Austin, Texas has it's own fit magazine -- called Austin Fit. I picked up a copy this weekend right off the sidewalk of Guadalupe, a store and restaurant-lined street that runs through the University of Texas campus. It was free. Quite a deal for those, like me, who pick up this publication. It's full of great stuff -- health, fitness, diet, sport, style, and life sections cover the pages -- and one of the first articles I stumbled upon, 6 Rules for Recovery, is just one of many that taught me how to do better at life, this one in particular by doing less. Check out these tips:

Create a need for recovery: Following each hard workout you take on, take a recovery day to fully reap the benefits of your strenuous training.

Rest before; recover after: Make sure your body is rested before vigorously challenging your body. Make sure you recover after the challenge.

Take it easy: Light, easy workouts are important. They don't tax your body like their tougher counterparts, and they don't require a major recovery period.

Train hard when it's time: Train hard because your body is ready, not because your schedule says it's time. If something doesn't feel right, bail on the workout and do something light.

Monitor your recovery status: Listen to your body. If you feel tired, your body is telling you it hasn't had enough downtime. If a tired pattern persists, rework your training schedule by adding more recovery or lighter workouts.

Take a week: Work recovery weeks into your training: After training for three of four weeks, plan for a week of light training for full recovery. This will help prevent an accumulation of fatigue, and it will allow you to train even harder on your heavier weeks.