The 9 Most Important Health & Fitness Products for 2016: Paleo f(x) Review
Paleo f(x)™ has drawn to a close for 2016. An event hosting some of the worlds leading experts in the field of health, nutrition, fitness and ‘outside the box’ thinking, it is also features hundreds of vendors – promoting everything from dried mushroom extract to raw camels milk.
All of these products seem to have a common theme – to enhance or optimize ones health, fitness or performance.
So after spending 4 whole days networking, sampling, testing and learning about all things Health & Wellness, here are my top 9 health and wellness products from Paleo f(x)™ 2016
The 9 Most Important Health & Fitness Products for 2016:
1. Sleep Remedy by Doc Parsley
I had heard great things about this product by Ben Greenfield, unfortunately the Sleep Remedy (previously known as the Sleep Cocktail) hasn’t been available to the Australian market (watch this space I am told).
Eager to get my hands on this formula to try for myself while I recovered from international travel, I tracked down the creator of the Sleep Remedy Formula – Doc Parsley – and picked his brain:
At the time of writing I have used it for two nights now and have slept solid on both occasions. Though sleep isn’t a problem for me when I’m in my usual routine, I believe the blend of ingredients in this formula to a potent (and convenient) sleep aid supplement for those who travel a lot, have irregular bed times, or simply need a wee boost when it comes to falling asleep (without all the typical side effects.
And what are said ingredients? The proprietary blend contains melatonin precursors 5-Htp, and tryptophan. Magnesium and vitamin D, with a small amount of the active form of Gaba (phGaba – aka phenibut) and melatonin.
Find out more about the Sleep Remedy by heading to http://www.docparsley.com/shop/
2. Dry Farm Wines
The healthiest wines in the world? Maybe!
Dry Farm Wines source only the best organic, dry farmed (i.e. only rainwater), additive free, low sulfite wine from around the world. They then test each wine for quality and purity to ensure no mold exposure, no histamine content and minimal sulfites content.
If a wine makes its way through this intense screening process then it the guys at Dry Farm Wines will put their name against the bottle and sell it to the US market.
The end result is a wine that could potentially be the healthiest and most natural in the world. I was fortunate enough to sample a wide variety of the Dry Farm Wine range over the 4 days in Austin, including one rather ‘big’ night and I never woke to a hangover!
Dry Farm Wines can be seen at https://www.dryfarmwines.com/ - at this time they don’t ship outside the US.
3. Desert Farms Raw Camel Milk
This was probably my favorite product of the whole expo! Not only was it raw, it was nutritious and tasted amazing! Being a milk fiend, but aware of the potential health downside to excessive milk consumption, I will only drink raw cows milk. And even then it is a rare treat due to the lactose content.
Desert Farms Camel Milk is not only raw (meaning all the good bugs are left in the end product for us to consume) but is easier to digest than both cows and goats milk. Not only that, but it’s high in lactoferrin and has been used to help relieve autism symptoms in children - which blew my mind, as generally with autism you would remove all potential gut irritants/allergens from ones diet – dairy being the first.
Anyway, it’s allowed to be sold unpasteurized (raw) as camels don’t have hooves, they have feet, the camels are all pastured raised with no growth hormones etc and the bottles are BPA free. Oh and Desert Farms also make body products and kefir from the milk. And no it doesn’t taste like camel, I actually preferred it to cows milk! Now to find a camel farmer in Sydney!
Learn more by heading to – www.desertfarms.com
4.Sauna Space – Near Infrared Saunas for the Space and Budget Constrained
Light has become a fascinating topic for me of late. The impact it has on our sleep, our body and it’s healing effects have me constantly reading and researching this widely undiscovered area of health.
The more I learn, the more I want to invest in an infrared sauna. However given their high price ($3000+ for a quality, low EMF sauna) plus my lack of space (apartment living) means I’m restricted to visiting a local health spa for my infrared top me ups…
That was until I bumped into the Sauna Space stall. These guys have build a ‘Handcrafted Near Infrared Lamp Pocket Sauna’. While it may not fit in your pocket, it will fit in an apartment, and can be broken down to be stored under your bed. Oh and the price point is budget friendly!
Why am I so excited about this? The benefits of near infrared saunas include:
- Accelerated wound and muscle healing
- Muscle & joint pain relief
- Reduced Fat & Cellulite Formation
- Detoxification of heavy metals
- Deeper light penetration
- Improved longevity and cognitive function
I’m seriously toying with the idea of buying one of these units (they ship around the world) and saving my $80 a pop health spa session to get my sauna on from the comfort of my home! Either way, it’s a very cool product that I’m sure will see great success.
See more at https://saunaspace.com/
5. Mother Dirt – Bacteria Skin Spray
You may recall a recent story about a guy who claimed to have not showered for over 12 years. If you didn’t read it you can check it out here. David Whitlock was his name and Whitlock has created a spray that repopulates our skin microbiome with an ammonia-oxidising bacteria strain that is found on all living things. Including humans living in their native environment.
Whitlock found that this bacteria strain (Nitrosomonas genus for the geeks at home) was lacking on the skin of us humans living in a modern world – a world full of synthetic skin care products.
Effectively this spray is a Probiotic for your skin, and the bacteria is found in dirt. So yes, you could go outside and roll around in the dirt to improve your skin, OR you could ditch your man made skin care products and simply spray some Mother Dirt on your body every day. It also works as a great deodorant (I’ve only had two days using it as a deodorant instead of my usual Primal Pit paste – so far so good, but it’s still early days).
Find out more at http://motherdirt.com/
6. Vital Choice – Wild Seafood & Organics
I have been buying Vital Choice Seafood products for a while now (they have a distributor based in Australia) so this wasn’t necessarily a ‘new find’. But I did have a great chat to the founder of Vital Choice and picked his brain in regards to quality control, canning processes and the olive oil used in his products:
Though I was familiar with the brand, I did discover a few new products that aren’t available in Australia, namely the Vital Choice Redtresca – These are the bellies of wild Alaskan Salmon. The taste was divine, but best yet the Omega 3 content was even higher than the standard Wild Sockeye Salmon that I usually buy.
I also sampled some of the Spiced Sardines and they were also superb – so I purchased a case to go with my Redtresca.
If you’re wondering why all the fuss about canned fish, then let me explain:
- Most tinned fish is farmed fish, lower quality, lower in DHA and omega 3 content, lower in antioxidants such as Astaxanthin. Vital Choice only use wild caught fish.
- Most cans are lined with the endocrine disrupting BPA toxin – Vital Choice avoid BPA use.
- Most canned fish companies cut corners by using cheap olive oils – Vital Choice uses a premium extra virgin olive oil.
Can you now see why I was so excited to see Vital Choice at Paleo f(x)™?!
Learn more at http://www.vitalchoice.com/ and http://www.vitalchoice.com.au/ for Australia/NZ orders.
7. ARX Fit
Three words – ‘I Want One. This thing is going to revolutionize the way people train.
What exactly is an ARX fit machine? ARX stands for Adaptive Resistance Exercise, what this means is that instead of using barbells, dumbells, weight plates etc to stress a muscle and joint, the ARX machine uses motorized resistance that adapts instantly to the force outputted by the user. The harder you push, the harder it pushes back.
Let’s say you have the strength to press 100kg in a particular move (concentric phase), in that same lift you will be stronger in the eccentric phase (the ‘negative’). But you are limiting to only using 100kg (unless you have a strong spotter). With the ARX the machine will match your strength at any point in time – 100kg for the concrentric, 120kg in the eccentric. Stressing the muscle to absolute failure.
The possibilities with the ARX fit are astronomical when it comes to rehab, improving overall strength, working (or restricting) range of motion, ease of use, safety and intensity.
Yes intensity – this thing will take you to your limits! Be sure to check out the video of me doing 3 reps of a leg press and 3 reps of a chest press on the ARX. I will be putting together a more detailed article covering the ARX and how you can tap into the potential of this machine in coming weeks.
In the mean time, try and find a gym that has one of these machines and give it a go. You really have to experience it yourself!
See more at http://arxfit.com/ (unfortunately these aren’t available in Australia at the time of writing… though I hope this changes soon!)
8. Four Sigmatic Mushrooms
Mushrooms seemed to be the hot topic of Paleo f(x)™ 2016. I was finding mushrooms in pre workout powders, testosterone boosters, cognitive enhancers, immune support potions, even coffee!
Though a lot of companies are starting to tap into the power of medicinal mushrooms, Four Sigmatic Foods seems to be the leader in regards to quality, product range, and understanding of the power of mushrooms.
Personally I don’t have much knowledge of mushrooms so I’ll let Shane from Four Sigmatic explain that in the video below:
If you would like to know more about medicinal mushrooms, be sure to head to the free 1 hour online course at – www.foursigmatic.com/academy
Four Sigmatic sell a whole range of products – everything from Chaga exilers to boost immune function, to reishi mushroom extract for relaxation and sleep.
Find out more at www.foursigmatic.com and yes they ship worldwide.
9. Normatec Recovery Boots
Normatec didn’t have a stall at Paleo f(x)™, but I ended up having 3 separate sessions in these compression boots while in Austin. The first was at Restore Cryotherapy after my 19 hours of flying, and the second two sessions were at the Austin R3 stand at the Paleo f(x) ™ expo.
So what exactly are these ‘compression boots’? Austin R3 sum it up as:
“A dynamic compression device designed for recovery and rehad that starts at the limb extremity and moves upwards segment by segment, massaging the limb and mobilising fluid out of the extremities. Helping you recovery faster between workouts, reducing muscle soreness and improving circulation.”
After my first session I was hooked, not only did they help recover from the long haul flight, they were a great help in assisting my recovery and helping me come out at number one in the Paleo f(x) ™ RealFit score competition.
I only used the Leg ‘boots’, but they also have products for your hip and arms, so there is something to suit everyone (and every sport). By using compressed air you can effectively have a full body massage while you sit at home on the couch.’
If I ever get back into serious competition OR start doing a lot of travelling I will consider investing in a set, otherwise I’ll continue to hunt them down at health spas. They really did help me get back on my feet!
I believe they ship to Australia, but you can find out more at https://www.normatecrecovery.com/
That's A Wrap
As you can see there are some amazing health and wellness products available to consumers. Paleo has definitely moved beyond bacon, eggs and crossfit and it was for this reason why I made the journey across the pacific to attend.
If you have any experience with the products I have outlined above I’d love to hear your thoughts, or if you have questions about anything mentioned please feel free to leave a comment below. If you attended Paleo f(x) ™ 2016 what would your top 9 products be?
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This blog post was written by Alex Fergus. Alex is an ISSN Sports Nutrition Specialist, Fitness Professional and certified Superhuman Coach who continues to expand his knowledge base and help people across the world with their health and wellness. Alex is recognized as the National Record Holder in Powerlifting and Indoor Rowing and has earned the title of the Australian National Natural Bodybuilding Champion. Having worked as a health coach and personal trainer for over a decade, Alex now researches all things health and wellness and shares his findings on this blog. Learn more about Alex's Credentials HERE.
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