The other evening I was cleaning up the downstairs workout room. As I was vacuuming, something interesting happened: the cord got pulled out of the outlet. Of course, the vacuum stopped and I had to turn around to plug it back in. But as I did so, a crucial insight came through to me. I realized that when you’re not “plugged in” to your own power source, you’re just spinning your wheels.

Let’s consider the vacuum itself. Both before and after, the vacuum was perfectly setup, fully functional and in the “on” position. The only difference was whether or not power was surging through the wires. It really struck me that a lot of people are in that “on” position, doing a lot of the right things on the outside but finding that they still feel “stuck” or disconnected at some level – and certainly not achieving the results they’re after.

What you can learn from any ordinary vacuum cleaner is this: you’ve got to be plugged in. You’ve got to be connected to your own power source, your own internal drive and motivation. As I often get at, this internal drive doesn’t just affect one area of your life. Rather, you use this drive as the fuel for better relationships, more productivity, working out, preparing healthy meals and really getting on track. You can be doing all sorts of things on the outside, but if that internal drive is missing then you won’t experience the fulfillment of true, meaningful achievement. There will always be results in your life, but you’ve got to ask yourself if you’re just seeing “results” or true, meaningful achievement (which really isn’t measured in outward results but an internal sense of accomplishment).

The best decision you can make today is to start pursuing the habits and practices that lead to an increased sense of drive, motivation and direction. When you focus on the things that really “plug you in” to your own power source, all of the outward results become infused with that power as well. In other words, if you want to start seeing some real changes on the outside then start with the inside – by plugging yourself in!

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett

P.S. Leave your comments below!

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

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