09 Feb Health, Fitness, and the Power of 12

“Tug on anything at all and you’ll find it connected
to everything else in the universe.”
John Muir

Imagine every area of your life connected by a web of thousands of invisible threads.  Every action you take creates a ripple affect that reaches out and touches everything else.

At Lifebook we refer to this concept as “Category Interconnectivity.”  Many Lifebook Members have discovered the powerful connections that exist between each area of life, and have come to realize that harnessing the strength of one category may be the key to improving another category.

Leverage your Health and Fitness to create a ripple affect that will drastically improve your overall quality of life.

Below, Jon shares an excerpt directly from his personal Lifebook, which he calls “Health, Fitness and the Power of 12.”

Let’s take a closer look at how high levels of Health and Fitness can positively affect every area of your life…

My Intellectual Life

Research shows that being in shape, getting proper exercise, proper nutrition and proper sleep significantly increases my ability to think clearly. My mind works better when my body is working at optimal levels, because my mind is an extension of my body.

I’ve also found that intense physical exertion, such as very long runs (10 miles or more) or Bikram Yoga can yield intellectual breakthroughs that can’t be achieved in any other way. Creative ideas seem to come to me, not from me. I am never as creative as when my body is being pushed to the limit and producing endorphins.

My Emotional Life

My physical fitness has a profound impact on my emotional life. In his book “Nutrition and the Mind”, Dr. Watson puts forth the theory that just about any emotional problem can be traced back to unstable energy in the brain, and THAT can be traced back to improper nutrition. I know this to be a fact, because I was eating wrong for my body type for years, and as a result, I found myself with an anxiety disorder. After 8 years of intense research, I finally found the answer: a higher fat diet with specific nutritional supplements and limited starch at every meal. Within 2 weeks my anxiety disorder was gone and it never came back. It was mainly my diet. Anxiety looks like an emotional problem, but in many cases, the cause is lack of proper nutrition. What you put into your body controls your brain energy, and your brain energy controls your emotions. Proper health and fitness is critical to a healthy emotional life.

My Character

Diet and exercise give me a platform to practice some of the character traits I esteem most, such as self-discipline, determination, persistence and a focused, consistent “action orientation” toward life. Since, as Aristotle said, ”Character is built when we turn virtues into habits”, practicing the virtues that lead to world-class health and fitness will help me build a better character. And a better character will help me manifest my vision for health and fitness.

My Spiritual Life

Being in shape helps me feel grounded and more peaceful. Taking care of my body is one of the most important responsibilities I’ve been given by the universe. It makes me feel benevolently connected to all that exists. It makes me feel good about myself. Part of my spirituality is about being self-actualized, becoming the best person I can possibly be – and Health and Fitness is an important part of that.

My Love Relationship

Being in fantastic shape has had a profound effect on my love life. I always want to be in great shape for Missy. I want her to think I’m sexy forever. Having beautiful bodies obviously increases the quality of our sex life, but it has other enormous benefits as well, such as SERIOUSLY increasing the quality of our experiences. We can run a marathon together, anywhere in the world, spontaneously, any time we want. We’ve conquered Machu Picchu. We’ve walked the entire French coast from Nice to St. Jean Cap Ferrat. We’ve run the entire cities of Buenos Aries, Hong Kong, Madrid and Lima from one side to another.

Parenting

Taking good care of my body is CRITICAL to being a good parent. I see teaching my children about health, nutrition and exercise as one of the primary responsibilities of a good parent. And it’s not just what I SAY that counts, it’s what I DO, who I AM and how I LIVE my life.

My children have a father who is a strong, muscular athlete. I always have been and I always will be. I want to be in great shape so I can be around longer for my kids and have a better time with them while I’m here.  Plus I need to be able to kick their asses for a LONG TIME – (and that is going to be a major accomplishment when it comes to Justin! J)

My Social Life

Like attracts like. Everyone knows that you become like your friends. Many of my truly close friends, past and present, have been brought into my life by my interest in health and fitness. From my trainer and old racquetball partners, to all my current friends who are experts in wellness – health and fitness has always been a way for me to relate to other men – and I have learned SO much from them.

Likewise, Missy and I have also had a profound effect on the health and fitness of our friends by setting an example of what is possible. Dozens of our friends have changed their diet and exercise habits and gotten in great shape because of our example. Plus you can do awesome stuff like hiking to waterfalls and climbing mountains with your friends if you’re in great shape! High levels of health and fitness vastly improves my social life.

My Financial Life

My financial life is deeply tied to my intellectual life and my career, and my health and fitness has a profound effect on these two categories. High levels of health and fitness allow me to think more clearly – and if I have the ability to think more clearly, I’ll make better decisions and I will make more money. My energy levels are a direct result of my health and fitness – and if I have more energy to bring to my career, I’ll make more money. Further, I happen to be in the personal development business, and I intend to practice what I preach. Lifebook is my passion. It’s my calling. I have no choice but to take my health and fitness to the highest possible levels. I simply cannot do the particular job I’ve chosen without being in fantastic shape!

My Career

Owning and running multiple companies is not only an intellectual challenge – it is a PHYSICAL challenge. It requires energy, strength and stamina. There is simply no way I can accomplish my career goals without being in great physical shape, as well as great mental and emotional shape. In order to maximize my career potential, I need the ability to stay grounded and focused, to think clearly and make good decisions, to have extraordinary levels of energy and to develop a forcefulness and power that will propel my career forward and help me change this world. All of these attributes live in the health and fitness category.

My Quality of Life

My quality of life is all about the experiences I want in my life – and so many of these have to do with being in great shape; being able to climb that coconut tree, being able to get in the ocean and spear fish, being able to go up that mountain with my wife, being able to physically protect my family if necessary. My quality of life is strongly impacted by my health and fitness – especially as I get older.

Understanding the power of interconnectivity can literally change your life.  And this month, it just might hold the key to achieving your Health and Fitness goals…