You know that feeling you get after a huge meal (think big dinner or Thanksgiving-style meal)?

That feeling is making you tired and irritable, heavy and bloated, missing out on everything that life has to offer. What kind of life is that? The only thing on your mind right now should be HOW to turn it around and start experiencing radical amounts of energy everyday.

Energy to start your day. Inspiration at work. Feeling turned on and activated when you get home to do all the things you really wanted to do – but often couldn’t find the energy to get done. It’s all an energy game- to do the things we want to do, we need the drive to do them. That drive is born of the mental AND physical energy we have at any given point in time. A key tip? Increasing your physical energy through the meals you choose to fuel yourself with simultaneously increases your mental energy and ability to get things done in your life.

Back to that heavy, tired feeling…

That feeling comes from a number of different factors. The primary one is overeating, taking in too much food at once and having your body essentially “shut down” in order to digest it. All of your physical energy goes to the digestion of your food, and you’re left with zero for working out, playing with the kids (or friends), working on projects, etc. Zero!

I could just tell you to eat lightly, or smaller portions – but that’s not nearly the whole story. While that will certainly improve your energy levels, the primary consideration is the TYPES of foods that you’re eating. We know that refined carbohydrates (think grains like breads, cereals, pastries, biscuits, pancakes, etc) can spike the blood sugar and leave you with uneven moods and energy levels throughout the day, and especially following your meals. Of course, anything with added refined sugar in it will do the same – and even more drastically – but I’d like to hope that you’re beyond choosing those types of choices if you’ve been following me for any length of time.

You’re capable of choosing the meals that deliver solid, even and abundant energy to your mind and body all the time…it’s just a matter of finding the meals that work for you. Simply through trial-and-error, you can discover incredible combinations that really work for you. But here’s a quicker way to do it in the meantime: add in more raw foods.

We just saw that heavy, cooked meals can take away nearly 100% of your available personal energy and redirect it toward the digestion of those meals. A better way is to add in an all-raw or mostly raw meal at least every now and then. Personally, my two favorites are superfood smoothies and large salads. My own superfood smoothie is a blend of water, fresh greens, berries and a wide variety of superfoods – some of the most mineral-rich, nutrient-packed foods available to us on this planet :)

Something absolutely EVERYONE can do is throw together a healthy salad. Just toss some fresh greens (romaine, collard greens, swiss chard, spinach, others) into a large bowl or dish and get some raw nuts or seeds to round it out (hemp seeds, almonds, walnuts and so many others all work great). Even better, add in some fresh fruit! Dice up some apples or throw in a few handfuls of fresh berries.

Listen, it’s not about being “healthy” (a word that’s taken a lot of abuse in its image for some reason over the years). It’s about how you feel after every meal, which determines how you feel every day. How you feel every day determines how you feel over the course of your lifetime. Your experience of life – and the energy you have available to you – is directly related to how you feel after each and every meal you choose to fuel yourself with. Eating a large salad with fresh fruit and/or raw nuts and seeds will give you the clear-minded abundance of energy you need to stay aligned with what’s really important to you. It will let you maintain and develop those key relationships with others, give you the extra energy you need to move your career forward, and eventually net you an increase in income if you’re looking for it. It’s all an energy game in the end.

Too heavy? I hope not. Really start becoming aware of how each meal is making you feel when you’re eating it, directly after, and within the next 2-3 hours of your life. With momentum, you can start choosing only the meals that leave you inspired and full of personal energy, ready to take action and live life to the fullest.

Unleash Your Vitality,

– John Brackett

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

P.S. Check out the banner for these guys below – I use about 5-1 0 different products from them at any given time, and these are the ones that consistently give me the “edge” and mental clarity I’m looking for in my daily superfood smoothie. Click the banner and check out their online store for some cool ideas on what might be fun to throw into the mix for you personally:

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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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I  understand your healthy skepticism. You hear a word like “superfoods” and while a part of you lights up with anticipation, you know full-well that it sounds like another scam or new product on the market. I’m here to talk to that small part of you that just lit up with the light of possibility, and reveal how superfoods are actually a food group…and one that you’d best start paying attention to – today.

Superfoods are a class of foods that have risen above and beyond the traditional “food” label. Conventional foods give us the essential nutrients we need to survive, but superfoods deliver the things our bodies and minds need to THRIVE – in a multitude of ways. Nearly all classified “superfoods” (such as goji berries, spirulina, bee pollen, maca, aloe vera, hempseeds, etc) work to enhance the immune system in dramatic ways. They deliver the exact key players for incredible immunity, but do it in the context of an extraordinary whole food – not a refined, chemical supplement that our bodies can’t assimilate.

Superfoods go far beyond immunity, however. They deliver practical, tangible results in your health, fitness and energy levels on the spot. We can all laughingly understand that no person can feel good or perform even remotely well living off just donuts and junk food. But then we stop mid-way. If that’s the bottom end of energy and personal performance, what’s the top? It’s certainly not the traditional American or European dietary lifestyle! If we consider that (which is causing incredible amounts of disease, obesity, and unnecessary pain and suffering) as the “middle point” on the scale of energy levels and personal performance, what IS the top?

The truth is, we’re just discovering what that top is now. And a few years down the road, we’ll know even more about that peak state. As we continue evolving in our understanding of nutrition, lifestyle and the human body, we’ll continue to redefine what we think is possible. The problem right now? What we know is possible is far beyond where most people have settled. Enter: superfoods. Superfoods are the missing piece of the puzzle, the “long-lost ingredient” that we’ve been searching for. We already know that they can dramatically enhance our immunity and keep us happy and healthy all year long, but the story goes so much deeper than that.

Do you realize that you can get all the protein you need (complete proteins with all of the essential amino acids), all the vitamins and minerals you need, all of the incredible enzymes and co-enzymes missing from the conventional modern diet and so much more…all from these so-called “superfoods”? What you’ve been told you’d have to take daily supplements to get is now available in the form of raw, organic superfoods grown in pristine, fertile soils in South America and beyond – score! Who in their right mind would rather take a handful of pills than enjoy a colorful, vibrant meal of foods that could revolutionize your health and energy levels daily?

A fascinating thing that starts to happen as you get into this is the falling away of old habits and food choices. You start to realize that if you take 5-10 minutes to blend up a quick “superfood smoothie”, you’ll feel incredible for hours – and, in fact, likely the whole day! Suddenly, when you’re faced with the option to grab a quick lunch of some fast-food meal with 70+ ingredients you can’t read or understand, you’re aware of the difference in how you might feel. You start to make the choices that lead to this enhanced state of wellbeing – where you have the energy to do what needs to get done, you’re more fun to be around because you’re in a better mood, and everyday just seems to be “one of those great days” :)

This new sense of energy comes from so many individual but connected factors, ranging from eating less of the things that drain your energy in the first place to gentle detoxification of old, stored toxins currently hampering your health, all the way to weight loss and the palpable energy actually in these superfoods. Many, if not all, classified superfoods are alkaline in nature – meaning they help to balance your body’s pH level back into a more neutral state. This is becoming more and more vital as people increasingly become dramatically more acidic (a breeding ground for disease). The other part of the equation that I’ve touched on before is the importance of alkalinity in energy levels. Alkaline blood is healthy, and is better able to carry the red blood cells that deliver the oxygen we need; this, in turn, determines our energy levels throughout the day (or is at least responsible for somewhere around 90% of it).

As your energy skyrockets and disease starts getting stopped in its tracks, you’re also getting re-mineralized. With mineral-deficient soils and foods as the norm, you’ll find that this aspect makes all the difference in the world. And when I say re-mineralization, I don’t just mean your bones and teeth. I’m talking your whole body, which includes your hair, skin and nails, muscle tissue quality, your organs, etc. Just one word of warning: as your body becomes increasingly nourished and revitalized, your mind follows in turn. With an incredible diet comes incredible mental performance, and it has been noted that superfoods in particular can lead to a re-evaluation of values in your life. What’s important to you at any given moment is determined by the state that you’re in…change the state, and you change the game at a fundamental level. The catch? The first move is up to you.

Unleash Your Vitality,

– John Brackett

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

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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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Something you may or may not be aware of is the fascinating field of oxygen therapy that has emerged over the last few decades. Why is it gaining momentum in the health world? While the therapies come in many forms, they all come back to one guiding principle: oxygen kills disease. How can they hold up this bold claim? We know for a fact that most of the harmful organisms in our bodies (many types of viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc) are anaerobic- that is, they don’t breathe oxygen. In fact, oxygen completely kills them off! On the other hand, we’ve found out that many of the beneficial organisms in our bodies actually thrive on oxygen…aerobic organisms. Through our conscious intake of oxygen, we’re actually able to help determine the internal environment of our own bodies, which is where all the action really takes place.

But where do we take this information from here? Do we breathe more deeply? Do we need to get ozone treatments? In fact, oxygen can be derived in a large number of ways, and we can also enhance our ability to absorb the oxygen already available to us. Dramatically improving our health through higher oxygenation doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult in the least if we can take the time to learn more about the process and its roles in the body. The first major point is the one mentioned above, being that oxygen kills off harmful organisms in the body, while allowing beneficial ones to thrive. This alone has huge implications, seeing as anaerobic organisms are responsible for a great deal of the disease and illness we’re seeing more and more of every day!

Another point that really doesn’t get the attention it deserves is the correlation between oxygen and energy levels. It has been said that up to 90% of our energy comes from oxygen! While many take energy for granted or assume it comes only from what we eat or drink, oxygen is in fact our main source of energy. The oxygen we take in allows our minds to function at peak performance, in turn benefiting every bodily process controlled by the powerhouse that is the human mind. In other words, when the brain has access to more oxygen, it can do its job better- and that means it’s better able to build and maintain a strong, healthy, vital body.

At A Glance: Reasons To Up Your Oxygen Intake

–> Increased Energy, Stamina & Endurance
–> Increased Nutrient Uptake (Getting In Vitamins, Minerals, Etc)
–> Better Sleep & Stronger Immune System
–> Enhanced Learning & Concentration
–> Improved Memory & Brain Function
–> Accelerated Healing & Recovery Of The Body
–> Stronger Heart Muscles & Lower Blood Pressure
–> Better Circulation
–> Internal Cleansing Of Toxins & Anaerobic Organisms

The list of benefits can be astounding for something so simple that we often take for granted! Unlike activites such as exercising and stretching, which we consciously choose to do, oxygen is an automatic part of the health equation; we’re always taking in oxygen through breathing and other means, but it’s up to us to take control of that process and get the results we’re after. So we’re back to the question posed earlier: how can we increase the level of oxygen in our bodies?

As it turns out, all exercise increases the flow of oxygen to the brain. That’s one of the main reasons to maintain a consistent, weekly exercise routine- even if it’s just minutes a day, the benefits can be enormous…it’s not all about building muscle! All forms of exercise including yoga, weight training, running, kayaking, and even playfully chasing after the family pet can provide the benefits of oxygenation at some level. Part of the reason for this is the deep breathing caused by exercise, which of course moves more oxygen through the system. This statement reveals yet another way to get more oxygen: deep breathing. By changing from the habit of short, shallow breaths to taking longer, deeper breaths we can completely change our oxygen intake in seconds. Note that both exercise and deep breathing are completely free and take very little time out of our days (we breathe anyway!). These are two great ways to realize the benefits of higher oxygenation.

Exercise and deep breathing aren’t the only ways, however; you may recall the oxygen therapy mentioned at the start of this page. Oxygen therapy is the process of using oxygen in a therapeutic way to help foster good health in the body. While many people have found success in turning to oxygen therapies for healing ailments and disease, even the healthiest of people can benefit as well. For those interested, there are many methods to be explored and certainly some will work for some people, while not for others- it all comes down to what you’re comfortable with and what makes sense to you. Either way, it’s a fascinating field to look into, and certainly for further investigation into this vital aspect of health.

One last thing to be aware of, relating to oxygen, is that not all air is created equal! It’s common sense that the more toxins and pollutants there are in the air, the more work our body has to do to process and eliminate those toxins. The easiest way to maintain radiant health and vitality is to breathe in the highest quality air possible as much as possible. Any wooded area is a great place to be in, even if just for a brief hike, walk or jog; this is mainly because the trees themselves give off more oxygen, but also because these areas are naturally less polluted than the surrounding communities and cities. Trips to the beach and the mountains are also great for getting some oxygen into the system, and it really is fascinating how we tend to do these things instinctively. In short: breathe the best quality air possible and increase the level of oxygen in your body to start seeing some real changes in your life!

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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Have You Checked Out The New E-Book On Raw Foods, Weight Loss & Living A Healthy Lifestyle?

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Featured Resources

As a raw foodist myself, I’ve spent hundreds of hours (if not more) researching the arena of raw foods, health, energy, peak performance and other related topics. I’ve seen the research for raw foods, and I’ve heard the counterarguments against going raw. After looking at all of this evidence with an open mind, I’m more convinced than ever that eating 100% raw foods is by far the most sensible path to radiant health.

I’ll be honest with you: it’s tough to accept ideas that completely shatter a current paradigm. This is a cooked food world everywhere you turn…but that doesn’t mean it’s natural or even healthy. Humans are the only creatures on Earth that cook their food. Think about it. All animals in nature eat their wild, natural diet of raw foods. These animals also live to their natural old age, free of the countless diseases on the rise more and more. Yet feed all these animals the same exact foods – cooked – and they develop the degenerative diseases seen everywhere today. There have been countless studies on all different types of animals, and the difference between the same food raw and cooked is the difference between vibrant health and chronic disease, genetic mutations, and complications galore.

It’s certainly not our fault for eating cooked foods! They’ve spread rapidly across the globe since fire was first used to cook thousands of years ago. The reason for this has nothing to do with health if you really dive into the research. When proteins, fats or carbohydrates are heated above a certain temperature, the structure of the food itself changes. My favorite line about this comes from Susan Schenck in The Live Food Factor: “When you were in chemistry lab at school, you no doubt learned that heating things changed their chemical structures. Why would heating food be immune to this chemical process?” The generally accepted cut-off point for heating most foods is 118 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s interesting to think about temperatures in nature, where most hot days reach up into the 80s or 90s. Certain regions can even hit 100-110, but that’s about the upper limit. This corresponds remarkably well to the point where foods change structurally.

An example? The act of heating protein creates cross-links that make around 50% of the protein unusable by the body. When you cook a big slab of meat, you likely go from about 100% protein to 50% protein digestibility on average, depending on the temperature and duration of heating. This literally means that raw foodists need only half the protein intake of people who cook every form of protein they encounter.

But to get back to why the cooked food culture has spread, the heating actually causes thousands of chemicals to be released, many of which our bodies are simply not designed to handle. Many of these chemicals also inhibit our natural functioning by destroying the delicate chemical balances throughout our body. Cooked foods are addicting, comforting, and warm. How many times have you reached for your favorite cooked food when you’ve had a stressful day? An emotional challenge? When you’re exhausted? They’re comforting and addicting, which is why it’s such a hard habit to break. Many raw foodists know firsthand that breaking the habit can be more challenging than any drug addiction – and that it can take years to accomplish.

This is a tough topic to write about because it really feels like an attack on your habits. If you found yourself becoming defensive over your foods, consider why that may be. Have your foods become tied up in your emotions rather than a shining path to radiant health? These are the hard questions, but if you’re willing to ask them then you’re actively breaking up the patterns and habits that may be holding you back. Let me know if this post inspired some heavy thinking and opened some doors for you, or just feel free to ask questions below and I’ll give you my honest opinion.

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett

Through optimal nutrition, it’s possible to get to a state where you naturally enjoy boundless energy and high moods – all the time. Instead of covering that here, I’m working on a 3-part video series that’ll go over that topic in the context of how to never get sick again. So while that project is being carried out, we’ll go over the best 3 ways to raise both your energy levels and your mood.

1) Do Something You Love

If you ever find yourself trapped in a low-energy or bad mood situation, do something you love to do. Even if it’s getting away for just a few minutes, the effects on your mood and energy are well worth it. To some people that might mean curling up with your favorite book, taking a hike, playing a few rounds of darts…anything that you truly love to do that makes you feel good.

2) Get In A Workout

Who doesn’t feel good after even a quick workout? The trick with workouts is that they’re more like an investment than just winning the energy lottery. You get in the workout, and instead of a quick energy rush that’s gone in a flash, you get hours of sustained energy and enhanced mood as the benefit! It doesn’t have to be at the gym, either; I’ll commonly make up new exercises around the house to keep it fun and feel good at the same time.

3) Turn Up Your Favorite Music

I know of some research that showed physical exercise as the #1 energy enhancer and listening to music as #2. These aren’t two random strategies, they’re the strategies. The important part with music is that you listen to what you love to hear; if you listen to your favorite tunes, your energy will skyrocket. Music has always had an amazing ability to let us forget about the worries of our daily lives and get taken for a ride on the creative side. Find the ones that mean something to you and turn it up!

These are just 3 simple ways to instantly boost your energy and mood – in other words, to feel good! Make a habit of doing what you love, first and foremost. It could be a quick daily ritual, or it could be something you like to go out and do every weekend. I won’t say any more about exercise – we’ve been told enough! But music is one that gets forgotten easily, or you may hear music that doesn’t inspire and uplift you. Find ways to bring empowering music into your life and have some serious fun with all the extra energy ;)

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett

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