Next time you’re slogging away for those last 10 minutes on the elliptical, or feeling like slowing to a walk for the final half mile, try telling yourself that you’re not tired. According to a new study published in Medicine & Sport Science, it just might make it true! The study tried to get to the root of what causes physical fatigue. Is it when your muscles run out of energy via food or fluid, or is it a mental state? Previous research shows that physiologically, the body is often able to continue exercise even though the animal (or human in your case!) stops, feeling exhausted. But for some reason, your brain gives you cues that make you want to stop. Maybe it’s saving some reserves in the tank in case of emergency, but if it’s the brain, not the body making you stop, then the scientists wondered if changing the signals from the brain could impact exercise.

They monitored study participants while they cycled, and measured heart rate, pedal power, and pace. Additionally, they captured data on how difficult the exercise had seemed throughout. On a second visit, the bikers were split into 2 groups. One was to continue business as usual. The second learned self-talk that would help encourage themselves while exercising, saying things like, “You’re doing well,” or “Feeling good.” Then when the two groups were tested with the same exercise sessions, the group with the self-talk managed to pedal farther and longer while feeling less exhausted. Interestingly, though the group felt better, their bodies exhibited the same exact conditions of exertion from the first ride. I tried it out on my morning run on Tuesday. When I felt like quitting before I hit the 5k mark, I told myself, “If the marathoner’s can run 26 miles, you can easily run 3,” and “I’m not tired.” The weird things is, it worked, and I actually decreased my mile time from the previous day. So, next time you’re feeling like giving up, give yourself a little pep talk and see what happens. It just might make you suffer through your workout a little less.

The weather in NYC went from warm enough for bare legs Thursday to pulling out the uggs and fur ear muffs Monday. While I am not quite ready for winter yet, I have the gear to keep warm. The main thing about dropping temps that drives me nuts in the dry skin and lips that come with it. To fight it, I have a spring/summer set of beauty products, and a fall/winter arsenal as well. To keep my skin soft year round, I use a mixture of Queen Helene’s cocoa butter combined with Aveeno Daily Moisture with colloidal oatmeal when it’s warm and humid. When the radiators kick on, and all the dry heat is sucking the moisture out of my skin, I switch over to my winter moisturizing regimen as soon as the temps drop. The Body Shop body butter in Brazil Nut is my favorite for keeping my hands soft against the winter chill.

I upgrade my standard face lotion to a cream formula and step it up with lotions around my eyes  which tend to dry out more quickly. I like the Boots No7 set for day, night and eyes. But you can’t forget to take care of your pout when you’re putting on all that lotion. Look for a lip balm that has three key elements. First you need a hydrating agent to keep lips smooth – think shea butter, vitamin E, or coconut oil). Then, to keep them from being damaged once you step outside, look for a balm with SPF to block sunburns (especially if you’re going skiing or hiking), and a physical block that will seal in the moisturizing ingredients while blocking out wind. While Blistex does the trick most of the year, I like The Body Shop’s Cocoa Butter Lip Care Stick and Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1 in mango to fight against the icy winter wind.

Happy Halloween! Today I will be dressing up as Carmen Miranda, and dancing to 90’s music at a party with friends. This month I have had the dickens scared out of me at this haunted hayride, carved pumpkins, toasted the seeds, drank apple cider, and eaten a full bag of peanut butter pumpkins in celebration.  In the holiday spirit, here are some Halloween themed stories for you to read.

4 Strategies to Survive Emotional Vampires

9 Healthiest Candies to Eat (because you know you’re having some!)

7 Scary Attractions Around the World

DIY Costumes based on Historic Women PowerHouses, Not just a Sexy [Fill in the Blank]

Last Minute Costumes You Can Achieve with ONLY Your Makeup Bag

And because the funniest part of the day after Halloween is seeing all the people in costume who didn’t make it home, 12 Horrifying Walk of Shame stories to caution you. And now that you’re appalled, look at some cute pictures of animals in costumes.

In the days of smart phone technology and internet dating, sometimes it can be tough to decode if that guy you met is really that into you. What did he MEAN by that emoticon in that text? How are you supposed to interpret the italics in that online message? Even when you meet face to face, there’s the guessing game of how much he likes you, and how much you just happened to be standing next to each other at the bar. Now, thanks to a study published in PLOS ONE (that I read about in Women’s Health Mag), there is an easy tell.

When a guy likes a lady, he tends to walk more slowly. Researches clocked the gaits of male-female pairs, walking around a track. When guys walked with female friends, there was no change in their pace. When they walked with their significant other, they slowed their steps to be in time with the girl they liked. Now all you have to do is suggest a post-drinks walk, notice if he’s walking side-by-side, or leaving you in the dust. Then, mystery solved!

The selfie, a word that a few years back didn’t mean a whole lot, is now so embedded in our culture, and so ubiquitous that a museum exhibit is devoted to it. I remember the days of self-portraits with your friends when you still used film.  You would pick your friend with the longest arms, try to get your heads as close together as you could, and hope for the best. Now with all the improved camera technology, you can flip our iPhones to see your own face while taking the picture, and cameras with a digital display on the front let you make sure you’re in the frame before snapping the photo. The digital photo allows for unlimited iterations until you’ve captured the perfect shot. Then with all the online photo sharing on facebook, twitter, and instagram, there are loads of ways to show the world your selfies instantly. Celebs do it, you have at least one friend who is always clogging your feed with selfies, and you’ve probably done it at least once too. The selfie is officially, and unavoidably a thing. To commemorate this new custom, the National #Selfie Gallery will be on display at London’s Moving Image Contemporary Art Fair. And for all of you vine users, don’t worry, there will be short video selfies too from artists around the United States and Europe who were selected for their humor and poetry (all wrapped up in an eyebrow raise and duck face). Now there’s something to work towards the next time you post a #selfie online.

When I went off to college in the big city from my small town, my mom was sure to equip me (and any of my friends who would take it) with pepper spray for our key chains. Usually it was this huge ugly bright orange thing that would not only be sure to tip your assailant off that he was about to get sprayed if you reached for it, but was also really obvious and prone to being confiscated at events or amusement parks. Now a girl can feel safe and look cute with Bling Sting – pepper spray packaged as an accessory. It looks like a pretty lip gloss or purse ornament, but packs a punch. It comes in pink, silver, red, and black jeweled cases OR you can buy the gift set of all four so you have some to share with friends. Just be sure to check the State Regs tab, to make sure that shipping pepper spray  isn’t banned in your state. Go buy yours here!