This is a guest post by Jules Clancy of Stonesoup.

As a food lover, I’ve always found nutrition both fascinating and confusing. Even though I studied two basic nutrition subjects at university, I’ve struggled to understand the conflicting messages we’ve all been given over the years.

So I always have an ear out when a new diet book comes out. I’ve waded my way through Skinny Bitch, French Women Don’t Get Fat and even Atkins Essentials. And I’ve always ended up disappointed. But late last year when I read The Paleo Solution and gave it a go, I felt I was heading in the right direction.

Then as luck would have it, my Christmas reading included a copy of Tim Ferriss’ latest book The 4-Hour Body and Gary Taubes’ brilliant book, Why We Get Fat.

Since then I’ve been changing my way of eating and I’ve been applying the principles I discovered in both books. The lessons from both Ferriss and Tabues are consistent with the results I’ve been seeing in myself.

It’s really exciting stuff—and it’s working. Here are a few ideas I’ve gleaned from this research: five unusual ways ot slim down and stay there.

1. Don’t try to eat less

The whole idea of eating less and stopping before you’re full is a double-edged sword. Not only does it make you more likely to binge between meals, it also causes your metabolism to slow down. Think of it as when you eat less, your body adjusts to having less food available by decreasing your metabolism, that is, decreasing the amount of food it needs. Not a good idea.

Listen to your body. Eat until you are full, but of course, don’t over do it.

2. Don’t exercise to excess

Gary Taubes cites many studies on rats to prove exercise doesn’t make us thin. I prefer to think about my own experience.

When I was training to run a marathon, I’d expected one of the side effects would be losing weight. But I didn’t. My body adjusted to me running 90km a week by giving me an enormous appetite.

While some exercise vs no exercise can help with weight loss, the benefits don’t increase the more you exercise. Our bodies adjust our appetites to suit our level of activity.

I’m not saying don’t exercise. There are a heap of other benefits. Apart from exercise being fun it’s also great for your mental health. Just don’t expect crazy amounts of exercise to make you slimmer.

By the same token, don’t beat yourself up about not exercising if you want to lose weight. It’s more important to focus on changing your diet.

3. Manage your carbohydrate intake

According to Gary Taubes, we get fat because we eat certain types of carbohydrates.

Basically when we eat carbohydrates they increase our blood sugar levels. Our bodies then produce insulin to help get our blood sugar back to normal by storing the excess energy as fat.

So too many carbohydrates = too much insulin = fat bodies.

Of course it’s not that simple. Some people are naturally more sensitive to insulin than others. This means that for the same amount of carbohydrate, the less sensitive people produce more insulin and so spend more time in Storing Fat mode (one of the reasons why some people are more likely to put on weight). Also as we age, we become less sensitive to insulin (hello middle-aged spread).

The other complication is that not all carbohydrates cause the same amount of insulin to be produced. You may have heard of the Glycemic Index (GI). This is a measurement of how different foods influence our blood sugar and therefore how much insulin they stimulate in our bodies over time. In effect, how fattening they are.

But GI can be difficult to understand. And it’s not fun having to look up tables all the time to see what we should and shouldn’t be eating. So I’ve adopted Tim Ferriss suggestion to avoid all ‘white’ carbohydrates, including all grains and sugars, and instead eat plenty of beans, legumes, and veggies.

4. Don’t be afraid of fat

We need fat to live. Whenever we decrease fat in our diets we tend to replace it with carbohydrates which stimulate insulin production and promote the storage of fat.

Don’t be afraid of saturated fat either. As Gary Taubes reports in Why We Get Fat, “Trials like the Women’s Health Initiative find that eating less fat and less saturated fat have no beneficial effect (at least for women)”.

5. Have a cheat day every week

This is one of my favorite Tim Ferriss suggestions. Nominate one day a week where you’re free to eat as much as you want of whatever you like. The main benefit here is psychological. It stops you feeling deprived and decreases the risk of bingeing randomly. It also helps give your metabolism a boost (see point 1).

After years of always trying not to over indulge, it’s truly liberating to have a day going crazy in the name of your waistline. But even better, you feel so crap afterwards, it makes you appreciate how good you feel the rest of the week.

It’s also great because every time you have a craving during the week, you can add it to the list of things to eat on your cheat day—a much better result than a permanent No.

Jules Clancy is a qualified Food Scientist and blogs about her commitment to only cooking recipes with no more than 5 ingredients over at Stonesoup. She is also the creator of The Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School where she is currently running a class called Reclaim Your Waistline.

This guest post is by Jasmin Tragas.

Before I had kids, I didn’t find it too difficult to justify going out to dinner after a hard day’s work. After I had kids, it wasn’t even on the radar. That probably has something to do with … let’s see … juggling work, kids, school pick-ups, housework, budgets, lunches, homework, kids’ sports, community commitments, exercise, catching up with friends … and simply having time to relax. If you can squeeze in the time!

I used to marvel at friends with more than two children, and wonder how they did it. Then I noticed something they all had in common.

I could tell you about how important it is to be plan, plan, plan, and how a little organization goes a long way. But I’ve also noticed that some of my friends simply had some great support structures in place.

Support 1. Food

Okay, so going out to dinner with the family to eat a good meal every night might not be an option. And take-out is probably not the healthiest choice, although I have been known to resort to “sanity pizza”.  Admittedly, when I was nearing the end of my pregnancy I ordered a few week’s worth of dinners from a popular diet company—not because we were on diets, but as emergency back-ups. The food was nutritious and really helped in the early days (just be sure to let them know you’re pregnant so you get the right amount of calories and nutrition).

What about getting your food delivered? There are plenty of supermarkets and greengrocers online. We’ve even found it’s just as affordable to have our milk, eggs and bread delivered twice a week—a massive help on busy mornings.

Support 2. Cleaning

If you can’t afford a weekly cleaner, maybe a fortnightly clean can fit into the budget. It can make a huge difference. Just getting your business shirts ironed by someone else can make a significant impact on the amount of time you have to do other things.

Support 3. Babysitting

Do you still go on dates with your partner?  Don’t be afraid to ask someone you trust to babysit so you can have some time together. It’s important that you have time to yourself as well, and having a babysitter means you can do that whether or not the “you” time suits your partner’s schedule.

Simply putting these few small support structures in place has made a huge difference to me during life’s busy seasons. And while some of them might come at a price, it’s worth investigating to see whether they fit in your budget. After all, sometimes it’s just a matter of asking a friend of family member if they could drop a meal around if you’re having a difficult week with a sick child.

How about you?  Do you find it easy to set up  “support structures” to improve your work/life balance?

Jasmin Tragas is a mother of three, and and spent several years working part time at IBM. She currently works for ProBlogger two days a week from home.

This post is by Sean Cook of HigherEdCareerCoach.Com.

It’s easy to kick yourself when you fail. We all do it and sometimes, frankly, pity parties serve a purpose, so don’t resist the temptation to throw one for yourself every once in a while.

Just don’t over-indulge and wallow in misery for too long. There’s no use in failing if you aren’t going to learn something, get over it, get over yourself, get right with what you got wrong, and get going.

Get over it

Lick your wounds if you need to. Hide out and watch sad movies. Call a friend to whine.

Throw a wake for your failed idea. Talk about the good times. Talk about the bad. Talk about how your failure made you feel like the drunk guy with a lampshade on his head at the office Christmas party,  who had to go face everyone in January. Then…

Get over yourself

Somebody will always have it better. Somebody will always have it worse. But no one can ever do it like you do. Sure, life is hard sometimes … for each and every one of us. You’re not the only failure in the world, and most things worth doing aren’t easy. They are hard.

The hard … is what makes it great.*

Get right with what you got wrong

Once you’ve thrown the pity party and shaken off the dust of failure, it’s time to clean up the mess. Everyone knows that it’s not really a party unless something gets broken, so there should be plenty of shards and remnants lying about.

There is a great songwriter from Athens, GA (where I live these days), named Bill Mallonee, and I’ve been a big fan of his since college, when he was fronting a band called Vigilantes of Love.

In one of my favorite songs, he sings about picking up the pieces of  his “might-have beens” and “holding them up to the light.”  I love that imagery, because I imagine being bathed in the prismatic gleam of  sunlight passing through a broken shard of glass, and having a singular moment of enlightenment.

“So that’s how I broke it. Wow. But look at the pretty rainbows.” It’s not all bad. And once you’ve seen how  you broke something, you can find ways around potential failures in the future.

Get going

After all this, you should be ready to try again. You may not try the same things you did before. You may try them, but avoid the roadblocks that set you off course before. You may find new roadblocks in your way. But you’ll be better prepared for them than before. You’ll fail “better”, because once you make a habit of deconstructing failure, you’ll see it as an opportunity to learn, not to mourn.

And that should make you feel better about your efforts, your mistakes, and yourself, so that you can get back to going forward in your life and career.

When have you failed? And what helped you move past it?

*That’s a quote from “A League of Their Own.” I wish I could take credit for it!

Sean Cook is a certified Life Purpose and Career Coach from Athens, GA. Read more at HigherEdCareerCoach.Com

This post is by Brandon Yanofsky of brandonyanofsky.com.

Even if you’re tired of hearing about Charlie Sheen, keep reading. This article isn’t about Charlie; it’s about you.

These last few weeks, every so often I’ve found myself smiling, for seemingly no reason at all. But there is a reason. I’m thinking to myself:

Winning!

I think it’s so inspiring that no matter how bad things are looking for Charlie, he captures his optimism in this one-word mantra.

Don’t get me wrong: I think he’s delusional beyond belief. His addiction with drugs and women is completely wrong, and he certainly needs help. But the rest of us, who don’t face these addictions, can use his mantra to better our own lives and increase our happiness.

Let’s face it: things don’t come easily. Nothing is handed to us. Whenever we have a goal or destination in mind, obstacles will always get in the way.

I know exactly what I want and remind myself every day what I want in life. And every day, I must overcome some new challenge. Some are easy, some are hard. But one thought helps me get through:

Winning!

When presented with obstacles, you are either winning or losing. Either you are defeating the obstacles, or they are defeating you.

And it is you who decides which it is.

Psychologists have long discussed how our thoughts affect our success. When we think positively, we succeed more often. When we think negatively, we fail more often. Think about it. People who accomplish great things in life don’t become positive after accomplishing something; they accomplished it because they were positive.

So choose: are you winning, or are you losing? You are either one or the other, not a little of both.

The losers are the ones who tell themselves they are losing. The winners are the ones who tell themselves (can you guess it):

Winning!

Which are you?

If you’d like to read more by Brandon Yanofsky, you can check out his blogs on Salon Marketing, and his personal blog about living a less stressful life.

This post is by Sheila Hart-O’Connor of www.writerathart.com.

“I can’t.”

“This is too hard.”

“I don’t know if I can handle it.”

Six months ago when I began attending Spinning classes at my health club, these were statements that often cycled through my head. Not because I inherently lacked confidence or because I had any physical limitations, but because I was scared of pushing myself. Spinning is a tough workout, and for beginners it can be downright overwhelming.

If you haven’t tried a Spinning class before, it’s much like riding a stationary bike, with the added benefits of a certified instructor, a range of riding “courses”, and energizing music to keep you motivated. Typically, the bike is specially designed for Spinning, equipped with adjustable seats, handles, and pedals to give riders maximum flexibility and comfort. Courses can include long, uphill climbs, heavy resistance, intervals, and “jumping”—moving between the seated position and standing—all while maintaining a target heart rate to help strengthen and challenge your cardiovascular fitness.

As I attended more Spinning classes, I noticed that I was able to maintain a faster pace, ride for longer periods, and even work through heavier resistance. That’s not to say the class ever became easy, but I did overcome small battles each time. But even after a few months, I still experienced periods when my mind wanted to control my progress. When my legs started to hurt, my mind told me that I wanted to slow down. When the ride was tough, I thought I wanted to ease up on the speed. My mind was actually convincing me that working harder just wasn’t possible.

If you think you can’t do it, then you won’t

Finally, one day as we closed in on the last challenge of a long and grueling course, the instructor said to us, “If you think you can’t do it, then you won’t.” At once, I realized she was completely right. I started to wonder, what if I just didn’t think of anything at all, and instead focused my energy on simply moving my body?

Suddenly, pushing through the course wasn’t nearly as difficult. Even after 45 minutes of continuous activity, the pain in my legs was replaced with amazing energy. I felt free from my mind. I felt really alive.

Here’s what I’ve taken away from this experience, and what I continue to use as my fitness mantra: If we decide something is true in our minds, it’s going to dictate the way our bodies react. But if we can learn to turn off our minds and just let our bodies do the work, we quickly realize how much stronger we are physically and, as a result, become stronger mentally.

Have you had the experience of breaking through negative thought to find greater stamina? Share your thoughts with us.

Sheila Hart-O’Connor is a freelance copywriter that enjoys helping businesses and individuals build long-lasting relationships with their customers through effective and relevant online communication. Her work and accomplishments can be viewed online at www.writerathart.com.

This post is by Nsmukundan  of Healthmango.

As pregnant women undergo different kinds of hormonal changes during pregnancy, depression can become an issue. Medical research has revealed that around 10% of women experience depression during their pregnancy. There are various simple natural treatments which can be practiced by every pregnant woman to avoid the complications caused by depression. If this problem is left untreated it can end up affecting both the mother’s and baby’s health.

Here are five easy, effective, natural ways to reduce your risk of depression during pregnancy.

1. Stay social

During pregnancy, some women can feel isolated from friends or family, and this can aggravate depression. It’s very important to stay in touch with friends and family, and to keep busy with activities and people who are helpful or supportive. There are various support and information groups for pregnant women, and mingling in social groups like this is a wonderful way to achieve optimism.

2. Stay stress-free

Among the contributors to depression is stress. It’s a good idea for mums-to-be to identify the actual sources of stress, and try to figure out ways to handle them—perhaps with the help of a trusted friend or counselor. As mental health is so important at the time of pregnancy, pregnant woman might also consider maintaining a distance from stress-causing people or activities.

3. Enjoy a healthy and balanced diet

A pregnant women is recommended to have a healthy and sufficient diet not only for her physical health but also for mental health. Diet can affect hormone and blood sugar levels, which can in turn impact our moods. Eating healthily is an essential element in creating a sense of well-being.

4. Enjoy physical exercise

Regular exercise not only helps a pregnant woman stay fit, but also brings lot of other benefits. Exercise has the power to improve our mood, but it also makes the body more flexible and can be a helpful preparation for the time of delivery. One need not exercise for hours together to handle stress or depression, and pregnant women can enjoy a range of exercise options. For example, prenatal yoga is considered to be highly effective exercise with various benefits for pregnant women.

5. Accessing counseling

At times these treatments may not be all that’s required to lift depression. In such cases, the woman may consider seeking professional support and help to handle their depression. Personal counseling with a professional who has an experience in depression or anger management, and conversation on a regular basis, may help relieve feelings of frustration or depression. This therapy can also help prepare the new mother for the various changes which are on the way.

Have you experienced depression during or after pregnancy? What advice can you add to help other mums?

Nsmukundan is the owner of Healthmango. In his Health Blog he covers all topics related to Health and Fitness. You can find his blog on Twitter @healthmango.

This post is by Claudia Azula Altucher of Claudiayoga.com.

I was completely intrigued by Ashtanga yoga at first sight, starting with its brutal schedule, but also including its lack of poetry (no “feel the Earth’s energy flow through you” was ever heard in a class) and the mythological superstitions that some forms of yoga employ.

As the years went by and the practice deepened, I fell in love with it hopelessly and for many reasons. Here are some.

1. It’s no-nonsense

Ashtanga yoga plays no games. When I say it has a brutal schedule, I mean it. It is practiced six times a week for at least 1.5 hours. Rest days are Saturdays, full-moon days, and “ladies holidays”. Men have no holidays, sorry! The routine which one practices is pre-set and is called the primary series, which is a set of poses designed to release all toxins and heal the body at its gross level.

At first the practice felt very competitive, which for my western mind was a good carrot on a stick. I wanted to be better, to advance fast, to move to the intermediate series of poses (there are six that grow in intensity). Little did I know how long it would take me to perfect the primary series, how much dedication and discipline it takes, and also that it is not about the next pose, but rather about the amazing changes that the practice brings into the practitioner’s life.

The Guru of Ashtanga yoga, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois said: “Do your practice and all is coming.” I have found this to be a great incentive, and also a deep truth. The “all” in that statement really means all The “do your practice” means more than just the practice of the poses. It means learning to connect with spirit. The rest simply comes—it’s almost like magic.

2. It’s portable

When I first started practicing I had a demanding corporate job that required travel throughout Europe. I would be in London one week and in Spain the next one. I also traveled to Buenos Aires very often. Yet, because the practice is set, it is easy to simply roll out the mat wherever one is in the world. There is no need to find a teacher (although I did that too—and for fun).

I’m known for “doing it” in very odd places. I have performed the whole primary series in my brother’s terrace, and to the curious eyes of thousands of windows above me; in an inborn flight within the kitchenette area and until whenever the flight attendants kicked me out; and in Dubai airport while waiting for the next plane to Bangalore.

3. It is a breathing practice

Breathing is the most important and relevant thing within the practice. There’s no pause: one keeps breathing and flowing from one pose (asana) to the next, and the body is constantly moving while riding the breath.

Starting the day with such awareness of the breath has proven very helpful for my remaining waking hours. For example, I began to notice while in difficult corporate meetings that I could stop the talking and focus on the breathing. Just take a small pause, not a long one obviously, and take one long breath. This, believe it or not, has a psychological effect by which one seems to come across as centered—and that was what I was trying to do (get centered). I have found that by just breathing and not saying anything for, say, three to five seconds, problems have either solved themselves or disappeared.

4. Every single practice is a full body and mind workout

Each class is called a Mysore class because of its birth place in the city of Mysore, in South India. They are self-lead, meaning that one arrives and puts the mat out and starts, and nobody leads (except for specifically designated led classes once a week).

These Mysore classes can get really hot, especially when the rooms are crowded, it is summer, or you are in a tropical place. It is also hard, the poses are not easy, and there is nothing poetic about it. It is what it is, and one deals with it. Perspiration goes hand in hand with daily practice, and it is best to make peace with it, and do some research on good deodorants. I found the learning curve, although steep, very controlled, because a teacher will only add poses one by one, when the student is ready.

Ashtanga yoga is also a metaphor for life. I have noticed that just by attempting a difficult position like kurmasana, I would then dare to do challenging things in life, like planning a trip to India by myself, going for an extended silent meditation retreat, or trying to be kinder to all people.

5. It helps the body relax deeply

Through the new flock of friends Ashtanga brought into my life I learned about the Castor Oil bath. This practice is said to have so many benefits that if you were to believe them all, you’d think it is a potion that comes straight from the Gods.

The main benefit is in the heat that the oil produces in the body, and every time I bathe I feel the warmth. It feels almost as if I had a suit on me that is trapping, extracting, and then releasing impurities. Further benefits among others are the reduction of pain and inflammation, and a healthy glow. It is secrets like this one—traditions that in India have been passed around for generations—that opened my eyes to a completely different way of caring for the body.

6. It gave me the answer

At the most recent conference I attended in Mysore with the head of the lineage (Sharath Jois), I was surprised to see that for every question the students had, the answer was always the same, “do yoga.” Yes there are variations depending on the question, but the main focus is always brought back to this.

“Do yoga” does not just mean do the poses, it means being in touch with the divine within, it means self reflection, noticing where my intentions are, and what is it that I really want in life. It means noticing the areas where I am hoarding, weather it be energy, or possessions, and noticing where I am being truthful in my relationships and where I create intrigue just for self-satisfaction. “Do Yoga” means purifying every action I do.

In daily life, this has a profound effect. I notice for example that if I lose inspiration on what to write about, or I need guidance on how to handle a situation with my husband, it is by “coming back to spirit”, reflecting, and noticing what I am doing with my energy that brings the best answers.

7. It brought me to India

Any Ashtangi that enjoys the practice is eventually brought to its place of birth in Mysore, South India. The Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute is located on a quiet street in the neighborhood of Gokulam, which is another planet, yet has some of the western comforts as it caters to the myriad of students that pour into it year after year to study at the source.

Coming to India worked within me as a restart button. It allowed me to see a whole different culture, to be bathed in colors, chants, smells, foods, and things that were completely different to anything I had seen before, and hence served as an inspiration. I am writing this article from my second trip, while staying in the household of an Indian family, and I sure hope I will be returning soon.

Practicing at the source, with the main teachers in the lineage, and knowing that they are watching makes people try harder, go a little deeper, focus on the practice (and I do not mean just the asana). So when I return home I feel like I have done more than one month of work.

8. It helped me understand the power of the word

Perhaps the biggest lesson I have learned through yoga is the power of the word. Yoga teaches us to cleanse the body and the mind, so that we can eventually see the shinning light that was within us all along but we had kept covered with dust.

The way we word things is one of those areas that needs immediate purification. Words are powerful, they cast spells, they provoke emotional reactions, they can hurt or nurture others, they can bring peace or discomfort.

A few weeks ago in one of my articles I had a very sarcastic comment from a reader, and I realized that I had a choice, I could continue the hurt by being rude or I could do something different. I replied to his comment by saying two things: one, that I got the sarcasm, and two, that I liked the way he wrote. He was indeed a good writer, he was just using the power of the word in an attempt to hurt. Perhaps the yoga was working for me as I was able to put the attention on what was good about him—the writing—and deflecting the negativity by just acknowledging it.

9. I released 30 pounds and never saw them again

Perhaps a better wording for that would be that I came into my ideal weight, and it was not done by following a diet or any kind of program, or being tough or firm. No, it actually all started by learning to love myself in a rather gentle way.

I used Louise Hay’s exercise, by which one looks into a mirror and says “I love you”. In the beginning I felt very out of sorts, stupid almost. Do you know why? Because I did not believe it. After a while, however, I came to the understanding that maybe I was worth of my own respect, maybe I was deserving of my own love.

I find that loving myself was the first step in bringing about many important changes in my life, not just attaining my ideal weight, but also getting clear about relationships, using my time and energy more effectively, considering the possessions I had which I did not really need, and discerning what good friendships meant.

10. I went down the rabbit hole

As titillating as it is to watch long-term practitioners perform difficult poses, the really amazing part of the practice for me has come through seeing the changes it brought in my life and how they manifested. Coincidences these days fill my days to the point where it feels like a science fiction novel—I follow clues from the plates of cars, images, things I hear, and so on. Clues about the right direction come to me, and I am blessed to be open enough to listen. This happens, of course, as long as I keep the connection with God (however it is that I understand it) alive.

This is what, for me, makes yoga a practice rather than a workout, it has a spiritual deep connection and an element of surrendering and surprise that keeps me wondering and in awe. It is magical.

Have you ever tried yoga in any form? What was your experience of it? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Claudia Azula Altucher has studied yoga for over a decade and all over the world including the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India, and at Centered Yoga in Thailand. She writes daily at Claudiayoga.com.

This post is by Jason Fitzgerald of Strength Running.

Distance running inspires the joy of movement, freedom, and celebration of health. The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other is hypnotic, peaceful, and a powerful form of meditation. Many runners do their best thinking while out running, when they think of nothing but what’s important to them.

Running is what I love to do every day. It makes me feel alive and healthy. Running provides a powerful shot of adrenaline that too many people go without in our modern times. When was the last time you confidently ran over a wooded trail, thinking of nothing but the sounds of nature?

Being able to enjoy running is a precious gift that shouldn’t be taken for granted. It’s true: running can be hard on your joints, as every step shoots impact forces of 1.5–3 times your body weight through your legs. Overuse injuries are common in runners, as more than half of them are injured every year.

It doesn’t have to be this way. You can enjoy running with simple preventative exercises and an approach that emphasizes strength, efficiency, and recovery.

A stronger runner is a better runner

Runners usually have big engines—they need to, in order to run so much! Your engine is your endurance or your aerobic capacity; it’s what enables you to keep running farther than your couch-potato friends.

As you cruise along enjoying the freedom of running, you’re going to need strong legs to help you continue running without injuries. To stay healthy and keep getting as much joy from running as possible, the right strength exercises are a must.

The best strength workouts for runners focus on the basics: compound, multi-joint exercises that train movements (not muscles). Squats, dead lifts, different types of lunges, and hay bales with a medicine ball are my favorites for the lower legs. For your upper body, focus on the bench press, pull ups, military press, chin ups, and dips. Don’t get fancy: get basic.

Run correctly to run easily

There is definitely a right way to run. If you’re over-striding, landing on your heel, or bent too far at the waist then you’re asking for an injury that could prevent you from running for days or weeks. Let’s prevent that—I want you to be able to run every day.

The five best strategies for running effortlessly include having a stride rate of about 180 steps per minute, landing underneath your center of mass, keeping your back tall, running quietly with no foot stomping, and landing on your midfoot.

Don’t try to change your running stride all at once—work on one thing at a time. When you’re comfortable running with a faster cadence, then you can practice another aspect of good running form. Put it together and you’re going to be more efficient and less injury-prone.

Healthy runners are mindful runners

Being mindful of your body is the most important aspect of enjoying the freedom of running. As you run day after day, are you being conscious of how your body is feeling? Take care to avoid the “three toos” of distance running: too much, too soon, too fast.

Increasing your running volume or intensity too quickly can put you at a higher risk for injury that would require you to take time off. Exercise good judgment with introducing a new training stress into your running. Judge how you feel after every run. Take a day off or run more slowly if you need to. Use my motto if you like: “You have to live to run another day.”

Running is a gift—a celebration of vitality that enables us to connect with ourselves on a deep level. By exercising some caution with training increases, skill in running form, and prevention with strength exercises you will virtually injury-proof your body.

Enjoy running for what it is: a powerful expression of what your body is capable of. It’s fun, isn’t it?

Jason Fitzgerald (or Fitz) is the founder of Strength Running, a 2:44 marathoner, and online running coach. He loves running the trails, strong coffee, and cycling. Strength Running unleashes Fitz’s passion for helping runners achieve their best and prevent running injuries. Subscribe to get instant updates from Strength Running.

January is an exciting time for fitness bloggers and Pilates studio owners alike! There’s lots of good energy, and lots of upbeat, hopeful people hoping to make positive changes in their lives. As a person who works in the industry, I love welcoming people into the fold and giving them the tools they need to live even better than before.

There is a pitfall, though: an “it must be perfect” attitude. Size 10 isn’t good enough: it must be a size 4. Pushups from the knees are only for wimps—you must do it from the toes. Not one crumb of “bad food” (whatever that is) has crossed my lips. And so on.

It’s a perfect way to set yourself up for failure.

If you’re on some sort of health journey, you’re thinking about food and fitness. Wherever you were, you weren’t happy about it and you’re incorporating new healthy aspects into your life. This. Is. Gold.

But remember: all the little changes add up. Walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator is great. Signing up for a fitness class once a week is better than doing zero per week. Skipping the cream in favor of skim milk in your coffee. Having a smaller piece of cake instead of a slab.

These little things add up. Is this approach perfect? No. But it’s good enough.

It’s good enough to see gradual weight loss and smaller pant sizes. It’s good enough to feel stronger and have more energy. It’s good enough to want to be more social with friends and family. It’s good enough so that after a while it’s just habit—and then it’s time to add another little change. And that’s where the gold is.

If you just implement one little change per month, imagine how far ahead you’ll be by the end of the year. Here are some ideas…

• Swap one deli sub for a salad with dressing on the side once per week. Drizzle the dressing lightly.
• Drag your family to the park one day per week and play with your kids—don’t just sit on a bench.
• Sign up for yoga with your buddy.
• Change your protein portions at dinner from eight ounces down to five ounces.
• Add a vegetable serving per day above what you’re already doing.
• Buy a fitness DVD and commit to it once per week.
• Brown-bag your lunch one day per week.

Any of these changes is enough to knock ten pounds off your frame this year if you stick to them. Wouldn’t it be nice to effortlessly lose a dress size this year (about ten pounds)? How about two or three dress sizes? Wouldn’t that be gold?

If you feel like the perfectionism thing has really given you a hard time, just stop, give yourself a mental hug and begin again, fresh, today.

How do you beat yourself up when you’re not perfect? What negative thoughts do you need to delete from your mental loop? What positive things can you say to replace them? Share your stories here.