The following Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Lehman.

Eight confidence-building exercises for primal success.

When it comes to going primal, there's lots to enjoy. But on the way to success, it's inevitable we'll hit some dips in the road.

Life intervenes, challenging our newly minted primal routines.

At some point or another, we're bound to hit a confounding impasse and lose our mojo.

When it happens, we're presented with two choices.

Take it as an intractable character flaw, not recommended, or take it in stride,

recognizing the inherent need for a reboot.

Many readers write in for a pick-me-up, a pat on the back, and some reassuring words of

support to keep them going. Keep those coming since I learned from every person's experience.

So how can we find a confidence foothold to keep climbing on these days? Or to put it a different

way, how can we mentally fortify ourselves when we're feeling our weakest?

First off, I don't want to trivialize confidence or treat it like some kind of emotional accessory.

Confidence, as most of us understand it, is more of a complex psychological experience than a one-dimensional feeling.

It's not something you either have or don't,

and the nature of it can vary for different people. Some people, for a host of reasons,

might have an easier time feeling it than others. Yet it matters for all of us. True confidence

is more substantive than bervado. It can be a centered comfort with oneself,

a relative perception of self-efficacy, a grounded sense of self-reference, or all of the above.

Suffice it to say, though, a lack of confidence can naturally present a big obstacle when you're

trying to overhaul your diet and lifestyle or take up a new fitness

challenge. No matter what your specific goal, a healthy dose of self-confidence is pretty key to getting

...