Are you having trouble sticking to your exercise routine? Don't feel bad -- seriously. It might just be the reason you can't follow through.

A relationship between exercise and self-confidence has been proven -- Diet Blog cites a recent study, which "showed self-efficacy alone boosted exercise adherence by 139 percent over the course of a year." That's a major increase!

So, if you're looking to boost your fitness level, maybe you should work on boosting your confidence, too. Check out the gallery for seven tips to boost your self-esteem.

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The days are so short now. By the time I've helped my son complete his homework and get dinner on the stove, it's pitch black outside. When it's dark out when you start your workday and dark when you get home, it can take a toll on your well-being. There are things you can do, though, to keep your energy running high during the darker days of winter. Here they are:

• Sun exposure. This time of year, it's important to get outside and spend some time in the sun. Even if it's just a 10-minute walk during your lunch hour, the sunlight will do you good.
• Exercise. An active lifestyle helps to keep you energized. Commit to exercising every day. That doesn't mean you have to have an intense hour-long workout every day. You can vary your workout doing short 10-minute bursts one day, a moderate 30-minute workout the next, and an intense, longer session on other days.
• Nutrition. Certain foods can help boost your energy. Healthcastle has tips on foods that will help increase energy. AOL Health also has a list of fatigue-fighting foods.

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Losing weight comes down to one basic principle: You need to burn more calories than you consume. And we all know that some of our calorie burn comes from exercising, but did you know that the majority happens away from the gym, when you're sitting at your desk, reading a book, even sleeping? That's your metabolism at work.

Now, metabolism gets a bit of a bad rap -- We usually blame it for the gradual increase of the numbers on the scale. You know, the 'I'm gaining weight because my metabolism has slowed down' excuse. But I've got news for you: You can change your metabolism. In your favour. Yes, you can increase the amount of calories you burn doing everyday things, and it's not that difficult.

Our Friends at AOL Body recently talked about the High Metabolism Diet, which involves adopting habits that can increase your calorie burn. These are easy things, like drinking coffee or tea, snacking throughout the day and so on. So here's my challenge to you this week:

For the guys out there who are looking to get more buff, resist the urge to only focus on your "T-shirt muscles." I know it's probably tempting to hit the gym every night and only perform a bunch of curls and military presses, but you're actually doing yourself a disservice.

Aside from the fact that an imbalanced physique is at greater risk of injury, focusing only on these smaller muscle groups deprives your body of its full release of testosterone. Because such a large percentage (60 percent) of your overall muscle can be found in your legs and back, working these areas will actually benefit your whole body.

So, the next time you're at the gym, rather than hammering out your umpteenth set of dumbbell curls, try performing some sets of deadlifts and squats. Your body -- even your T-shirt muscles -- will thank you with the muscle growth you've been hoping for.

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Need a nutritional boost? The Boost brand nutritional supplement drinks have been on the market for years. But they've just released a new line of flavors. Smoothies -- in strawberry, raspberry, and peach. These shelf-stable drinks provide 9 grams of protein, 22 vitamins and minerals, and calcium. And they sound quite yummy to boot.

These drinks are excellent sources of nutrition for people who are unable to consume solid foods for nutrition. But for most of us, they're a bit unnecessary. If you're in a pinch, it's a fine choice. But keep in mind these drinks aren't giving you anything you can't get from a nutritious, healthy diet. Well, there is one thing these drinks will give you that fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein can't provide... 36 whopping grams of sugar per serving.

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A new trend is hitting California, the home of all thing chic and urban when it comes to food. It has to do with marketing the food at restaurants. Entrees are boasting certain markings on the menu which claim they help boost immune systems for people consuming the food.

Many people in the region are flocking to do whatever they can to boost their immune systems. Ever heard of Jamba Juice? Those guys helped spur on the movement a while back. Now, restaurants are taking on the charge by marketing certain foods over others as being better for your immunity. Some establishments even take a crack at cancer by loading up dinners with minerals and phytochemicals.

Even certain alcoholic beverages boast healthy benefits (antioxidants from goji berries, for example). Does this make it a marketing fad? Perhaps not, but a professor at Harvard contests the claims by saying there's no proof that any single food can boost people's immune system. At least you'll know which items are healthier than the others on the menu!

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When you think weight loss, deep brain stimulation is probably the last thing that would come to your mind. But that didn't stop Canadian doctors from trying it on a middle-aged man suffering from morbid obesity. They had tried traditional treatments, and he didn't want gastric bypass surgery. So, they hooked electrodes up to his brain and tried to see if they could stimulate the hypothalamus.

This was meant to try and curb his desire to eat. But instead what they discovered was that the jolt stimulated memories from 30 years ago! The man felt like he was 20 again with memories of hanging out at the park with friends.

After the recollections got more intense, they ran some tests to determine how the deep brain stimulation affected memory performance. With the electrodes on, he did much better on these tests than when they were off. This is an interesting outcome they discovered accidentally, but no word on whether or not the stimulation helped his obesity!

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FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

Do you engage in "fat" talk? Many women do. It's the norm, actually, for women to regularly say negative things about their bodies. Research proves it.

A study from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina -- home to great white water rafting, by the way -- reveals that "fat talk" is social currency for women. It goes something like this:

"I'm so fat."

"Oh, no, you look great, but my thighs are HUGE."

"YOUR thighs are huge? Look at MINE!"

And so on.

"Fat" talk is not all bad. It creates a solidarity among females. It allows them to open up. It's a way of sharing, disclosing, and receiving reassurance. But wouldn't it be great if we could bond as women without trashing our bodies in the process?

Let's try to minimize our own "fat" talk and see what happens. I predict we'll boost our moods and may even secure a better chance at making healthy choices, perhaps even trimming down.

A positive attitude can do wonders for mental health. So compliment yourself next time you're about to slip into "fat" talk. Surely, you've got a few redeeming qualities you can acknowledge. I know, it seems like bragging, but give a try. I'll go first. I won't tell you about my least favorite body part, although it's tempting. I'll only tell you this: I like my calf muscles. I consider them my best feature, in fact.

That wasn't so hard. Your turn.

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Most relationships start off hot and heavy -- everything between you and your partner was new and exciting, and you probably couldn't keep you hands off each other. So it could be kind of disappointing when, further down the line, that energy wears off and regular life begins to interfere with your formerly fab sex life.

If you've found that you're at the point where work stress, kids or just being a bit bored, has began to get in the way of getting intimate with your partner, check out this piece for some advice on how to boost a sagging sex life. The article offers five healthy tips (both physical and emotional) to help get things back on track.

You can try exercise (releases feel-good endorphins and helps you feel good about your body), quitting smoking (male smokers are more likely to be impotent) and eating right (protein and low glycemic index carbohydrates will help you retain energy throughout the evening). For more info, as well as the rest of the tips, take a look here for the full article.

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Next time you get the chance to jet to the ocean, think of it as an opportunity for stepping up your workouts.

For a 150-pound woman, Health Magazine experts report that two to three times more energy is required to walk on the beach than on a hard surface. Women, you'll burn 82 more calories per hour by hoofing it on the sand compared to pounding the pavement. And if you're like me, you'll cover more ground at the beach as you ambitiously trek in one direction, only to realize the return trip is just as long.

Oh, and that frozen daiquiri you dream of sipping when your sandy excursion is complete: 112 calories.

For more walking tips and techniques, compliments of the folks at Health, click here.

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It seems like we're hearing a lot about napping at work lately, dare we hope it's the beginning of a soon-to-be widely accepted practice? I highly doubt it, but that doesn't mean you can't still try it every once in awhile (discreetly, of course!) to rejuvenate and refresh yourself so you get more done.

Of course nobody is recommending you take a nap right at your desk or cubicle (wearing those sunglasses with the eyeballs painted on the outside), but if you have the chance to get away over your lunch hour or in the afternoon then that's another story altogether. And although napping might sound like a simple enough thing to do, there are things you can do to nap in the best way and get the most from the whole experience. If you don't have one of these MetroNaps Energy Pods (hilarious!) to create the perfect sleeping environment, then maybe a "Meditation Nap" would work just as well? It's about relaxing and getting the most out of just a few minutes of shut-eye, from as little as 5 to as many as 20 minutes. Read the instructions on how to take a Meditation Nap, give it a shot, and let us know how it works for you!

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Feeling a little bit under the weather lately? It might not be that cold or flu that's been going around, it could just be that you're not eating right. It's amazing to see the difference in mood and attitude when a good balance of healthy food is combined with regular exercise. I recently went on a healthy eating binge in preparation for a holiday and after only a few days of following guidelines similar to those outlined here, I felt better than I had in ages.

Within a span of a few weeks I had more energy and just generally felt happier nearly all of the time. Possibly the best mood-boost was watching the pounds fall away in time to fit into all of my holiday clothing! It may seem like a bit of a challenge to find the time to plan meals that follow healthy-eating guidelines, but quick results and feeling great make it completely worthwhile.

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So there's no argument that this is the single biggest time of the year for new weight loss plans and renewed conviction, but there is some argument over the many diet pills that are now lining the shelves in thicker numbers than ever before. The majority of weight-loss pills out there make some kind of promise to speed up your metabolism, because if your metabolism is going faster you'll burn more calories, right? Not really, according to this article at least.

The argument isn't so much that the theory itself is wrong, but more that it's been outrageously exaggerated. The truth? Yes, you will burn more calories in a day -- like 2 more. Who knows how many extra calories really get burned in a day as a result of a metabolism-boosting pill, but the point is that it's such an insignificant number it really won't help you lose weight.

So a new resolution to lose weight and get in shape is awesome, but when making it a reality consider steering clear of the many gimmick weight loss pills you'll see everywhere. Unless, of course, you find one that really helps you feel less hungry, or gives you extra energy for working out -- just don't count on it working miracles and burning all kinds of extra calories while you sleep!

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It's an unfortunate truth that the more weight you lose the harder your body works to hold onto the remaining pounds, but sometimes reviving a stalled fitness plan is as simple as giving your metabolism a jumpstart. Here a few tips from Readers Digest on how to burn more calories and boost your metabolism:

• Drink green tea. They suggest 3 servings a day to reap the benefits of not only the caffeine, but also the polyphenols that some studies show increase metabolism.
• Use interval training to get more calorie bang for your buck. You'll burn more calories in the same time by varying the intensity of your workout, i.e. jogging for short spurts when you normally only walk.
• Fidget. I don't know if I buy this one, but the article says that if you drum your fingers or bounce your knees you can burn up to 500 calories a day. If it's true that's awesome!
• Remember not to cut calories too severely. A high metabolism can't survive in starvation mode.
• Drink enough water. Put rubber bands on your wrist every morning to remind and track how many glasses of water you have left to drink that day.
• Don't let yo-yo dieting discourage you. Good news! Your metabolism is not permanently affected by bad dieting habits in the past.
• Eat small meals several times throughout the day. This one goes along with making sure you don't cut calories too severely: you have to feed a fast metabolism.
• Go off-roading when you walk. It takes more energy, and therefore more calories, to walk over uneven surfaces like dirt trails than it does over a flat smooth sidewalk or paved surface. Walking on sand or through shallow water (the shoreline of a beach) also adds extra resistance and calorie-burning.

Some of the other tips in the article include bumping up your protein intake, exercising outdoors, and including more hot peppers in your diet. Obviously, not all of these ideas will work for everyone (I can't stand very spicy food at all, so no hot peppers for me!). And although they vary from 'good sound advice we've all heard before' to 'somewhat obscure ideas that may or may not work,' it's definitely a list that will get you thinking about how to get your body moving, your metabolism rising, and those calories burning!

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