing;
  • start playing and stop working.

There are times to work, and times to play.  There are times to grimace and times to smile.  Today is playtime.

Wednesday
Oct202010

60 Second Interview: Vic Verdier (MovNat)

 60 Second Interview: Vic Verdier (MovNat)

Who are you?

My name is Vic Verdier. I'm the guy you call in the middle of the night when you want to learn about natural movement, aquatic activities or self-defense.

What is fitness to you?

Fitness is the mental and physical ability to do whatever you want with your body: running, jumping, playing, climbing, or defending yourself.  It allows you to quickly learn new skills or techniques whilst minimising the risk of injuries.

What are your goals?

My main goal is to train as many people as possible in natural movement.  Compared to the far less efficient "fitness programs" based on isolation movements using one-size-fits-all machines you find in most commercial gyms.  People have to re-learn how to move in a natural way, in a natural environment, with a nature-oriented mindset.

What is one of your main concerns in relation to health?

How can people gain so much weight and become couch potatoes - when there are so many good things to eat and to do in the world around us.

What is your favourite meal?
 
Any meal my late grandmother would have prepared. She didn't know anything about processed food, artificial flavouring or corn-based additives.

What is your favourite exercise/activity?
 
Improving my personal record on the 100m dash whilst chasing a pit-bull.

Blog/Website: 

 

En Francais: http://www.thefitnessexplorer.com/home/2010/10/18/un-interview-de-soixante-secondes-vic-verdier-movnat.html