People who are overweight or chronically tired literally perceive distances as farther and hills as steeper, which creates a significant psychological barrier to starting exercise.

Our memory is unreliable for tracking progress, so using a data-tracking app like the 'Reporter App' provides an objective view that can reveal upward trends you would otherwise miss.

By visually narrowing your focus to a single point ahead, like a spotlight on the finish line, you can move up to 27% faster and perceive the effort as 17% less painful.

A study found that people given a sugary drink, providing real energy, perceived a finish line as closer than those given a non-caloric sweetened drink.

Even without the active ingredient, a routine like drinking decaf coffee can psychologically trick your mind into feeling energized and ready for the day.

A crucial part of goal achievement is to identify potential obstacles in advance and create an 'if-then' plan for how you will respond, a technique used by Olympian Michael Phelps.

Simply visualizing your success, as with vision boards, can lower your systolic blood pressure, tricking your body into a state of relaxation and reducing its readiness to act.