20 Things I Wish I Had Known When Starting Out in Life

“Everything has been figured out, except how to live.” - Jean-Paul Sartre

I’m nearly 35 years old, and I’ve made my share of mistakes in my life. I’m not a big believer in regrets … and I have learned tremendously from every single mistake … and my life is pretty great.

However, there are a few things I wish I had known when I was graduating from high school and starting out as an adult in life.

Would I change things? I’m not so sure. I might never have gotten into a mountain of debt, but then I wouldn’t have learned the amazing satisfaction of getting out of it. I might have made better career choices, but then I wouldn’t have all the work experience that makes me the blogger and writer that I am today.

17 Fitness Truths To Get You In Great Shape

“Nothing’s better than the wind to your back, the sun in front of you, and your friends beside you.” - Aaron Douglas Trimble

While getting in shape has been a start-and-stop-and-start-again affair for me over the last couple years, over the long run, I’ve become fitter than ever.

I’ve dropped more than 30 pounds altogether (or about 2 stone 6, for the British-inclined among you), I run regularly, I’ve become more consistent with strength training, and I’ve dropped several sizes in clothes.

14 Stress-Free Ways to Kick Weight Loss in the Butt

Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time. - Mark Twain

Let’s be honest: Losing weight isn’t the easiest thing in the world. All our best intentions end up doing nothing.

And I’ve tried just about every diet plan out there, from the various low-carb diets to Weight Watchers (which isn’t bad, actually) to the Abs Diet to Slim Fast to low-calorie to low-fat and more. I’ve tried a bunch of exercise programs too, believe me.

My weight-loss efforts these last couple of years have been hit-and-miss, as I’ve struggled to find something that works for me. Recently, I think I’ve been hitting upon some pretty simple concepts that really work, for me at least.

How to Go From Skinny to Muscular in 7 Steps (with a diet plan)

Editor’s note: This article was submitted by Mehdi, author of StrongLifts.com.

A lot of people who are skinny wish they could gain weight and a muscular physique, but don’t know where to start. And going to the gym can be intimidating when you’re a beginner.

Today we’ll look at the biggest reason people are skinny, and how to begin to build muscle, the healthy way.

If you’re skinny, you might think you eat a lot. But you probably don’t. The No. 1 reason people are skinny is because they don’t eat enough calories.

Even if you have a fast metabolism, you’ll need to eat more to gain weight. Couple that with strength training and you’ll go from skinny to muscular. Here’s how.

10 Great Workouts to Spice Up Your Running Program

Too many beginning runners have but one speed: medium. And as someone who’s run a marathon, a few half marathons and a bunch of shorter races, I know that such a one-speed workout program can be not only boring, but it also doesn’t maximize your workouts.

Throw some variety into your running program to make things interesting and become a better runner.

I’m not saying you have to start a marathon training program, or some kind of sprint workout program. But if the only speed you’re running right now is medium, you should consider and at least try some other types of workouts.