If you’re a runner, it can feel tempting to go above your limits to improve your pace, duration, VO2 max, and other metrics.

But lots of research suggests that going easy is beneficial. Elite athletes only spend about 20% of their time intensively training, for instance – they’re mostly “zone 2” running.

You might think the exception to that is the speedy part of interval training, which sees runners switch between jogs and sprints.

But even in those, researchers think we should only be giving it a seven out of 10 effort.

Researchers wanted to see how running at different intensities affected people’s VO2 max, or their ability to use oxygen efficiently, and their heart rates.

They asked participants to run three times. Each run was three minutes each, with two minutes’ rest in between.

Runners were asked to run at three different levels of perceived intensity: 6/10, 7/10, and 8/10 effort. That was measured by how hard the participants felt they were pushing themselves in their run (they were told to keep the level of difficulty the same throughout).

The longer you spend close to your maximum VO2 and heart rate during exercise, the more your aerobic capacity will increase.

The scientists noticed that people who ran with 6/10 effort in interval training spent less time at 90% of their VO2 max and heart rate levels.

But for those giving it a 7/10 or 8/10, the results were about the same; they spent roughly as long in the 0% or higher zone. And training at 7/10 provided less “ventilatory stress,” or difficulty breathing, than doing so at 8/10.

In other words, 6/10 seemed not to benefit interval runners as much as running at a 7/10 or 8/10. Both of those had the same potential to improve participants’ fitness, but the harder workout was more stressful with no added benefits.

Probably not. Different runs, and even walks, have their own benefits for runners; this test was only done on interval runs, which involve shorter sprints.

The runners only spent nine minutes in total at this higher level of effort, too. Training your aerobic capacity is helpful for more efficient running, but running slowly and long can train your endurance.

But for short bursts of interval training, the study suggests that forcing yourself too far beyond your limit might not necessarily be better. And as anyone who’s struggled with exhausting sprints will know, any mercy is welcome.

If your knees aren’t in Megan Thee Stallion shape, that’s OK; “Spanish squats”, which offload the strain of the movement to a resistance band, can help.

And if you’re struggling with back pain, which affects 80% of UK adults at some point in their lives, “goblet squats” might be helpful to add to your repertoire, too.

They involve holding a weight, like a kettlebell or dumbbell, in front of you as you perform a squat.

If you’re using a dumbbell, you hold it at one end with both hands, so it stays vertical, like a “goblet”.

They target your glutes, hamstrings, and quads.

Healthline explained that squats are a “foundational exercise” for building strength, as they target so many muscle groups.

But back squats, which involve holding a weighted barbell on your shoulders as you squat, can place added strain on your lower back.

A goblet squat, however, “removes that tension while still targeting the quads and glutes, which are the major movers in the exercise”, Healthline added.

That’s partly because it’s a front-loaded exercise: all the weight is in front of you, which could help to reduce your risk of injury.

In a YouTube short, trainer Mike Foster said the move can be a “game-changer for individuals suffering from lower back pain”, and added they can help to “train your core properly” too.

Celeb trainer Mark Wildman added that “squatting low with load [added weight] tends to make the core fire better”. Not only that but “back pain tends to disappear”.

A stronger core can also help to keep your back pain-free in the long term.

Place your feet, toes straight ahead, a shoulder-width apart. Brace your core.

If you’re holding a kettlebell, grab both sides of its handle. If you’ve got a dumbbell, hold one end with both hands, keeping your palms underneath the top of the weight.

Whatever you’re holding, clasp it close to your chest with your back upright. Squeeze your shoulder blades together.

Lower into a squat with your chest up and back straight, hold it, and then push through your feet to return to a standing position.

Immediately stop any exercise that makes your back pain worse.

Last year, I tried to get back into running – and while changes to my joints put me off the sport for a while, I’m now starting again, right from ground zero.

Things will be different this time, I reckon. First of all, I’ll start slower (more Jeffing, I reckon).

And secondly, I’ll keep an eye on my iron intake. Years ago, while training for a marathon, a blood test showed I was anaemic: facts I thought were unrelated.

But it turns out they might not have been. Some research suggests that endurance athletes, especially women, might experience something called “exercise-induced anaemia”.

“In female marathon runners, the prevalence is as high as 28% (compared to 11% in the general female population),” the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) said.

Experts think it could be down to a range of factors. One of them is haemolysis, or the destruction of red blood cells through high-impact sports (like pounding your feet on the ground through running).

Another is blood loss through tiny tears in your gastrointestinal and urinary tract, which the BJGP said could happen because of the decrease in blood in the area when you’re really pushing yourself.

Even the inflammatory response brought on by intense exercise could affect how much iron your body absorbs.

Then, there’s the fact that in general, women are more likely than men to experience iron deficiency anaemia. That’s mostly thanks to menstruation.

But working with iron supplement brand Active Iron, Andy Shepherd, performance nutrition lead at Loughborough University, found 75% of women say that they had no idea that high training volume can leave you with inadequate iron.

This has all the signs of iron-deficiency anaemia, which can include:

• tiredness
• heart palpitations
• headaches
• being paler than usual
• shortness of breath.

Shepherd said that people with anaemia “usually have some challenges with staying well too, so they might pick up sniffles and coughs and colds much more often.”

And runners with iron deficiency anaemia, exercise-induced or not, can struggle to improve in their sport, he added.

“With moderately low iron, you might be able to train, you might not know you’re low, you might feel fine and not sleepy-tired, but you might not ever be able to push your body to a point where you can adapt and get better.”

The only definite way to diagnose iron deficiency anaemia, however, is with a blood test. This can be done through your GP.

“Our advice is always that you should speak to a doctor or Sports and Exercise Nutrition Register (SENR) qualified nutritionist or dietician if you are concerned,” Shepherd said.

Though the 10,000 steps a day “rule” is actually a marketing gimmick, there is some merit to getting a few thousand paces under your belt (or should that be soles?) daily.

Some research suggests that 7,000 steps a day can help to lower heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, depression, and falls risk, and can even reduce your likelihood of all-cause mortality by 47%.

But since I gave up my sleep tracker, I’ve grown a little weary of step-counting devices too. So, I tried a 3-3-30 walk on my lunch break instead (experts say a midday stroll can help to boost our mood and health in winter and early spring).

That’s because some research says the half-hour activity could improve your blood pressure, aerobic capacity, and strength even more than “regular” walking,

It’s a type of interval training, a bit like the “Jeffing” or “run walk run” method is for runners.

It involves walking briskly for three minutes, then more slowly for another three minutes, on repeat for half an hour.

A study into the technique concluded that “High-intensity interval walking may protect against age-associated increases in blood pressure and decreases in thigh muscle strength and peak aerobic capacity”.

These results were stronger for the interval walking group than the steady-pace walkers.

Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, doctor and consultant practitioner, Dr Hussain Ahmad, said: “If you’re aiming to maintain general health, brisk walking for at least 150 minutes a week (about 30 minutes a day, five days a week) can help reduce the risk of heart disease, improve mood, and support weight management”.

Brisker walking is associated with a 20% lower risk of early death compared to 4% for slower walkers.

Just to add the vitamin D-boosting cherry on top, doing the surprisingly efficient workout when the sun is at its highest – from 11am to 3pm – can boost your mood, sleep, and energy in the cooler months.

I don’t know if it was because I tried 3-3-30 walking on the same day this year’s endless barrage of storms gave way to sunshine, but I couldn’t believe how much it boosted my mood.

It’s also way more practical than my noble, but unrealistic, step count goals, which sometimes required either an earlier wakeup than I can usually manage or a dark, depressing post-work stroll.

A plus: because I wasn’t checking my step count during the walk, I was able to concentrate more on the nature around me (including some impossibly cute fluffy gislings, pictured above).

That meant the walk was more sustainable, more enjoyable, and (probably) more efficient. No wonder I’ve been trying to get friends and family on board.