It happens to us all – sometimes we need a little extra motivation. But if there’s no one around and you need a self-pep talk, refer to yourself as “you” and not “I”.

A new study found that when talking to yourself in the second person – like “you can do this” – running performance improved.

Psychologists think this works better because if you say “I can do it” – there’s a better chance that your brain will respond with “I can’t do it” – and that will lead to a lessened performance.

Pretend you’re giving someone else a pep talk, and you just may see the results you want!

Image Credit: Bastian Weltjen / iStock / Getty Images Plus

You eat right, you exercise, you stay healthy – but are you doing the right things, or are there some health myths you’ve subscribed to?

Maybe you’ve heard that coffee stunts your growth. Not true – it’s really genetics, and the only real medical condition a cup of coffee will give you is a slight increase in blood pressure.

Maybe you think eggs cause high cholesterol. Well, that’s another myth as they have nearly no effect on cholesterol, and some studies show they improve heart health.

You’ve probably heard you should go for 10,000 steps per day. While walking more isn’t a bad thing, it’s really more like 6,000 to 8,000 steps that you need – past that, and the health benefits don’t really increase.

You might think social media influencers will inspire you to diet and exercise – but it turns out it’s the opposite and can lead to body dissatisfaction.

Image Credit: Tomwang112 / iStock / Getty Images Plus

We all want to be liked. But if you want people to like you even more, there are three easy things you can do.

First – be seen often. Being seen by people more often makes them more likely to enjoy being around you. And that also means, when you’re working from home, you have your camera on during a Zoom meeting!

Also, ask questions – when having conversations, research shows that people who ask questions are liked more by who they’re talking to. It shows that you value what they have to say, and that’ll make the more likely to want to hang out.

Finally, don’t forget to smile! People who smile often are perceived as competent and more attractive, and, unfortunately, it’s true that people are more likely to want to be around someone they consider attractive.

Image Credit: jacoblund / iStock / Getty Images Plus

It’s the start of a new work week, but did you dread it all day yesterday with a case of the “Sunday scaries”?

That’s when you’ve got anxiety about the week ahead – it starts in the middle of the day when you realize the weekend is nearly over, builds throughout the evening, and may even keep you up at night.

But there are some ways to beat it:

First, don’t leave half-finished tasks for Monday. If you didn’t finish a project on Friday, you’ll be dreading those loose ends through the weekend – if it’s a bigger project, try to complete a task before you leave for the weekend.

Also, think positively about the things that are coming up that week – if work gives you the anxiety, think about non-work things that you can look forward to – lunch with a friend, or dinner plans during the week.

Finally, write things down. If you’re not sure why you’re uneasy, writing your thoughts down can help you figure it out.

Image Credit: Image Source / DigitalVision

Have you been feeling off lately? Not getting as much rest as you feel like you need? Well, this weekend may be the best weekend to take a nap. There are a few reasons why napping is actually good for our health:

First, it can recharge your brain. Studies show that napping improves our memory, and people who take afternoon naps have better mental agility.

It can lower our risk for heart problems – one or two naps a week can lower our risk for heart attack or stroke.

And it might help get us in shape – the more sleep-deprived we are, the more likely we are to consume sugar, fatty foods, and caffeine.

Finally, napping can boost our creativity as the right side of our brain, the side that handles creative tasks, remains active while we nap.

Image Credit: fizkes / iStock / Getty Images Plus