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Yes! It's totally possible to stop hating exercise, and these people prove it. Image Credit: Ridofranz/iStock/GettyImages Elle Woods may buzz about endorphins and working out making people happy in Legally Blonde, but let’s be real: exercise isn’t always all rainbows and butterflies. In fact, for many of us, lacing up our sneakers and sticking to a consistent workout routine can be a real struggle. Advertisement If the thought of stepping foot in a gym or heading outside for a jog makes you cringe, these former exercise-haters — now passionate proponents of a good sweat — are about to inspire you with the real-world ways they turned exercise from torture to a treat (or at least, something they didn't totally dread)....

A seasoned steak sliced up into smaller pieces on a plate. Image Credit: vengerof/iStock/Getty Images Pepper steak can easily get tough, especially when you use cuts like shank or chuck. These cuts come from the legs and shoulders of the cow, so the muscles are used a bit more than the sirloin and flank, for example. The more a muscle is used, the tougher the meat tends to be. But using certain preparation methods can make these cuts tenderer in almost any pepper steak recipe....

Gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA, is an essential omega-6 fatty acid and is often referred to as one of the “good” omega-6s, as it has anti-inflammatory properties. Like omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fats are essential, which means your body cannot make them on its own, so you have to get them through food (think: salmon, fish oil, walnuts and flax seeds). The other omega-6 fatty acids include linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA)....

Your ears may hurt during exercise if the volume on your headphones is too loud. Image Credit: Zorica Nastasic/E+/GettyImages Feeling some soreness in your muscles and joints during exercise is normal, especially if you’re easing back into exercise after a hiatus. But ear pain? It turns out there are several reasons why your ears might hurt when you exercise. Advertisement Here are five potential causes you might regularly or occasionally feel ear pain while working out, and how to fix it....

1 of 7 Overview Some days it pays to take it easy. "If you have other stressors going on in your life, you don't need to be killing yourself through exercise," says San Diego-based strength and conditioning coach Pete McCall. However, if you're chasing a goal — whether weight loss, greater strength or your first marathon — you need to keep challenging yourself in order to make progress. Slacking off too long at the gym doesn’t give your body the necessary stimulus it needs to adapt to be able to lift more weight, run farther and faster or burn fat more efficiently, says Albert Matheny, RD, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab and adviser to Promix Nutrition....

Adding greens like spinach ups the fiber in your favorite dishes, which may just help you lose weight. Image Credit: Enrique Díaz / 7cero/Moment/GettyImages Growing up, you may have been told repeatedly that it’s important to eat your greens. But were you ever told ​why​? Advertisement Turns out, there's a long, long list of reasons leafy greens are so critical for our health, and they go far beyond the frustrating parental idiom of "because I said so....

Vegetarian weight gain may be intentional or unintentional, but it is possible. Image Credit: Lilechka75/iStock/GettyImages Vegetarian weight gain may be intentional or unintentional, but it is possible. You can lose, maintain or gain weight on a meatless diet. The fluctuations in your weight may be directly related to your diet — calories consumed — or external factors. Advertisement Though the word "vegetarian" invokes feelings of eating nothing but vegetables, that is far from the truth....

Hiking offers an opportunity to spend time in nature while strengthening your muscles and cardio fitness. Image Credit: sinseeho/iStock/GettyImages Whether you’re bored with your workout routine, craving adventure or just desperately need to connect with nature, a hike is the perfect way to fulfill all of those needs. Advertisement You don't need special skills to start putting one foot in front of the other — and you don't need to be on a mountain to go on a hike....

Apathetic woman sitting at desk Image Credit: XiXinXing/XiXinXing/Getty Images Magnesium is an essential mineral abundant in the body that is vital to good health. Magnesium is required by the skeletal muscles, kidneys and heart for proper functioning. Approximately 50 percent of the magnesium within the human body is found in bone. Additionally, only 1 percent is found in the blood, while the remainder is found in tissue and organ cells. Data from the 1999 to 2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey suggests that many adults in the United States fail to get the recommended amounts of magnesium in their diets....

Choose fatty fish like salmon. Image Credit: Claudia Totir/Moment/GettyImages Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells, which inhibits hunger and regulates fat stores. If you’re constantly hungry even after eating a big meal, you may have leptin resistance and could benefit from eating certain foods. Advertisement Tip Avoiding sugary foods and eating more fiber can stimulate leptin release and increase satiety. How Leptin Regulates Energy This hormone regulates metabolism and measures the rate of fat breakdown in your body....

Full-body barbell workouts build power, strength and muscular endurance. Image Credit: kupicoo/E+/GettyImages Full-body training sessions are time efficient, and they do a great job building power, strength and muscular endurance. Advertisement This 20-minute full-body workout uses just one piece of equipment: a barbell. Barbells are an excellent muscle-strengthening tool because of their versatility — they can be used in a warm-up as well as your main workout. Advertisement Each movement in the workout below trains your fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers....

Sliced steak and roasted vegetables on a plate at a restaurant. Image Credit: gregory_lee/iStock/Getty Images A steak dinner has beef as the main attraction and vegetables such as potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus and bell peppers as side dishes. A steak dinner can be homemade or ordered in a restaurant. The main factors affecting the amount of calories in a steak dinner are serving size and how much butter is included in the recipe....

A large block of butter on a cutting board. Image Credit: belchonock/iStock/Getty Images Certain foods – including canola oil and butter – can affect your heart. It is important to consider the ingredients and these negative or positive factors when comparing butter and canola oil. If you have concerns about what is the best choice for you, speak with your doctor or a registered dietitian. Advertisement What Is Butter? Butter is a solid food when refrigerated and is considered a fat because it is made from pure animal fat....

Black tea contains beneficial plant-based flavonoids. Image Credit: HappyNati/iStock/GettyImages Black tea is better known for its benefits than for any type of side effects. But, black tea can affect your stomach. While you might even drink herbal tea for upset stomach and diarrhea, black tea could make your symptoms worse. Advertisement It contains two natural substances — caffeine and tannins — that have the potential to cause digestive problems, such as an upset stomach or nausea....

A woman is sweating. Image Credit: Wendy Hope/Stockbyte/Getty Images Sweating is the body’s normal response to overheating. The sweat cools the body by releasing a salty liquid through the sweat glands. There is no direct correlation between the amount of muscle or fat you have, and the amount you sweat, although the heavier you are the more you typically sweat. There are other factors that contribute to the amount you sweat, and sweating a lot when exercising usually means you are physically fit....

The fat in olive oil offers benefits for your heart. Image Credit: fcafotodigital/E+/GettyImages A staple of the Mediterranean diet that has been celebrated for its health benefits, olive oil is rich in healthy fats that can help lower your cholesterol and ward off heart disease. As far as fats go, olive oil is about as healthy as it gets. Because there’s only fat in olive oil, it’s high in calories and eating too much of it can cause you to gain fat....

Eating seasonally is great for your health, so why not take advantage of fall produce? Image Credit: gkrphoto/iStock/GettyImages If you’re just waiting to indulge in delicious fall flavors, you may be happy to learn that eating seasonally is great for your health. Seasonal produce is not only more nutritious but also tastes better than out-of-season fruits and veggies, according to the Seasonal Food Guide. Advertisement Incorporating seasonal produce into your lunch and dinner can be seamless but eating fall veggies and fruits for breakfast, a commonly skipped meal, can be more challenging....

Bowl of oatmeal Image Credit: annata78/iStock/Getty Images A 12-step program based on the idea that food addiction is a serious disorder, Food Addicts Anonymous aims to change the way you think about food so you can make lifelong eating changes. The organization claims that by building your meals around nutritious foods and proper serving sizes, you can overcome an addiction to unhealthy junk foods. Advertisement Build a Better Breakfast A breakfast following the Food Addicts Anonymous guidelines includes one protein, one dairy, one fruit and one grain or starchy vegetable....

A diet that emphasizes vegetables may lower A1c levels in diabetes. Image Credit: udra/iStock/GettyImages The A1C is a blood test that measures your average blood glucose, or blood sugar, for the past 2 to 3 months. This test is used to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes, and to monitor blood sugars in these conditions. Advertisement Diabetes medications, including pills and insulin, are often used to help get the A1c to target — which is below 7 percent for most people with diabetes....

Half squats are a great option if you don't yet have the mobility or strength to do full squats. Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative In This Article Instructions Benefits Tips Variations Sure, full-depth squats, where your thighs are parallel (or below) to the ground, are one the best ways to activate your glutes and strengthen your quads, but the half squat deserves a place in your lower-body workouts, too. Advertisement "The half squat is a partial range-of-motion squat to help a lifter who may be nervous about lifting heavier weight or are weaker in the top half motion of their squat," Kemma Cunningham, CPT, an instructor at Life Time in Bridgewater, New Jersey, tells LIVESTRONG....