Even when things are going great, do you find that you get bogged down by the imperfections of life? Turns out you're not alone. Lots of women have a tough time ignoring that nagging voice that tells them they need to fix every little problem before they can be happy. In a new book, The Nine Rooms of Happiness: Loving Yourself, Finding Your Purpose, and Getting Over Life's Little Imperfections, Lucy Danziger and Dr. Catherine Birndorf use the metaphor of a house with nine rooms that each represent an area of a woman's emotional life. Here, Dr. Birndorf explains how even trivial negative self-talk can hold you back and how to start to turn things around.

Q: Why did you use the metaphor of a house?

Each morning, we dish out a few links we love.

Sushi is a favourite meal choice for people everywhere. Yes, it's low in fat and full of healthy nutrients, but it's also associated with health risks -- so is it healthy or not?

Want to trim off a few pounds? Apparently, an egg a day might just be what it takes to keep the numbers on the scale tipping in the right direction.

While you're at it, want some more easy tips for slimming down? Here are a few simple changes that can make an impact on your dress size.

Well, this just isn't fair -- surveys show that men have an extra hour and a half leisure time per day that women are missing out on.

According to experts, there should be a tax on things like pizza, soda and other bad-for-you items. Do you agree?

Last weekend I taught a gluten-free cooking class and by far the easiest and most delicious item I made (other than the kale chips of course) was my sunflower seed spread. Say goodbye to ho-hum hummus and try this recipe that will keep your metabolism running efficiently and kick those sugar cravings to the curb.

The slightly crunchy, mildly nutty flavour of sunflower seeds, coupled with a little curry spice is a match made in heaven, just spread it on a cucumber slice or brown rice cracker. The good fat in sunflower seeds is what I love most about this recipe.

If you are a regular reader of That's Fit.ca, then you are most likely well aware of the benefits of snacking. If you want to prevent your metabolism from slowing down to a snail's pace, then snacking is a good strategy to stay energized and balanced throughout the day. It also prevents you from hitting junk food at midday, which we both know isn't going to get your booty in bikini shape for poolside lounging in July.

Health benefits of sunflowers and recipe after the jump

Big, industrialized agriculture is hardly a new target. We've heard a lot over the past few years about how we're losing food taste and quality, how we're being poisoned by hormones and antibiotics, and how food is being genetically modified to become virtually unrecognizable - and how it's all driven by the demands for bigger and bigger profits. But a recent film, Food Fight, directed by Chris Taylor, describes a short history of how politics and business converged in the United States (where so much of our food comes from) to create the current situation of barely edible food and an increasingly problematic obesity epidemic.

We all have fears that affect the ways in which we interact with those around us. But sometimes those fears are so powerful that they prevent us from achieving true intimacy and trust with those we love. Psychologist and relationship counselor Dr. Brenda Shoshanna, author of the upcoming Fearless (The 7 Principles of Peace of Mind) explains how fear can ruin a relationship - and how you can take steps to get rid of the fear that gets in the way of living a full, satisfying life.

Q: How does fear change the way we behave?

A: Fear is a toxin that infiltrates every aspect of our lives. It lowers our immune system, clouds thought and creates all kinds of catastrophic expectations that will never take place. Our lives become constricted and [we're] unable to live with joy, spontaneity, well being and ease.

Q: Where does fear come from?

Due to a large campaign by cereal companies back in the 70's and 80's, pretty much everyone knows how important fibre is in the diet. Fibre is the bulk component found in all plant foods that does not get digested when eaten. It is necessary for pushing the digested portions of food through the digestive tract. Getting enough fibre is associated with lower cholesterol levels, lowered incidence of colon cancer and

It is recommended that we get a minimum of 35 grams of fibre every day, but the truth is, we could do with a lot more than that. It is estimated that paleolithic man, existing before farm and therefore before grains made up a staple of his diet, ate up to 100 grams of fibre daily.

Each morning, we dish out a few links we love.

When it comes to eating fruit, is all the good nutritional stuff in the skin? Experts weigh in on which part of your apple is the most important.

Running a marathon? If you're a woman, studies show that you'll be more affected by air pollution than the guy beside you.

Want to grow old gracefully? Here are some tips from leading experts on how to avoid the normal pitfalls of aging.

Travel lots? Make sure stay in shape on the road -- now you can pick the hotel with the best gym facilities using this new website.

Love your salt? Here's a good reason to lose it -- slashing the sodium on food could potentially prevent half a million heart attacks!

Me man. Man lift heavy thing. Put heavy thing down. Lift heavy thing again. Man grow big. Impress woman. Mmmm... man like woman.

This type of thinking is more common than you might expect, with some adopting a "Captain Hardcore" mentality that free weights rule all and weightlifting machines are filled with suck and fail. These are the same types of guys that don't mind dropping several dollars on a single serving of Mega-Plex-Whey-Protein-Isolate-Muscle-Blaster-Sludge-Shake.

I don't pay much attention to them, and neither should you.

Yes, free weights are the best type of weightlifting to engage in because their use reflects a more natural human movement, but that doesn't mean that weightlifting machines don't have uses. Whether it's for exercising your chest, back, arms or legs, there are a lot of good weightlifting machines out there and you shouldn't let some over-muscled "bro" intimidate you out of using them.

Seven Reasons to Use Weight Machines after the jump

Dear Sarah,
I work out five mornings a week at my gym where I do a mix of spin classes and weights. After my workout, I often see these women in the change room drinking muddy looking protein shakes that I overheard one of them say are made from whey protein. What is Whey? Can you tell me what protein does in the body and why I would want to drink something that looks like mud after my workout?

Jane

Dear Jane,
Protein performs many functions in the body especially after exercise, but you don't have drink something that looks like mud to get it. Your body is in a constant state of renewal, your tissues (cells, organs, muscles etc.) are growing and rebuilding every second of the day and protein is required to do this essential work. In other words, protein provides the building blocks for the body.

Source

Do you spend most of your day hunched over a keyboard? If so, you might find that you accumulate a lot of stress and strain in your wrists, hands, shoulders and back. We asked fitness expert Kathleen Trotter to provide some tips on how to counteractive the negative effect of working at a desk all day.

Q: What are some of the most common physical problems associated with sitting at a computer all day?

A: Sitting at a desk all day can cause numerous postural problems including rounding in the upper back, tightness in the chest, arm bones that sit too far forward in the shoulder socket, forward head position, and wrist and elbow pain and/or weakness. In the last few years, within the discourse of physical activity and health, people have become more aware of the negative relationship between sitting at a desk and posture, core and back health. I consistently get told by new clients that they want to improve their posture when they sit at their desk. They want to learn to use their core and upper back muscles properly so they don't slouch.