How would you like to *guarantee* your upcoming success in every area of your life?

What I’m talking about isn’t some ancient practice of manifestation from the past. What I’m talking about here is how your mind – and your body – both adapt to new challenges through a natural growth response. A perfect example of this is found in weight training. If you go into the gym and lift 40 lbs x 6 reps during your workout for the first time, your body is going to respond to that challenge by building more muscle – and more strength – to accomplish the same task easier next time.

Where it gets tricky is here: most people haphazardly lift the same weights workout-after-workout, week-after-week…sometimes even month-after-month. While this is great for being active and getting a sweat to clear out toxins and get the lymph system moving, it’s not providing a stimulus for growth (keep reading). Anyone who gets consistent results with weight training will tell you that you need to either add more weight to your lifts, or increase the number of reps per set. Small, consistent increases over time continually provide that stimulus for growth…and the results that go with it.

While this is all well and good, what’s the real importance in YOUR life? You may or may not be inspired by the idea of weight training and consciously sculpting your body, so here’s some of the good stuff: applications to YOUR life.

Examples-In-Action: “The Growth Response”

* Career/Vocation: If you continue doing the exact same job at work, day-after-day, you’ll continue to stay right where you’re at. If you love what you do and are happy with your financial condition, you can choose to focus on other areas of your life that may be drawing your attention! If not, however, realize this: you need to challenge yourself and GIVE MORE VALUE to provide that growth response. If you consistently give more value over time, your income will rise – one way or the other. If you’re in a career you love, your satisfaction will also grow through providing more value to others and yourself.

* Learning/Education: If you’ve found yourself in a pattern where you’re just working, eating, watching TV and going to sleep at night, you’re also “stuck”. There’s nothing wrong with any of these lifestyle choices, but I’m here to give you the awareness that you can make more powerful decisions – and they’re not hard. The idea is this: once again, you need to provide a stimulus for growth. To increase your intelligence, you need to be taking in new information every day – preferably through reading NEW books, watching NEW inspiring movies or educational DVDs, going to NEW seminars or live events; in short, anything that challenges your mind and gives you new information and experiences to grow through.

* Health/Fitness: Continuing with the same dietary path will keep you at the same level of health for the most part (besides other factors such as working out, being active and keeping stress levels normalized). If you eat the same few meals, day-after-day, you’ll continue to get those results via cause and effect! It’s so simple from a birds-eye-view. If you want to increase your health (”grow” your health and energy levels) you need to provide that stimulus – that challenge that forces the body to adapt and build itself back at a higher, more intelligent level. Give your body better and better foods, day-after-day and week-after-week, with small, consistent progress and you’ll find that your health will follow in tune over time.

Increase the amount of nutrition in your foods, moving at least to mostly organic and then slowly to 100% organic to completely eliminate the intake of toxic chemicals/pesticides in your body. Increase the amount of green, leafy vegetables and your dietary balance between protein, carbs and fats. See what works for your own physiology, as well as your own choice of lifestyle. This isn’t an exact science, but rather an exploration with incredible benefits around every corner. Create a playful attitude and take yourself to the highest possible state of health and enjoyment of life that you can.

* Love/Friendship: What I consider to be one of the greatest tragedies is the loss of passion in relationships. Routines take form, habits happen and many people become jaded over time, losing that sense of wonder and excitement in their lives. They then find themselves in stale relationships, whether with their partner or their friends – or worse, both. This can ALWAYS be turned around. The way to break that “stuck” state, as you’ve seen by now, is to provide that stimulus for growth! I’ve personally found the most inspiring attitude in relationships to be one of playfulness. When you’re playful, you’re enjoying life; you’ve tapped into an a feeling state that allows you to really have the best time ever with others. You feel connected, tuned into the present moment. You’re not thinking about what’s happened in the past, or what you expect to happen in the future. Rather, when you’re playful you’re truly playing the game of life!

This can be hard to swallow if you’ve been out of that feeling state for so long that it’s hard to imagine. Just think about the best memories you have of your relationships from the past: roadtrips, adventures, marriage, spontaneous dates, concerts…the list goes on and on. I’m willing to bet that MOST of your fondest memories of times past have been centered on a feeling of being playful – being “in the zone”. The lesson here? To enhance your personal relationships, GIVE more love and playfulness to others to receive more of the same! The magic of love and friendship can only happen when you’re in a state that’s receptive to receiving that energy. Being playful is that state.

We ONLY experience satisfying growth through challenging ourselves at new levels. When we build our physical strength, we enjoy more capable and self-sufficient bodies. When we build our mental development, we enhance our ability to think clearly, solve problems and come up with solutions, and so much more. We enjoy satisfaction at that precise moment that we’ve become aware of this growth in any or all areas of our lives. When you make the extra income, take a look at your before-and-after pictures, find playfulness and happiness in your personal relationships. All of this is possible, and all of it happens through one basic cycle: challenge and adaptation…“the growth response”.

Unleash Your Vitality,

– John Brackett

=> Your opinion matters. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

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Picture yourself sitting over your desk with a neat stack of papers in your hands. It’s evening time, you’ve just winded down, and now you’re taking some time to review your progress over the last week and month.

Your progress?

Incredible.

Something happens when we take the time to write down our progress and track our results. There’s an instantaneous psychological shift that drives us to make more powerful decisions. It’s almost like as soon as you commit it to paper, you’re keenly aware of the chance that someone else may see it at some point down the road – whether on purpose or by accident. So, naturally, you’d like it look good :)

When we track our progress in any area of life, our awareness of what it is that we’re doing changes – and, following that, our results. Just ask anyone who has studied in the area of Time Management. As soon as you track every activity of your day, you become aware of exactly what it is that you do everyday…as well as how much time you dwindled away on things that didn’t really matter to you.

It’s the same with our personal finances. People with spending problems get on track and start using a monthly budget and are SHOCKED to see what they’re actually spending money on each month. The same exact principle applies to your health. I’d like to focus on the two key areas that matter the most: nutrition and personal fitness.

The habit of breaking complex subjects down into simple, manageable ideas (or action steps) is what separates people who are stressed out about any area of their life from those who are controlling it through effective management. If you can just focus your energy and concentration on your nutrition (diet) and personal fitness, you’ll be getting incredible results in no time.

Let’s start with diet. The best POSSIBLE thing you could do for your health right now is to start a Daily Nutrition Log. This could be a one-sheet that you create in Microsoft Word to fill in the blanks every day, a notebook/journal to record all meals and snacks, or an automated, fill-in-the-blank nutrition tracker online (My personal favorite is DailyBurn so far, another option being FitDay).

Start TODAY by creating that one-sheet, an unused notebook/journal lying around the house, signing up online or just grabbing a blank piece of paper and going at it! What’s important is that you just start now. It doesn’t matter if you just had an awful meal and don’t want to write it down – in fact, that disappointment is what will drive you forward toward better and better choices as you make progress. The idea is to just ask yourself how you can be healthier than you were yesterday. One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that they have to adopt a totally new diet and be perfect right off the bat to really change. The truth? Aim to move yourself forward by 1% daily, and you’ll make so much progress in a month that you’ll leave anyone shooting for the “big change” in the dust. We’re creatures of habit. By slowing changing our daily habits, we change our results in a sustainable – and enjoyable – way.

I also want you to make some kind of workout tracking system. This could just mean bringing a blank sheet of paper to the gym (or your home) to log your workout and track your results. Get down what exercises you’re doing, the time, the sets, the reps, the rest periods…everything. It gives you a sense of achievement in writing down your results, and also gives you a benchmark to hit and rise above with your next workout. It’s the all-too-common mistake of working out with no clear plan or direction that leads to no clear results or progress. Put in the extra few minutes everyday (literally – all you have to do is jot down what you eat and how you workout) and your results will start to speak for themselves.

A final aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked is that of review. A weekly review is a terrific idea, followed by a birds-eye-view monthly review. This gives you a sense of progress and direction, as well as re-direction if you’re not getting the results you want. For example, you’re reviewing your Daily Nutrition Log and all of a sudden realize that you’re having cereal every night at 9:30 pm! A seemingly innocent habit, but when you realize that your insulin sensitivity anytime after dinner and into the night will turn new carbs into bodyfat, you suddenly see why you’re not getting the personal fitness results you want. Then you simply course-correct.

I hope you see the value of this clearly. Can you remember a time when you used to track something in a certain area of your life? Was it workouts or nutrition? Or something unrelated, like finances or time management? If you have, try to get in touch with that sense of satisfaction you got from following a plan…a system. This is the habit that keeps giving, and continually moves you upward in a spiral toward radiant health and happiness in your own life. In simple terms: it’s worth it.

Unleash Your Vitality,

– John Brackett

=> Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

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I’d like to focus exclusively on your health here for a minute.

What kind of results are you experiencing today? Are you feeling inspired and full of energy all the time? Are you satisfied with your body and level of personal fitness – or at least working hard towards that end? Or do you feel lethargic and beat down, worn out? Out of shape and not feeling like you’re at the top of your game?

The single most important thing for you to realize is that right now there are countless people experiencing exactly what you’re experiencing; but even more important, there are countless people experiencing the exact OPPOSITE of how you’re currently feeling. Grasp the real importance of this: if you’re feeling tired and “out of it” all the time, stressed out and falling out of shape, there are countless others who have turned that around in their lives and found themselves with boundless energy and inspiration, the body of their dreams and an incredible state of health and overall vitality. You can do this, and it’s entirely possible for you.

On the other hand, if you’re experiencing incredible health right now…just realize that your daily habits have taken you there. Never take your daily habits for granted, but rather maintain and continually build upon them in new, exciting ways. You know where you stand on this scale. With 1 being a state of chronic disease and 10 being a state of incredible, luminous health and vitality, where would you place yourself on a scale of 1-10? Ground yourself and realize that this is just your starting point on a path that will lead you beyond what you ever thought possible.

This becomes possible for you through your DAILY HABITS. Your daily habits are the actions you take consistently every day that either move you progressively forward or progressively backward. Your current daily habits are the cause and effect that determine your health, fitness and energy levels. All of the results you’re experiencing today, and will experience in the near future, stem from your current daily habits.

Let’s pull out the magnifying glass. Zooming in on fitness, if you never worked out and just sat at a computer all day, you’d likely have less-than-optimal personal fitness levels. On the other hand, if you live an active lifestyle and commit to a few powerful workouts every week, you’re on course to enjoying an incredible body and experience of life. It’s not your genetics. It’s not your lack of time. It’s not because of work. It all comes down to the effectiveness of your daily habits.

In changing your results, you need to take a glance at cause and effect. The causes are your daily habits – the actions you take consistently every day. The effects are the results you’re seeing – your state of health, personal fitness, energy levels, mood, enthusiasm in life, mental performance, etc. To change the effects (your results), all you have to do is change the causes…your daily habits.

The only way to really see your causes – and the effects they bring you – is to become aware of them. The best way to do this is through a daily checklist of some kind. It could be on a small notecard you carry around in your pocket, a folded 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper, a task list on your cellphone, or any other way you can think of. The true value of this practice is first and foremost building an awareness of your current habits. By taking the same actions consistently every day (or every week), you can track your results and see which actions are really panning out for you and delivering value to  your life.

It’s almost like running a business: you wouldn’t just hire someone to do a few random actions for your business each day. You’d have a step-by-step plan for them to get the most out of their time. Manage your life in the same way. Track your daily habits and notice how they make you feel. If certain ones instantly improve your mood and energy, keep them and even see if they could be improved upon! The ones that take away your energy, ditch em and  replace them with new, empowering daily habits.

Here’s your 60-second action step of the day:

Grab a notecard or quickly fold up an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper in half. Whatever you chose to go with, hold it so it appears tall from top to bottom (not short and side-to-side). Title your card or paper, “Current Daily Habits” and brainstorm some ideas. Include your morning routine as it is today, and then think of some ways you could improve it. This could means batching tasks together, such as bathroom tasks, to save time and energy, or adding new habits that give you energy in the morning. Include your work schedule as a single habit, and if you have a lunch break in-between schedule that in as well.

=> Here’s how mine starts out as a real-life example:

Current Daily Habits:

* Watch MindMovie and Review Goals/Objectives

* Morning Water w/ Celtic Sea Salt

* Shower Up

* Superfood Smoothie w/ Fresh Greens from Garden

…………………………………………………

I start my day by watching an inspiring “MindMovie” – a blend of pictures, affirmations and music to get and keep you focused on what you want in life. I then head downstairs and grab my morning glass of water with a pinch of celtic sea salt (for electrolyte content). After that splash of hydration, I then shower up to start my day and make a tall superfood smoothie for breakfast (heading outside to the garden to grab some fresh greens to blend in). This gives me the mental clarity, focus and concentration I need to tackle the day head-on.

I include this just to give you an idea about how you can innovate and improve existing systems. Notice how I have that glass of water before my shower, which allows me to hydrate myself in the morning before eating breakfast. It’s always about the little things we do each day – our daily habits. Start your list now and leave me a comment below  — if you’re up for it, even post a few of your own daily  habits! Looking forward to hearing from you.

Unleash Your Vitality,

– John Brackett

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

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The benefits of seaweed just keep piling in…have you tried it yet? If you missed the background, kelp would be my #1 pick to get you moving and feeling better in no time. You can look back to past posts for more information on kelp and other healthy seaweeds, but today we’re going to look at some new research on a certain fiber in kelp that helps significantly with weight loss – something many of you have asked for advice with.

According to Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor at Natural News, recent studies at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom have identified a specific fiber in kelp that helps the body to absorb less fat…by up to 75%. After testing more than 60 fibers in the laboratory, the research team discovered that alginate (that specific fiber in kelp) actually helps prevent fat uptake and storage in the body vastly more effectively than harmful, over-the-counter, anti-obesity treatments. I hope you heard that clearly – it’s natural, healthy and far more effective than conventional treatments!

People everywhere are desperately turning to the next solution for fat loss – and growing frustrated because the product either doesn’t work, or it works with side effects WORSE than the extra weight itself. Here’s my advice: go natural. Many times the reason for issues with weight control isn’t the actual main food itself; it’s just the additives, preservatives and other miscellaneous chemicals that wreak havoc on your body.

Go from the packaged turkey or chicken with 10-15 ingredients on the label to fresh, organic poultry (with just one ingredient, by the way!). Instead of snacking on a trail mix with 37 ingredients – almost none of which are why you bought it in the first place – buy the fresh, organic nuts, seeds and fruits yourself. Many times it’s these simple changes that will allow you to not only have more health and energy, but also get rid of the blockages to fully being able to control your weight. Your hormones will thank you!

On an ending note, Dr. Brownlee (head of the research time) and his colleagues are now excited to get this research out there and applied in the real world. They see many possibilities in adding this natural fiber into the foods people are already eating on a regular basis. The benefits are two-fold: one, there’s a greater chance of lowering and/or avoiding obesity, and two, consumers get all the benefits of a diet higher in fiber. We know that a diet high in fiber not only helps with blood sugar control, but can aid in weight loss and control, lower LDL cholestrol levels, and even slash the risk of colon cancer. How’s that for a natural fiber found in seaweed?

So where to go from here? Continue making simple, easy switches and pay attention to the ingredient labels on the foods you buy each week. Go simple and go natural, and be easy on yourself. And, if you’re feeling adventurous, add in some seaweed to a smoothie or your favorite dish this week!

Unleash Your Vitality,

– John Brackett

Leave a comment below and share your thoughts, ideas and opinions on this post!

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First of all: no, this isn’t a gimmick. This is simply one way to help you achieve your goal of having more energy throughout your day and enjoying a little peace of mind – mental clarity. Having said that, realize that the simplicity of this 1-5 minute energy boost is going to have you almost immediately disregard it. Why? Because it’s made up of 2 quick movements you already know: jumping rope and jumping jacks.

Those 2 movements might bring you back in time to gym class or some other point in childhood – when was the last time you jumped rope or did a few sets of jumping jacks? If it’s been awhile, I hope you’re all ears; these 2 exercises can dramatically enhance your energy levels in just seconds.

Ready for the easiest energy boost you ever got? Here it is: alternate sets of jumping rope and jumping jacks. I told you in the beginning that your mind might immediately disregard it because it’s already familiar – and it seems too easy. You’d be surprised. To start, jump rope 10 times (reps) and then do just 10 jumping jacks. The immediate result? Dramatically increased bloodflow and circulation throughout the body. This not only gets everything moving and lifts your energy levels, but actually gets the lymph fluids active and keeps your immune system strong.

Hand-in-hand with these physical benefits come the mental and emotional benefits. Your mind starts to clear up, stress levels go down, and you find yourself better able to focus and concentrate on the task at hand (I just finished a vigorous 20 minute workout before sitting down to write this post for you!). You see things more clearly and productivity (personal and vocational) goes up. All from jumping rope and jumping jacks? You bet.

Here’s my #1 tip: you don’t need a rope to “jump rope”. It’s fun, but I’ve actually never owned a jump rope myself. Instead, place your hands where they would be on the handle of the jump rope and go through the motions without the actual rope. It’s the same movements, and the extra coordination will actually give your brain another challenge to tackle. Alternating these 2 sets with short rests in-between gives you the incredible physical and mental benefits of a great workout…in a fraction of the time. It’s not hardcore strength training, but it’s an astounding shortcut to the energy and clarity you need to take on your day full-on.

I hope you enjoyed this quick energy tip – if you can, drop what you’re doing and try it out for even just 30-60 seconds. Notice what happens with your mind and body, and then leave me a comment below! I always take the time to read all of your comments, and everyone else in the community benefits from the ideas you share :)

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett

Leave a comment below and share your thoughts, ideas and opinions on this post!

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Magnets? …And health?

I don’t have to tell you twice that diet and exercise play absolutely critical roles in your health and well-being. But here’s something most people DON”T know: that certain types of magnets have been proven – time and time again – to be incredibly effective at healing and revitalizing the body!

Actually, let’s take a look at a handful of the documented, proven benefits of magnetism that most people have absolutely no idea about:

=> Neural Regeneration
=> Quickened Healing of Fractures
=> Assistance With Joints and Rotator Cuffs
=> Nerve Vitality
=> Anti-Depressant
=> Enhanced Ability To Utilize Oxygen
=> Increased Production of Youth Hormones
=> Higher Blood Alkalinity

The story goes that in ancient times, there were masters who would find this rare, magnetic earth at certain key locations and do their life-enhancing practices there…for they knew the true benefits of magnetism. These were some of the “masters of old” who were known for their incredible longevity and depth of life. And magnetism was an important part of it?

Consider that today, many elite athletes have found that the proper use of magnets has been able to drastically increase strength while simultaneously reducing recovery time – a critical advantage in any peak performance athlete. But don’t gloss over this if you don’t consider yourself an athlete – the principles are the same. Don’t you think that if it improved strength and recovery time for elite athletes that it’d do something for you too?

Naturally, I’m fascinated by magnetism and the connection between us as humans – walking, biomagnetic beings – and the magnetism of the earth. What I discovered some time ago is that there is research suggesting the earth may have formerly been at a level of 4.0 gauss thousands of years ago (gauss being a measurement of magnetism).

The interesting part?

Most research puts us at a level of 0.3 to 0.6 gauss today. That’s it?!? Consider the difference between 4.0 gauss and 0.3-0.6 gauss. It’s significant. What’s even more significant is this insight I can’t stop wondering about: when we tie together the incredible health and longevity benefits that are being seen in the application of rare earth magnets WITH the fact that the magnetic field of the earth is declining, we come to the conclusion that we as a civilization may be missing out on what used to be an important piece of the health and vitality puzzle thousands of years ago.

But how does magnetism affect the human body?

It is well established that the human body naturally has its own bio-electric field, which is also associated with a magnetic field. We know that we’re bio-magnetic beings! Doesn’t it make sense, then, that we would be strongly affected by other magnetic fields (think the magnetic field of the earth)? Here’s something that may blow your mind: the positive magnetic field you experience during the day is associated with your serotonin production, and the negative magnetic field you experience at night is tied in with your melatonin production. Have you heard of problems with these two hormones? You can count on it!

But what’s interesting to me is what happens when you reconnect with the earth’s magnetic field again. Your body starts to get in-sync and produce the youthful hormones that keep you looking and feeling great…for years to come. As an added bonus, you’re able to feel alive and revitalized during the day and fall asleep at night…like we’re supposed to.

One last note for you here: the magnetic field also alkalizes your blood and allows red blood cells to better utilize oxygen. If you’ve ever studied the acid-alkaline balance and its implications on health and energy levels, you know that increasing your level of alkalinity is a significant benefit. Because disease thrives in an acidic environment, it’s so important to maintain a healthy pH balance in your body.

We’re continuing to learn more and more about magnetism as we move forward in natural health and alternative therapies, and I hope this post has done a great job on bringing you up to speed and has given you some new insights and ideas on what possibilities are waiting for you.

I’m posting a link below to someone who I consider to be an insightful teacher and an active problem-solver in the world – who’s also got some incredible innovations in the field of magnetism. He’s the one who has taken the rare earth magnets – the type used in healing and natural health as talked about above – and made them available to the public in the form of magnetic exercise balls, magnetic mattress pads, and much more. They’re fascinating, and if this is something that interests you I’d highly recommend checking out his website for more information – he’s got some incredible research and personal stories to share with you (click the picture below and then find “magnetic products” or “magnetic pads” on the left menu):

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett

Leave a comment below and share your thoughts, ideas and opinions on this post!

Over the last two weeks together, we’ve explored two of the most critical aspects of longevity and anti-aging: having a reason to live (with your close relationships, purpose and passion in life) and eating a healthy, balanced diet full of bright, colorful fruits and vegetables (with all kinds of nutrients that help keep you and your skin looking young and vibrant). One of the most well-known success principles is the 80/20 principle – the principle being that 80% of your results stem from just 20% of your actions – clearly making those actions the most effective ones available to you. When you take this to heart and start looking for those 20% of activities that lead to 80%+ of your results, you start seeing results…period.

What single practice do you think could lead to massive results in health, fitness and energy levels – with very little time commitment?

…Exercise! Specifically, weight lifting and resistance training.

Here’s one of the key longevity tie-ins: bone mass and development. One of the key concerns that comes with aging is the breakdown of bone strength and durability, leading to potential fractures and injuries. Weight training is one of the most effective ways to keep your bone strength and development up in a healthy, active range – for life. Besides that, you’ll be working on muscle strength and development at the same time. The combination of muscle and bone strength and development is what allows us to remain active and youthful. It could be moving heavy rocks while gardening, taking a nature hike, or fueling a vigorous 7-day kayaking adventure. Whatever you’re up to in life, you want to focus on the small number of effective actions that can give you the results you’re looking for.

If  you’ve been reading for some time, you may remember our discussion on HGH and cortisol levels in the body. What this really came down to was that a vigorous, 20-something-minute workout was enough to dramatically increase the body’s production of Human Growth Hormone, often dubbed the “master hormone” of the human body – responsible for growth, maintenance and a host of other responsibilities. This means more muscle strength and development, less bodyfat, more balanced hormones, stronger libido and even a higher outlook on life (Landmark Study by L. Cass Terry, M.D., Ph.D. and Edmund Chein, M.D.).

Here’s one more key question: What story are you telling yourself about why you can’t be weight training every week?

For some, the story may be “I’m too overweight or out of shape”, “I’m too old”, “I don’t know how”, or even “I’d be too embarrassed going to the gym”. Others might claim the story of “I can’t afford it”. Truth be told, I’m not currently holding a gym membership myself. I workout with dumbbells and barbells in the exercise corner of the basement – or go old-school with pullups and pushups, tried-and-true classics. But you know what? It works. Whatever story you think is valid, really start to question what comes up in your mind. You’ll know if it’s a temporary, legitimate reason you shouldn’t be weight training or whether it’s an excuse – or chain of excuses. I’m just here to break that story apart for you and get you working out, so you can live the longevity lifestyle by my side; may we all be laughing about life together in our 120’s ;)

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett

Leave a comment below and share your thoughts, ideas and opinions on this post!

You guessed it: it’s that time of year again (for those of us here in the US). December, when things start getting a little colder outside and we find ourselves spending more and more of our time inside. There’s no problem with this in and of itself, but it does mean that we need to find more ways to start getting active, keeping up both our personal energy levels and our immune systems. The best way? Get moving! Here are 3 quick reasons to start getting in motion with a new personal fitness ritual or routine:

3) Longevity & Vitality

Multiple long-term studies have shown that those who exercise and enjoy an active lifestyle can expect to live a few more healthier years than their less-active peers (one study averages at about 3.5 extra years). How much would you treasure those few extra years of life? The ability to enjoy quality time with your grandchildren and pursue your passions? It’s absolutely worth it, but that may only motivate the long-term thinkers out there. Here are the other 2 reasons, with much more tangible effects:

2) Never Getting Sick

What I mean here is that exercise is the “pump” for our lymph system. Vigorous exercise and deep breathing stimulates lymph flow, which moves out all the toxins, viruses, etc; challenging workouts literally pump out the garbage from our bodies! Note that it comes out in many different ways, including your sweat – which is the #1 reason on the list of why to shower after a workout ;) Regular exercise dramatically enhances your immune system and gets your lymph system up and running, so you’ll definitely want to stay active this winter!

1) Mental Clarity & Energy

My personal #1 reason to exercise is the extraordinary mental clarity that comes immediately with any vigorous, stimulating workout. A 30-45 minute workout at the gym will do it for sure, but you can get the “mental clarity” effect dramatically in 2 minutes or less. Here’s how: jumping rope and jumping jacks. The movement of these 2 exercises gets you active, increases your heart rate, stimulates lymph flow and clears your “mental fog” right out of your head in no time. If you’re ever in one of those situations where you wake up in a fog and need some clarity quick, just try these two together (maybe 1 minute of one and 1 minute of the other). You’ll be blown away by the simplicity, but mostly by the effects.

I’ll personally do just these two exercises before sitting down to work at the computer in the morning, and then have an all-out, scheduled workout later in the afternoon. I find that the combination gives me extreme mental clarity and boundless energy all day to get done what I’m really after. For these reasons, mental clarity & energy constitute my #1 reason to exercise today, and sum up the true value of personal fitness.

I hope this will get the gears turning for you and that you’ll consider committing to a regular workout schedule for the wintertime here in the US. It’s a great time of year, and staying healthy, clear and full of energy will only help you to enjoy it more!

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett

If you’re new to the concept of green smoothies, then you’re in for a treat. If you’re already familiar with them, then I’d love to hear your take on this post – as well as your personal favorites. If you’ve been around me for any length of time, you’ve probably seen me down at least a few “green smoothies”. What are these wild green drinks and why on earth would you want to drink one?

Green smoothies are fruit smoothies with added greens…blended in. It almost sounds outrageous until you get ahold of one and experience it firsthand. The truth is, green smoothies actually taste just like fruit smoothies, but deliver an unparalleled level of nutrition and personal energy for your day.

This morning is the perfect example: I woke up and relaxed to a tall glass of water first thing, and then made my way downstairs to the home gym setup for an amazing budokan workout (a vigorous blend of yoga, martial arts and meditation). The best post-workout meal? You guessed it: a green smoothie. If you’re ready for the challenge, I’ll give you today’s recipe: 2 cups of water as a base, 3 large bananas, 4 medium apples, a few handful of mixed berries and several large leaves of collard greens…all blended together. The net effect is a large, green smoothie; the net taste is a refreshing blend of bananas, apples and fresh berries.

If you’re looking for a way to have more energy in your day, feel better all day long, clear up your skin and just enjoy life more in general, green smoothies are one of the fastest ways to get there. It’s a daily ritual for me that’s second to none in health and fitness, but perhaps more importantly in mental clarity and peak performance. I like having a clear vision of the day ahead of me, and really being able to enjoy that day to the fullest.

Here’s the basic recipe so you can start enjoying life-changing nutrition today: 1.5 – 2 cups of water as the base, plenty of your favorite fresh fruits (like bananas, mangoes, papayas, apples, etc) and keeping it simple with 1-2 types of fresh greens (think spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, lettuce, etc). You’ll find that the blender brings those greens down into such small particles that their absorption into your body brings in a rush of good health and wellbeing. You’ll find mental clarity and energy for your day, just from a green smoothie that tastes amazing anyway!

The challenge is on the table: just make one green smoothie for yourself within the next day or so. I promise you’ll be blown away!

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett

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According to Robert E. Thayer, Ph.D., an active mood scientist and professor of psychology at California State University, Long Beach, the cycle looks something like this: we wake up relatively low on energy, peak in the late morning (11-1pm), drop off in the afternoon (3-5pm), come back up in the evening (6-7pm), and finally drop off around 11pm (if not earlier). Have you seen these cycles at work in your daily life? Reading Thayer’s work was a real eye-opener for me, because I commonly hear people complain about low energy levels in the afternoon, and have certainly experienced less energy there than at other peak points throughout the day. But the truth is, the science of personal energy remains a looming mystery for most of the population…but not you! By exploring personal energy together, we’re bringing in more life and more vitality to really build the foundation for living out our dream lifestyles – whatever shape that may take for you personally.

Really think back over the last few days, or even just over today. Did you feel that high energy running through you somewhere close to 11-1pm? Did you feel a drop off at some point in the afternoon? Seeing the big picture about how our days might look in terms of energy gives us a lot of leverage. Have you ever thought of planning out activities according to your energy levels? According to Thayer, these lower energy levels lead to increased tension and anxiety at these key times of day. “Problems look more serious, people think in more negative terms. We’ve seen this in studies where people’s feelings about exactly the same problem varied widely depending on the time of day.”, says Thayer. My personal take on this is that if you know lower energy is coming, you can be prepared and deal with it masterfullly, rather than being at its mercy!

Some practical applications would include getting done the most challenging, high-level tasks or goals earlier in the day. If you tackle the big report early in the day, you’ll have a clearer mind and more energy to really get it done effectively and efficiently. The late evening may also be a good time to get other important things done, again depending on how your personal energy clock plays out. What about the weekend, when most of us are home or traveling? You could plan projects and challenging yard work at these key energy highs throughout the day. The same goes for exercise – I’ve noticed that I have a lot more energy at certain times of the day when I workout than at other times. It makes a huge difference over time, since your energy levels determine how much strength and endurance you’ll have in each workout!

I hope this post has given you some insight into your natural energy clock, and that you’ll use this information to take all of your actions to the next level. Plan those important, challenging events for your energy highs, and easier, less stressing events for the times when you won’t have quite as much to draw on. By doing so, you’ll reap dramatic rewards in terms of personal energy, peace of mind and clarity about your day.

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett