Over the past couple of weeksÌęI’ve been trying, and mostly failing, to engage in the news coming out of the (COP26) in Glasgow. I have dipped in and out when I can afford to feel angry or dispirited. I have started podcasts and then abandoned them halfway through for something that’s easier to listen to.

It’s hard to know what to feel about the international community’s yearly attempt to create a livable future using pledges, commitments, and bureaucracy. On one hand, I can’t remember a time in the ten years since I graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz with an environmental studies degree where the climate emergency has dominated the headlines in such a way. So that’s something. But on the other hand, I cannot stomach the kind of incremental bureaucracy and UN-speak that defines events like this one. The and the and the of it all just makes me want to tune out.

I think a great indictment of the climate movement over the past ten years is that creating real change is always framed as a compromise: If we want to preserve civilization and humanity, we must give up on some of the things we like. In other words, saving the climate has to be done at the expense of much of the progress, innovation, and comfort that capitalism has afforded us.

Never is it framed as an invitation—hey, have you noticed the way we’re living actually kind of sucks? With all the mental illness, inequality, loneliness, pollution, and the fact that you spend the vast majority of your life working while ignoring all the aforementioned ills because you simply don’t have time? And have you heard that the same things that would help the planet thrive once again would also help you and your community do the same?

Sadly, gatherings like COP26 are basically all we have when it comes to global cooperation. But I still think meetings like this, and the officials who attend them,Ìęframe the problem all wrong. A of the solutions-focused climate newsletter Hothouse quotes , an associate professor of history at the University of Virginia, who teaches through the lens of climate issues. He believes coming up with climate solutions requires us to reprogram certain deeply-held beliefs about progress and innovation.

When asking his students how to cool homes and buildings without air conditioning—thousand-year-old technologies deployed in everything from to in the Middle East—many didn’t know where to start. “Even a mechanical engineer didn’t have a clue of ventilating a building without power,” said Norton. “I’ve learned to expect certain blind spots. The least expensive, most accessible, most proven, and most inclusive solutions are very often low to zero tech. The problems have to be reframed.”

So what does reframing this problem look like? I think it starts by taking stock of the many things we’ve willingly given up in exchange for all this progress. The list is long: A deep sense of place and time. The profound comfort of working within natural rhythms. The ability to truly, deeply rest. The deep ties and interwoven communities that make life rich and interesting—and also solve for many of the societal-level mental health issues we see play out in Facebook conspiracies and misinformation today. We’ve developed a misconception that we are individualized atoms optimizing for our own success,Ìęforgetting that we are actually nodes in living networks who thrive in concert with each other. In the name of having everything all the time, we’ve given up a lot of what it means to be human. And yet we still wonder why we’re so polarized.

I used to be a business journalist, so I know that to even come close to saying “we can solve the climate crisis by changing how we live our lives” is a big no-no. It’s no longer fashionable to suggest that individual actions play a pivotal role in solving such a global, existential problem. So forget cooperation, consuming less, and living at a slower pace—it’s all carbon taxes, renewable energy credits, and geo-engineering. Civilization as we know it can stay intact, we’re taught to believe, if we elect the right leaders and they find just the right mix of policy, technology, and innovation

And sure, all those things probably do play a role in solving this problem—in fact, at this point we’ll take anything we can get. But the policy fixes and technological shifts feel hollow to me without addressing the very fundamentals of how humans live and connect. It’s like “teaching chemistry in a different class from biology and physics,” as James Lovelock, creator of the . “It is impossible to understand these subjects in isolation because they are interconnected. The same is true of living organisms that greatly influence the global environment.”

At COP26 it feels like they’re searching for an answer that, in a way, we already have. Everything is going to change. We can choose to let the planet force that change on us and then try to innovate and engineer ourselves out of it using progress. Or, we can accept that the way we’ve been living is, in planetary terms, an aberration. It has to end. The latter choice is “the least expensive, most accessible, most proven, and most inclusive,” to use Norton’s words. It means giving up a lot, but it also means gaining a lot back, too.

I will concede that perhaps that kind of shift simply can’t be made in a conference room in Europe where diplomats wear suits and pop champagne when they sign a piece of paper about theoretical targets five years in the future. Maybe it can only happen at the scale of an individual life—each person figuring out how to live a bit more like a human, which means each community starts to wind itself back together, which means each ecosystem has a chance to find homeostasis once again.

For me it looks like this: foster a sense of place. Get to know my home. Pick tiny things about it that I can maybe change, or make better. Pay attention to cycles. Work within them instead of trying to outsmart them. Give and take from closer where I live. When I get distracted by shiny objects—a trip, an achievement, a comparison—ask myself what feeling I’m trying to ignore.

And I’ll be honest—these days, that work feels more productive to me than reading the news anyway.

is a freelance writer whose recent work focuses on how to create a meaningful life in a chaotic, unstable world. As a journalist, her work has appeared in the Guardian, Quartz, VICE, NPR, and many others. This essay was originally published in her climate and personal-development focused newsletter,

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Moments after checking into an Airbnb in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I realized there were problems. A loud construction project obstructed the front door, the bed had been left with obviously soiled sheets, and the apartment looked nothing like the listing. To make matters worse, neither the host nor the AC promised in the listing could be found.

Did I stay and chalk this up to a moment of cultural learning, or did I go?

After sweating through a closer inspectionÌęof the apartment, guess which I picked?

I got out of this situation and learned thatÌętaking advantage of Airbnb’sÌęcancellation and refund policiesÌęwasn’t as difficult as I had imagined.Ìę

Here’s what you should know to make your cancellation process go as smoothly as possible.

If You Want to Cancel Before You Show Up

This one’s easy. Before you book, pay close attention to the policy on the listing, found to the right of the prices in the “About This Listing” description. There are six distinct policies of varying degree of leniency;ÌęAirbnb does a good job of clearly explaining them in words and, yes,Ìęgraphs. Bottom line here: You can void your reservation anytime, but you won’t always get your money back, so read carefully before clicking the “Cancel” button posted in the listing.

If a Host Cancels

If a booking needs to be canceled due to host error (for example, they’ve contacted you at the last minute to say there’s a gas leak), ask your host to cancel the listing via their account. This will alert Airbnb that it wasn’t your fault.

Airbnb will refund your total payment within sevenÌębusiness days and immediately send you an email with substitute listings that resemble your canceled booking. You can request Airbnb toÌętransfer your initial payment to the new location. If that room costs less, Airbnb will credit your account with the difference; if it costs more, Airbnb will cover the extra charge, also through your account.Ìę

When Things Go Awry

Airbnb’s policy stipulates that a guest is entitled to a refund—irrespective of the host’s cancellation policy—if the listing fails to meet one of a ,ÌęgenerallyÌęthat the lodging was misrepresented or is unclean, as happened to me in Vietnam.

Your job is to prove the subpar listing by documenting the situation and uploading proof to . Photos, a transcript of correspondence with the host, or a map showing that the listing is not located where it was advertisedÌęare all acceptable forms of proof. The key is submitting this data within the first 24 hours after check-in. That’s when Airbnb transfers your pending payment to the host’s bank account.

Airbnb strongly encourages guests and hosts to first sort out problems on their own though itsÌę. However, if your bedroom is overrun with, say, cockroaches and you need to find alternative accommodation immediately, it’s appropriate to bypass that step and get in touch with customer service.

You can call, email, or even tweet Airbnb, which offers 24/7 support from 200 customer service reps (at least one in every time zone, according to Airbnb spokesperson Jakob Kerr). You’ll be assigned one rep who will help assess the situation. If you absolutely cannot stay in your reserved room, Airbnb will work directly with you to find a new place to crash.Ìę

This is what happened to me. I jumped on email, explained my situation, and, lo and behold, Airbnb’s policies rang true. The companyÌęcanceled the reservation and sent some alternatives. Since I couldn’t find a comparably priced option HCMC, Airbnb credited my account for the difference of the new one.

I ended up sleeping like a baby and still walking away with a cool new cultural experience.Ìę

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Your workout shouldn’t end when you get to the office. A recent in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that “prolonged sedentary time was independently associated with deleterious health outcomes regardless of physical activity.” For peak health, in other words, you need to move. Constantly.Ìę

“Your body requires low-grade movement throughout the entire day for basic biological function,” says Katy Bowman, a biomechanist and author of “It has almost nothing to do with athletic performance—it has to do with your body’s circulation and feeding its cells.” Try these five strategies for a more mobile day.

Think Small

Little movements and stretches, done continually throughout the day, are the most beneficial. Use a rolled up yoga mat to stretch your lower calves and foot tendons while standing and talking on the phone. Or sit on the edge of your chair with your left foot on the floor. Place your right ankle on your knee to stretch your piriformis, a muscle deep in your hip. Switch legs throughout the day.Ìę

Hang Out

Just dangling from a door-frame-mounted chin-up bar for one minute every hour will reverse some ofÌęthe effects of sitting.

Seek Help

Apps like (iOS; free)Ìęremind you to take an active break at various intervals during your day. Ten push-ups here and 20 squats there provide an entirely different set of benefits thanÌęa one-hour, high-intensity workout at the end of the day.Ìę

Walk and Talk

Save up four or five work phone calls and make them all on a walk around the office neighborhood. Or ask your 2 p.m. meeting to join you on a stroll instead of in the conference room. Walking for just two minutes every half-hour can make a huge difference to your arterial health.Ìę

Sit LooseÌę

When you’re forced to sit for sustained periods, there’s no need to stay in your chair with your hips at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. Sit cross-legged on the ground or move from the couch to the desk every hour to break up your body’s geometry.

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A few years ago, when running coach Stephen Magness wanted to assess the biomechanics of one of his athletes, he needed a roll of scotch tape. That’s what he used to affix a very basic accelerometer to the heel of a runner’s shoe, to get a sense of metrics like impact G-force and the directional movement of the foot. It was makeshift, to be sure, but it was the best way he had to get some sense of his athletes’ biomechanics.

These days Magness, who coaches the middle-distance runner Sara Hall and the University of Houston cross-country team, has a more sophisticated method, even if it still involves the runner’s heel. Using a quarter-size wearable sensor called , Magness can establish a stress score for each of his athletes based on 13 parameters and then adjust their training accordingly.

“We want to know how things change with fatigue, so we compare the beginning of a workout to the end, when there is a higher risk of injury occurring,” Magness says. “If an athlete’s pace is staying the same but the time their foot spends in contact with the ground is getting longer, then they’re not producing force on the ground as efficiently as they were in the beginning of the run. If we see these signs of fatigue, then we might change the workload to avoid injury.”

What Magness is doing is part of a larger trend in elite athletics: injury prediction. As sensor technology improves and becomes more practical, so does the ability of coaches and athletes to collect—and react to—more nuanced data. Further, in the past few years, scientists have identified more than 100 genes linked to an increased chance of injuries; the gene COL5A1, specifically, has been connected to Achilles and ACL tears.Ìę

For professional sports teams, as well as major athletic brands that offer athletes high-dollar endorsement deals, predicting who is likely to get injured is worth a lot of money—ideally, they’d invest only in athletes who remain healthy. And as the technology improves, enabling more accurate predictions, some wonder: Will we be able to prevent certain types of injuries?Ìę

Of course, football players will continue to hurt themselves knocking into one another, and skiers will still land awkwardly off jumps. But Tim Clark, who helped create RunScribe, thinks running injuries—whether sustained by marathoners or by soccer players sprinting down the field—could soon be a thing of the past.Ìę

“Unlike a sport such as cycling, where crashes are common, most running injuries aren’t sudden—they slowly develop,” says Clark. “When you monitor things like pronation and pronation velocity, anomalies are going to show up in the data way before they turn into an injury.”

Major sports leagues and brands are hoping Clark is right. Both the (USOC) and the have recently invested in high-end video cameras, wearables, and other custom data-collection tools, while teams in the NBA, NFL, and NCAA have hired companies like Australia-based Catapult to monitor and predict the health of their athletes.Ìę

The technology is also trickling down to the masses. , a smart insole created by Indian startup , and , which use sensors embedded in the fabric to detect force and pressure, are just two recent wearables aimed at injury prevention for amateurs.Ìę

Similarly, researchers in Canada have teamed up with 37 clinics around the world to create the , which uses a global database of everyday runners designed to predict injury. Using advanced cameras and 3-D imagery, lead researcher Reed Ferber can look at runners’ biomechanics and tell them whether they run in a way that will lead to injury. Once the data highlights an anomaly—say, a lack of hip strength or a high level of impact G’s—Ferber looks for the root of the problem.Ìę

“We approach an injury like a puzzle with four main pieces: biomechanics, flexibility, muscle strength, and anatomical alignment,” says Ferber. “You can’t do anything about the way you’re built, but you can certainly get stronger and more flexible.”

Genetic testing is still in its infancy, but a 2011 meta-study in the journal determined that “genetic analyses will help to identify individuals with advantageous physiology.” And at least two teams in the English Premier soccer league have contracted with London-based to scour their players’ genes.

There are potential downsides to all the new data collection. In the future, a young, healthy runner could be refused sponsorship—or a scholarship at a Division I school—if they’re determined to be injury prone.

Mounir Zok, a sports technologist with the USOC, doesn’t think there’s much danger of that. Data alone, says Zok, cannot tell coaches everything they need to know about an athlete’s future. Most researchers seem to agree that how one responds to the data is what’s key.

But Ferber believes that, as our understanding of injuries improves, the subtleties it might uncover could be far reaching. “Everyone sits just below the injury zone,” he says. “It’s far more complex than just collecting info about what the foot’s doing. But this is a great start.”

The Little Things That Can Predict Injury

Impact G's and braking G's: The change in vertical and horizontal velocity, respectively, that occurs at the moment a runner's foot hits the ground. Higher G-forces can mean increased injury risk.

Swing excursion: The total angular change in foot position during a stride. It generally increases with speed, and anomalies can indicate fatigue.

Stance excursion: The angular change between foot strike and toe-off. This indicates a runner's strike type.

Strike type: Knee and hip injuries tend to happen more in heel strikers, whereas Achilles, calf, and metatarsal issues tend to befall forefoot strikers.

Stride rate and length: Runners with a higher rate and shorter length of stride tend to exert lower impact G's, which could help prevent injury.

Genetics: Researchers have linked the COL5A1 gene to Achilles and ACL tears. The COL1A1 gene is associated with decreased MCL ruptures and shoulder dislocations.

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Unless you’re a backpacker studying abroad, life on the road entails more than just throwing a pair of underwear and a fleece into a ragged duffel.

Modern nomads, folks who do all their work on the road thanks to the ubiquity of WiFi,Ìęneed to pack for business meetings, trips to the tropics, and last-minute summit bids. In short, this means mastering the art of having all the essentials without knowing exactly where you might end up.

So we took some , a growing group of borderless travelers who eschew most possessions but remain connected to the Internet. You might be surprised how few items you need on the road, says Philippa Young, a guerrilla filmmaker with , a team of multimedia storytellers who travel the world. “It’s only when you completely lose a bag that you realize how little you need to survive. I stay on the minimizing curve, but I’ll also throw in a luxury (like a coffee grinder and beans) now and again to keep things interesting.”

While we don’t suggest you abandon all your luggage, these gear tips will get you through just about anything—whether it’s a week-long business trip or months-long, drop-everything adventure.

Lightweight Running Shoes

Unless you’re training, a loud pair of technical trail shoes will be overkill while traveling. Try a minimalist style like the , in a dark color like black or grey, which looks good with just about anything and packs down small.

Blazer

All hail the blazer, a panacea for when you need to look sharp but are short on clothing. It can easily be worn with jeans and a white T-shirt or over a lightweight, solid-colored dress. Try a linen cotton , which designs minimalist, neutral clothing.

Rain Shell

A is a must, as is a that can be worn over a sweater (of which you need no more than one or two). We like Patagonia’s , which is perfect for fast-and-light, rainy trips. Stick with the black colorway.

Tech

You’re not a technomad if you don’t carry a few gadgets. Buy a universal adapter such as the , which works in 150 countries. For those working long days off the grid, an extra phone battery such as the , compatible with iPhone, HTC One and Samsung Galaxy, can be essential. Conveniently, it doubles as a phone case. Books won’t let you pack light: opt for an e-reader like the or . A read-later app like or means you can catch up on your reading list even when you’re offline.

The Practical Stuff

hold dirty laundry, wet clothes, liquids that are liable to explode, and can organize unruly bundles of cords and cables. Opt for a lightweight nylon duffel for any short side trips you might take. duffel is durable enough to check on a flight, but light enough to pack when not in use.

A thin beach-style sarong or a few yards of fabric works well as a towel, sheet, or scarf, depending on what climate you end up in. When you need tweezers, scissors, a corkscrew, a nail file—or all of the above—a will have you covered. And you will almost always find a use for , so keep one or two clipped to your bag.

Remember: If you haven’t used an item in a while, exchange it for something else. “If it doesn’t fit in my backpack, then I don’t take it. If there is a useful item I have packed and I haven’t used it in a month, I will exchange it for a different item. Useful items are things like cables, a pocket knife, solar lights, and even cutlery,” says Alicia Sully, a guerrilla filmmaker withÌę.Ìę

First Aid

When it comes to toiletries, less is more. It’s rarely difficult to find a bar of soap or a bottle of shampoo, so don’t waste space by bringing them. However, toting hard-to-find essentials that you don’t want to be caught without is always a good idea. These include: for adjusting to new time zones; , because if you need this, you need it now; a high-strength for mosquito bites and skin irritation; earplugs for shared accommodation; and , which is often pricey if bought in airports or abroad.

Creature Comforts

Slippers like —or even freebies from a hotel—can make any floor feel a little less unfamiliar, while a for tea or coffee is great for early train rides or cold nights outdoors. (It’ll taste even better if you bring your favorite tea from home.)

Credit Cards, Passports, and Evernote

No self-respecting technomad would have a credit or bank card with foreign transaction fees, so switch to a , like Capital One. Don’t forget to back up photocopies of your bank cards and passport on the cloud or in Dropbox, as well as on a USB stick, as it’s easier to get a replacement when you have the relevant numbers and expiration dates of the real thing. Lastly, use an app like to store your itineraries and to keep frequent flier membership numbers easily accessible.

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Running in another country is a high-risk, high-reward endeavor. Set off from your hotel, hostel, or Airbnb without a clue where you’re going and you can just as easily find yourself in an idyllic Vietnamese village waving to villagers as an unhospitable neighborhood populated by pit bulls and potholes.

When you’re home, running takes on a meditative quality: Your legs take care of the route while your mind can stew on more pressing matters. When traveling, every turn, fork, and intersection becomes a conscious choice, which can make some people decide to skip their workout altogether.

But adventure is part of the fun of travel, even if it’s just a 45-minute jaunt. Figuring out how to run safely and successfully in unfamiliar terrain is an art form cultivated with practice and a generous dose of street smarts. You can do better than traveling to another country to run in the hotel gym. Here’s how:

Don’t be flashy.

Avoid collegiate or logo-heavy clothes (nothing screams “I’m American” like a college T-shirt). If you’re running in a developing country, don’t wear hi-res vests or heavily technical gear (you’ll just look rich, and also like a kook). If you’re a woman, be modest. Plain black running tights or long shorts and a loose-fitting, logo-free T-shirt do the trick for either gender. Notice if you’re in an area where running is just not done (somewhere like the Medina of Marrakech) and consider getting up early so you’re not dodging donkey cartsÌęand getting stared down.

Ask around.

If you’re staying with someone, start there. Taxi drivers are also a helpful resource; ask them if there are any parks or footpaths nearby. Finding out where people play soccer—the world’s most unifying activity—always helps, especially if you’re looking for a place to run laps or intervals. Bodies of water almost always attract runners, so if you can find a nearby canal, lake, river, or ocean on a map, that’s usually a safe bet. It’s always a good idea to ask the hotel concierge or your host if the city has any “no-go” zones” and adjust your route accordingly. Running along highways and freeways is generally not a comfortable experience no matter where you are, so try to avoid those, too.

If you’re in a city or a place where running seems to be popular, check apps such as Strava or MapMyRun to see where other locals are running. You can also search for any nearby race routes that you can follow. Better yet, participate in a race; you’ll get the flavor of a new place and perhaps meet some local friends.

Run prepared.

The perennial runner’s safety question is, “Should I bring a phone?” If it’s a traveler’s pay-as-you-go phone, why not? But your new iPhone 5 should probably stay at home—it just makes you a target. Ditto to iPods when running in a new place for the first time; it’s best to have all your wits about you (or at least wait until you get to the park to put your earbuds in).

To avoid calamities, bring your hotel’s business card or jot down your accommodation’s address and put it in your pocket. When asking for directions, it’s easier to ask someone the direction to a well-known establishment rather than the tiny side street of your rented flat; mentally record a few landmarks or street names before you head out (a metro station name, major thoroughfare, or street market are good ideas). Bringing a small amount of cash never hurts and can be used for bus fare, a partial taxi ride, or, if all goes according to plan, a coffee when you’ve finished your run.

Be sensible.

Sometimes a well-meaning host will insist the route she or he is describing is of the “can’t go wrong, really, you can’t miss it” variety. Next thing you know, you’re running on a single-lane road in the English countryside with horse trailers careening around blind corners. Realize that what’s foolproof to others may look different to your eyes. Out and backs are a safer bet than loops since you always have the option to retrace your steps. While you’re on the “out,” continually clock landmarks or indicators, like a street name, a weird rock, a yellow fence, or something you can recognize when you turn back on the same route. Your watch also helps you note how long you ran along a given path before a turn.

Don’t forget to tell someone you’ve headed out and how long you might be gone. If you’re traveling solo, a quick nod to the concierge as you head out or a note in your room is better than nothing.

The good news: The simplicity of running means it’s a universally translatable activity. Depending on where you are, people may look at you like you’re a bit mad, but that’s half the fun. And nothing is better than getting that almost imperceptible but always appreciated “runner’s nod” from a local in a foreign land. You’ll be glad you headed out.

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Paris is a city known for many things—its architecture, its fromage, its lovers—but exercise is decidedly not one of them. Exerting oneself publicly in sweaty, non-chic clothing is considered tres vulgaire and violates one of the underlying maxims of Parisian life: don’t, under any circumstance, look ridiculous or unsophisticated. Instead, Parisians offset their indulgent meals with long walks to the next bar or walking up the Metro stairs.Ìę

That may work for the locals, but if you’re a visitor to Paris, exercise serves an important dual purpose: burning off the ridiculous amounts of calories you should be consuming during your visit and helping you see a version of the City of Light beyond the tourist clichĂ©s. If you go to Paris and don’t run, you’re missing out.Ìę

However, be warned: you’re more likely to get a cigarette put out on your thigh than you are to see a Parisian move out of your way on one of the city’s busy streets. For that reason, it’s wise to stick to more defined parks and socially acceptable running routes, rather than attempting to run on sidewalks. The good news is that even during the week, rush hour doesn’t start until about 9 a.m. (Parisians are still sleeping off the vin rouge from the night before), so you get an extra hour to work out before the crowds hit the streets.

Embark on one of the routes below, but first slip a few Euros in your running shorts—you’ll want to treat yourself to a croissant and a cafĂ© au lait when you’re done.

Jardin Du Luxembourg

A visit to the Luxembourg Gardens is a mainstay of most tourist itineraries, so why not cross this one off the list in the form of a run? Though it’s , the perimeter is quite short (1.3 miles), so it’s best for a quick 5k or if you want to get in an interval workout. Attached to the centuries-old Luxembourg Palace (where the French Senate meets), the park is heavy on runners and on history, including statuary, a boating pond, and the original version of the Statue of Liberty. The only obstacles you’ll have to dodge are picnickers and gentlemen playing chess. Nestled in the Latin Quarter, the park is accessible from a variety of Metro stops including Odeon, Mabillon, Saint-Michel, and Cluny.Ìę

The Seine

There are few better ways to see the sights of Paris than , which bisects the city’s premier attractions. Take the metro to Pont Neuf, which is right on the river, and begin running east. Follow the water and when you reach Pont d’Austerlitz, cross the bridge and loop back so you’re running on the other side of the water (known as the Left Bank). Keep running until you reach the Musee d’Orsay and you’ll have passed some of the city’s greatest sights including the Louvre Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Ile de la CitĂ©, and the Grand Palais, all in about five miles. Although there is a path by the water, the cobblestones are uneven, so you might prefer to run at street level on the paved pedestrian path (the only drawback will be stopping at traffic lights).

Canal Saint-Martin

It doesn’t get more idyllic than running onÌę, nestled in the uber-hip tenth Arrondissement in northeast Paris. The canal is 4.5 kilometers (just under 3 miles) long and connects the northern Canal de l’Ourcq to the Seine River to the south. On Sundays, the two streets parallel to the canal—Quai de Valmy and Quai de Jemmapes—are reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. (There are quite a few runners, too). Take the Metro to Republique and walk less than a quarter mile northeast until you reach the canal. Follow the waterway to the north, which will eventually lead you to Parc de la Villette, right on the edge of the Boulevard PĂ©riphĂ©rique. Then, do what any Parisian would do, turn around and pick out one of the hip cafĂ©s and bars on the canal for a post-workoutÌęl’a±è±đ°ùŽÇÌę(apertif).

Bois De Boulogne

Bois de Boulogne is one of those urban running gems that doesn’t feel urban at all. Located in the western edge of the 16th Arrondissement, and is home to two lakes, several ponds, the horse-racing grounds of , as well as the stadium, where the French Open is played. Though it’s on the edge of the city and thus requires a special trip to get to it, you’ll be in good company getting a long run in while exploring its 2,000 acres and numerous trails. For a shorter run, try doing laps around the 1.5-mile path surrounding Lac InfĂ©rieur. The closest Metro stations are Porte Dauphine and Ranelagh.

Parc de Saint-Cloud

This domaine national (national park) is actually located outside what’s officially considered Paris—which is everything encircled by the ring road known as Boulevard PĂ©riphĂ©rique—but . Covering more than 1,000 acres, the park dates back to the 16th century when it served as the preferred residence of Napolean Bonaparte. Since then, it’s been distinguished one of the most remarkable green spaces in Europe. Running through the centuries-old fountains, monuments, and perfectly straight tree-lined paths is an other-worldly experience and will keep you entertained for miles. It also offers two things that are hard to find within the PĂ©riphĂ©rique: a panoramic view of the city (which can be found at the park’s highest elevation, La Lanterne viewpoint) and comparatively fewer crowds compared to inner Paris’ parks.Ìę

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Blame the weather, the color of the Thames, or the historical moniker of “The Big Smoke,” but London doesn’t always have the best reputation when it comes to the great outdoors. In reality though, Britain’s capital city is an urban runner’s paradise, housing 5,000 acres of parkland in the city’s eight Royal Parks and countless other canals, hidden routes, and greenspace.

The city’s collective grit and sense of can-do ambition means that Londoners understand running. A national aversion to being a nuisance means that pedestrians will generally move out of your way if you let them know you’re behind them (hint: apologetically saying “sorry” is the British way of saying “get the hell out of my way”). And if you’re worried about not knowing which way to look when you cross the road, don’t fret. Always fans of orderliness, the Brits have painted “look right” or “look left” on the cross walks for tourists’ convenience.Ìę

So put on your trainers, and hit the tarmac.

Richmond Park

It’s not really fair to call a run in “urban running” because as soon as you enter the enclosed 2,500 acres, you’ll feel far from a double decker bus or black cab. Rolling hills, woodlands, plenty of mud and wildlife, and an amazing view of (12 miles away) at the park’s highest point make it worth exploring. A perimeter run around the park will put you at just over seven miles, but getting lost in the park’s inner trails is the perfect antidote to city life. Oh, and thanks to Henry VII who was a fan of hunting, you’ll find plenty of deer to keep you company (they’ve been roaming freely since 1529).

Victoria Park

Though it’s not a Royal Park, has the distinction of being the closest to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and thus served as the workout spot of everyone from Kenyan distance runners to Paralympic cyclists during the 2012 games. Its roughly 220 acres are a perfect place to run grassy and shady loops and catch your breath at one of the park’s three serene lakes—though you might have to dodge some hipsters thanks to its . The easternmost entrance at St Mark’s gate is roughly one mile from the impressive Olympic Park, which is still open to the public.

Grand Union Towpath/Regents Canal to Primrose Hill

If loops aren’t your thing and you want to cover ground while seeing the city, start your run at the behind St. Pancras International Station at Kings Cross. Follow the canal path (you can peek into the windows of all the quaint narrow house boats while you’re at it) to , where you might have to dodge a few punk rockers. Once you’re in Camden, you’ll be running along the Regents Canal, take the signposted staircase exit for Primrose Hill and run to the very top to get one of London’s best city views. An out an back will put you at about 5 miles, or you can finish by running around Regents Park, which is adjacent to Primrose Hill.

Thames Path

There’s no doubt every English literature professor has at some point referred to the River Thames (pronounced “Temz”) as “liquid history.” If you’re a runner visiting London, it’s also a very efficient way to . Start at the Tower of London and cross Tower Bridge so you’re on the southern bank of the river. From there, turn right and you can run along the path and take in some of its most iconic sights: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Millennium Bridge, Big Ben, the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. Definitely bring your phone to snap a picture, but try doing this run early in the morning, as tourists will predictably descend on the path.

The Pall Mall/Hyde Park

There’s something about incorporating a palace into your running route that feels fittingly British. Start at the corner of (right on the corner of St James’ Park). Run straight down The Mall and when you get to Buckingham Palace (how’s that for a landmark?), bear right. Run along Constitution Hill, which serves as the finish of the London Marathon, and you’ll reach Hyde Park Corner and the entrance to . From there, you’ll have 630 acres to explore in Central London’s largest park. Don’t miss the famous Speaker’s Corner, in the northeast corner of the park.

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Jen Selter has mastered the art of the vanity squat. On her Instagram account, the 20 year old frequently posts pictures of herself assuming the position—in the gym, on a yacht, on the steps of a plane—emblazoned with her handle “.” Her habit of fitness motivation has paid off. As one of the social network’s homegrown celebrities, she has amassed 3.5 million followers, a fitness agent, and a photo shoot in Vanity Fair.

Personal accountability has long been a well-recognized tool to help maintain a fitness regime or exercise plan. But in the age of the selfie, this time-tested method of personal accountability has turned glaringly public. A search of “#fitness” on Instagram yields nearly 39 million posts. In addition to Selter, there’s a whole cottage industry of , “Fitblrs” on Tumblr, and a bevy of like Runkeeper and Strava that automatically upload your 10K time to your Facebook or track your cycling route in Twitter.Ìę

We already know that keeping track of workouts the old fashioned way (a notebook and pen comes to mind) has beneficial effects when it comes to sticking to our goals. But posting the details of each and every run, squat, gluten free lunch, or Crossfit W.O.D. can feel a little egregious to those following along. One has to wonder: do all these fitness-themed posts amount to anything more more than an exercise in self-righteous ego boosting?

Research suggests they do. found that fitness regimes with a social component are more likely to succeed as they “foster motivation, encouragement, and commonality.”

Tiffany Clifford Czajka is a Scottsdale, Arizona, based trainer who says she uses social media as a way to motivate her clients and encourages them to do the same. In her experience as a trainer, she’s found that frequent visual cues of progress really do help people commit to their goals.Ìę

“I often post pictures of equipment—bosu balls, combat ropes—for a sneak peak into the next day’s workout. It helps keep excitement going and I take pictures of [my clients] working out as well to post and tag,” Czajka said. “Pictures speak volumes, so whether you post a picture of an amazing before and after or the defined toned biceps that you have worked so hard for, it shows dedication and self-confidence that maybe you once did have.”Ìę

For those going after a longterm goal or challenge, using social media to document it also has the effect of inspiring others. Writer Anna Brones and policy Analyst Megan Ponder started their project ‘Portland to Paris: 1000 Miles’ in January. Each of them have committed to running 1000 miles in the year 2014, despite the fact that they live on different continents.Ìę

Ponder, who is based in Portland, keeps an Instagram of the project while Brones, who lives in Paris, . The duo feels that the positive feedback they’ve received from social media is a good sign that they’re adding value of some sort, rather than just over-sharing.Ìę

“Every month that I post on my own blog, I get comments from regular readers that I know are following—and they are not people I know in real life,” Brones said. “We had someone on Instagram say recently that she loved the feed and found it really inspiring. That's all I have ever wanted from sharing—to get other people to get after it in their own ways.”

As with any goal, there are bound to be setbacks, such as a month where a knee injury put Brones below her mileage target. But the pair aren’t worried about failing publicly; they say the project is much more about the conversation they’re creating with each other and their followers.Ìę

“Ultimately, I think that sharing our journey can be inspirational to others whether or not we achieve the goal,” Brones said. “This is much more about the process itself.”

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The other day as I left my apartment building to go out for a run, I realized my iPod was out of battery. I wasn’t far from my front door, and could have easily turned around to leave it at home, but I decided not to. That’s because the little black earbuds I bought for $10 aren’t just a source of sound, they’re a defense mechanism.

Ask any female runner, and she will probably know what I’m talking about. Alongside the mental solace that many of us get from our daily jaunt, there also comes a host of things to consider: what we’re wearing, whether it’s a good idea to take a new route if it’s nearly dusk, whether we’ve told someone where we’re headed, or whether we should cross the street before running past that construction site. And the earbuds? That’s just a simple way to tune out the high likelihood that someone will make a comment I don’t want to hear.

Encouragingly, the concept of street harassment and what we must do as a culture to address it has been addressed widely in the media recently. The coverage of campaigns like the —an online platform-turned-book that has crowdsourced accounts from well over 50,000 female victims of street harassment—and Brooklyn artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s “” project show that what has for eons been accepted as “guys just being guys” is increasingly being stigmatized.

Despite the progress though, myself and many of my female runner friends agree that the aggressive behaviour we experience from males seems to go up a notch when we’re running. Regardless of the season—spandex running tights in the winter seem to be just as bad as shorts and a sports bra in the heat of summer—there seems to be a certain brazenness that an anonymous harasser gains from watching you approach and knowing you’re going to move by him quickly. You name it, it’s probably happened to me: being followed by men in cars and on foot, countless gratuitous honks, being touched from behind, lewd and vile commentary, or, my personal favorite, being asked for “directions” by someone who really just wants to bother me and ruin my run.Ìę

My reaction to street harassment is very often different when I’m running on a sidewalk versus walking on it. Blame the surge of adrenaline and confidence I gain when I’m running, but I find I’m more apt to take a risk trail or route I’ve never been on before, get pissed off and yell an obscenity to someone that is acting untoward, and perhaps be a little less cautious at the precise time when I should be doing the opposite.

Given this paradox, it can often feel hard to point to a solution in this case. Not running is, of course, out of the question. Ignoring it and not letting it ruin my run is probably the most straightforward response, but that doesn’t account for the times where I actually feel threatened by a car or someone following me. Urban running can increase the potential of unwanted interactions, but it also offers a sense of safety that solo trail running does not. Finally, running with a phone offers a measure of security. But in reality, I’m completely unwilling to give up the one activity in my life where I get to leave my phone at home.

Aside from joining a running group, stockpiling some responses (“What do I want? I want you to never, ever speak to another female like that ever again”) and employing the earbud method, there’s a general shift in culture that we can all participate in, regardless of gender. A female runner may choose to ignore and run past a male harasser, but chances are other people can hear what nonsense he’s hollering from that park bench. Wouldn’t it be nice if, once a while, someone intervened for her? She’s busy running after all.

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