And, if you’re not training hard, then you absolutely should consider it. It’s important to actually train at the level where you’re seeing tangible benefits to your body and health. Low level “junk” exercise, while beneficial, isn’t all that helpful in transforming poor health or flabby bodies.

A small study suggests that the nutrient Quercetin might increase endurance. The treatment group nearly doubled the bike-riding time of the control group.  This is exciting and suggests Quercetin may be a supplement I add to my list of workout vitamins. The connection between Quercetin and athletic endurance is intriguing to say the least.

I take Quercetin fairly regularly because of its possible anti-aging properties. The hypothesis is that Quercetin, like Resveratrol, regulates Sirtuin in the body. Of course, this has not been proven, but Quercetin seems to have other benefits as well. Apparently we can add increased endurance to the list of potential benefits.

So, if you’re considering upping the intensity of your exercise (and, if you’re not pushing yourself, you should be), then add Quercetin to the mix to increase your endurance and get the absolute most from your exercise experience.

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We all have tough times, and, for many guys, some of those tough times come from problems with girls. As we’ve mentioned previously, the feelings surrounding lovesickness are real since they come from genuine brain chemical reactions.

So, there are times when our depressive feelings cause us to be generally down. And, sometimes when we’re generally down we may feel like venting or feeling sorry for ourselves. This is especially true for some people who tend to thrive on negative emotions.

However, getting women to feel sorry for you isn’t attractive. It’s true that women are typically more nurturing and empathetic than men and will listen to your problems. It’s why counselors in the helping fields are largely made up of females.

And, if a woman is in a relationship with you and has bonded with you, if you’re feeling down, she’ll likely want to help you feel better and be there for you. It’s because she’s already in love with you and wants to help you.

But, and this is key, if you’re not already in a relationship with the woman, your depressive attitude isn’t likely going to make her feel an attraction to you. It’s not that she’s being rude or lacks understanding.

It’s just that attraction isn’t really a choice and certain things push attraction buttons. Those things are providing and protecting behaviors, like confidence, power, and success. Women see behaviors related to these traits and what do they feel? Attraction to the person who has them!

But, if women see you all upset and needy, then different hormones and chemicals take over their brains. They see you as needy and in need of nurturing. That means you become like their child (or a child) or their female friends. They’ll help you and feel sorry for you, but they won’t want to date you.

While there are exceptions to every rule, in general, you don’t want to get women feeling sorry for you or give off that vibe when trying to meet new people. Try to pump yourself up and get yourself in a better mood. Watch a funny show before leaving or go out with an upbeat friend.

Don’t hold in your feelings and feel you have to be fake. However, vent to a therapist or a friend. Don’t do it around women that you want to date. When it comes to women you don’t want to get them feeling sorry for you.

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Awhile back, David and I were out at a restaurant together and ran across a bunch of guys best described as good ole boys. They came over and talked to us.

This was at a local, country themed type of place. Most of the people were dressed in country type attire and that was certainly the theme on the televisions spread throughout the place and the background music.

I grew up in a more rural area and certainly have a fondness for it. Lots of my friends come from this background and currently live in a rural setting. However, David and I are in no way rural in the way we dress or our interests. And, it was probably pretty obvious that night since we were dressed in our more urban styles.

When two of the guys came over to talk to us, they were commenting on our outfits. We laughed it off and they continued. They started talking about their diesel trucks. I laughed and asked if they filled them up with the eco-friendly diesel or if they were ruining the environment. Note: I was not peddling environmentalism. I did this as a joke and they knew it.

They started laughing and admitted they were surprised I knew anything about diesel vehicles. I told them that I grew up in the country and we started talking about a few of those things. Eventually, all five of the group came to our table.

They started talking about ages and couldn’t believe we were both thirty-four. To prove it to them, I showed them my concealed carry license. Of course, this was on purpose and it had the desired effect. They thought it was super cool that these alleged outsiders had a gun license.

By the end of the evening, they were telling us how much they liked us and even bought our dinner! One of the guys admitted that he originally came over to screw with us, but that he was glad he did because we turned out to be really cool.

How did we win over this group of guys who seemed so different and originally were even somewhat hostile?

We did it, I believe, a few ways.

First, we refused to be rattled by their attitudes. We knew they were screwing around with us in the beginning. However, we didn’t care. We didn’t escalate, but just stayed cool. In essence, they expected us to get mad. We didn’t and that comes across as high value.

Second, we built rapport with them. While I certainly am not living the rural lifestyle, I have lived it before and know a lot about it. I drew on my experiences and shared knowledge. While I don’t compromise my core beliefs, I can talk about many, many topics. Plus, I am an urban oriented guy who loves certain rural things (like guns). I focused on those.

Finally, I refused to treat them like stereotypes, even though they initially treated me that way. I was cool and didn’t prejudge them. And, people respond to that. David and I showed them that we were both mature and confident enough to accept them while also remaining true to ourselves.

So, we won over the good ole boys and had an awesome evening. And, we got a free meal out of it. With these tips, you can win over all types too.

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Everyone who works a standard Monday through Friday job or goes to school knows that Monday can be a tough day. While there isn’t a psychological diagnosis known as the Monday Blues, it combines elements of depression, anxiety, and a host of other genuine mental conditions.

Why do the Monday Blues exist? Typically, Monday is depressing for a couple of reasons.

First, we’ve just finished Saturday and Sunday where we have the freedom to do what we enjoy (and have just done it). Monday represents the end of that. Second, Mondays involve doing things that we don’t enjoy, like working boring jobs. Finally, we’ve gotten out of the routine of doing what we dislike! Getting back into it is tough for obvious reasons.

But you don’t have to suffer from the Monday Blues. Fortunately our tips explain how to beat them.

Start the Day Right

It’s easy to be depressed and upset on a Monday. Likely the weekend was much more fun and exciting. However, that doesn’t mean Monday absolutely has to be depressing and upsetting.

While it’s always best to start every day on the right foot, it’s even more crucial on Mondays. Start your Mondays with meditation, prayer, a funny TV show, a good book, or anything positive. As soon as you wake up, do something fun and relaxing. Stop the Monday Blues before they start by making a planned effort to beat them.

Be The Attitude Exception

Most people don’t hate Mondays. They loathe them. They’re slightly hungover, tired, or recovering from staying up late watching the football game. And, they’re going into an environment (work, school, etc.) they can’t stand.

Most offices and schools are negative places on Mondays because everyone is in a bad mood. If you want to beat the Monday Blues, you’ll have to be the attitude exception in your environment. It’s not always easy, but make an intentional effort to be happy, friendly, and positive (without going overboard or being annoying, of course).

Make Mondays Fun

It’s no wonder we like weekends and get the Monday Blues. Not only do we have freedom on the weekends, but we do lots of fun things on those days too. We go out, see friends, spend time with family, and schedule other exciting events. Why not do that on Monday?

In many cases, Mondays are busy, we’re tired, and it’s hard to find time to do something fun. But, we should make time for enjoyable moments. It could be a cup of coffee with a friend, a quiet walk, or playing a sport.

Scheduling fun activities on a Monday serves a couple purposes. It breaks up a normally negative day with something positive and gives a person something to look forward to.

Eliminate Mondays Altogether

OK, I’m not talking about removing Mondays from the week. But, what if the work week started on a Tuesday? Then Monday would be awesome and Tuesday would suck. So, the key is to find a way to eliminate the need to be consigned to a job you hate and a controlling schedule.

Try to find a way to get more freedom in your life. Find a job you like, go back to school, or start your own business. If you can be happier and more independent, the Monday Blues will definitely be a thing of the past. Imagine waking up on a Monday with lots of money in the bank and following your own schedule.

Of course, that kind of path typically requires a lot of initial hard work. But, the change and work required for success is well worth it, not just to eliminate stressful Mondays, but to make life much more fun.

So, best of luck in eliminating the Monday Blues. Hopefully these tips and techniques to beat them will make the first day of the work/school week a lot more tolerable.

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In college, I would contemplate how to meet women (and make friends). Used to thinking in complex ways, I would come up with these elaborate ways to meet the “woman of my dreams.” Maybe she would be stranded in her car and I could save her. Maybe she would need help in a class, and see how well I was doing, and request my help.

Maybe these elaborate scenarios could happen, but they never did. While I was dreaming up all these crazy complex scenarios, I could have been out doing something simple and effective: actually starting conversations with women.

Just Say It: If you want to talk to a someone, do it, and talk about anything

The best way to meet a woman (or anybody) is to strike up a conversation. You can ask a question or make an observation. It is even better if it is funny and/or flirty, delivered with confidence. If you see a girl in the checkout ahead of you, just say it. Observe something about her groceries (“Ahh chips and pop…you must be on a diet”), or ask her a question (“Are those blueberries organic?”). If you see a girl walking by, do the same (“How’s the weather back that direction?” or “Where does this bike path go anyway?”).

It is delightfully simple. Just say it. I realize that working yourself up to confidently talk to any and every girl you desire is the difficult part, at least as far as our brains are concerned. I suggest starting off small. Every day talk to someone new. Make a commitment to do it. Get a friend to do it with you.

If you do this for a month or more, you’ll find three things are true. First, most people will welcome your conversation. They will talk back. People love interacting with cool people, and if you follow the principles of our book Be Popular Now and this site, people will love talking to you. Second, you’ll get better at it. You’ll start getting better at conversation, and eventually you’ll even “close” and get a number and some dates from it. Third, you won’t want to stop about thirty days. You will feel so good from meeting new people and taking charge of your social life that you’ll keep doing it.