Good point. Many people here on this forum, I hate to say, overemphasize on minor issues - like how to make the room 100% dark even though it is 99% dark and then spend two days researching over the internet for that. I have been there too. I say get the main idea and move on. Sure everybody is different and they have different problems for which I think doing some research may be great.

In the end it all contributes to stress, without knowing it. You always think about a minor problem and try to solve it, while missing the bigger picture and fun in the life.

I went to a doctor asking him to check my cortisol levels. He asked whether I have been doing lots of internet reading. I said yes and he told me to stop it since its not meaningful to read the internet one night and do the job of a guy who has had years of formal training. Whereas it might have been beneficial for me to have my cortisol tested, what he said definitely made sense. I have been trying more and more to drift towards a 'normal' life - to do my work better, spend more time in my hobby and friends etc.

I know this doesn't exactly answer your question but I wanted to put down this rant for sometime now.

In the end its all about the balance - don't get bogged down with minor details but instead go out there and play your game. Good luck.

I think in this day and age without the help of older generations to show us how to eat and exercise, the internet has become a fantastic resource for everyone. I spent three years in a very high and concentrated state of research on the net, every day - because I wanted to find out what the hell was wrong with me. That included forums and chat sites as well as more info based sites.

For me, paleo was a godsend. I knew it was 'right' - it rang true and I got results. After that my internet searching stopped completely (unless I have a very specific problem - well, then I come here). Paleo brought me not just a blueprint for eating, but I also got very interested in the hunter and gatherer lifestyle, which took me automatically outside into the woods, primarily to learn about wild food again and teach my kids about it too. I spent more time sourcing local produce and going to markets instead of dashing round the supermarket and more time preparing broths and bones and odd cuts of meat and organs. I spend more time in the vegetable patch.

So, what I would say is that, yes, I found computers and the internet a part of life, community and a great resource for ideas.....but when I became 100% convinced that what I had found i.e. paleo was right, the need to research and gain more and more info kind of dropped away. When you can trust what you are doing is totally hitting the mark, it becomes more a case of going out there and doing it, more a case of a 'complete lifestyle choice' and this I found, does not actually have much to do with computers.....

....I think that all the things you mention ARE probably getting screwed up! After all, computers are such a recent development in the history of mankind, who knows what real effects they are having on us. I feel so terribly sad for all the parents dealing with children who are addicted to gaming now. That is why Paleo is so fantastic for giving you a reason to get out there and live your life away from the computer.

Have fun!!! p.s. if you do continue to use computers you may find f.lux helpful - it removes blue light from the computer screen at night, helping you get back into your circadian rhythms again.

The thing that gets me about excessive Internet, and to a broader level computer use, specifically in the evening (after my work day has ended) is the impact that it has on sleep; and we all know how important sleep is to paleo/primal living. Everything I have read on sleep states that computer use, late night TV viewing, video games, etc. can suppress the natural production of melatonin that is critical to our normal sleep-wake cycle (see - Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival by T.S. Wiley).

I found a good article on WebMD, it is from a few years ago, but lays out the general idea that a lot of the research is getting at: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20030620/nighttime-computer-users-may-lose-sleep

However, from a sheer Paleo lifestyle perspective, the internet has been a HUGE help. Forums like this and all the great Paleo blogs have helps with developing a solid framework, getting questions answered, provide delicous recipes. How much harder would Paleo be without such a great virtual community.

I think it can mess up your eyesight if you spend a lot of time on the Internet. I have to wear glasses now whereas when I was younger I didn't. I can't even see clearly. I don't remember having this problem as a kid. It seems to coincide when I started being on a computer more often. If I had to say when my eyesight began to seriously deteriorate that was when I was 14, I'm 22 now. I'm not sure it has much to do with diet, my diet as a kid was terrible, I was fat and ate lots of junk...yet my eyesight was good then.

Of course a modern problem may need to solved through modern methods. We can only hope that medical technology helps safely reverse myopia in the future. I don't think diet is a magical solution for all problems and all people.

Good question!

The response is unequivocally yes, I spend too much damn time on a computer, due to work, and I spend way too much time of my off time on my personal computer afterwards. It takes real discipline to ensure that I get physical exercise during the day.

And do report back on whether your internet vacation works!

Don't care about fidelity to paleo-ness. The goal is to get healthy. If I'm going to be spending time at work not working, better to go down the road of self-improvement.

Whatever happened to knowledge for its own sake? I've become obsessed with the human body and the internet is a good place to learn about it. Sure, you can go get 99% of paleo from just looking at paleonu.com and then you can close the laptop and walk away. But what if your hobby is ... science? Rock climbing is fun, but so is learning. Paleo doesn't have to be just about getting practical results.

But I keep it in check. First, I try to do a lot of my learning separate from the internet: I bought an old chemistry textbook and took a nutrition textbook out from the library. Second, I try to take the internet off of the internet if I can: I print out studies and read them later, next to a sunny window, or at least a nice lamp. Third, I have a rule about nighttime: I have to turn off internet and DVDs 10 hours before my intended wake-up time. That ensures that I get to chill out for a while without any bright lights in my eyes. So far it's keeping my sleep good.

I agree that the trick to the internet education is to take it off the internet and into real life. I read about vitamin D and now I eat my lunch outside in the sun. I read about paleo and now I eat paleo. I read about Vibrams and now I hike with them every week. So much of my internet education has lead to life improvement that I consider it mostly time well spent. Also, I like information and science, so I find internet surfing to be pleasurable and relaxing, not stressful. I sleep well, fall asleep easily at bed time, and wake up naturally without an alarm clock, so I am not that worried about bad sleep cycles, but if I was, I guess I'd just be careful to get off the net earlier.

spending too much time on the internet is making me less social.

giant yes. i know i am wasting time avoiding the real world, but this form of escapism is so much easier on my liver.

Yep!

Luckily I have a good job (physical therapist), so I move quite a lot and don't have to do a lot of desk work.

And we don't have a television.

But still, too much internet. Like you say, how much can you read about paleo diet and lifestyle? It probably is too damn interesting. If paleo would be something very difficult, I would understand it, but it is so easy...

I usually spend most of my time on the internet while I'm at work. Once I get home I have gym bags to get ready and backpacks to go through and lunches for the next day to be made. Then it's dinner to be made, clean up from that and it's bath time for my daughter and a bit of a rest before bed. When I'm on vacation or over most weekends I don't spend a lot of time on the internet. As a full time working mother, I don't have a lot of "free" time for me.

Info diet is important.