Shaking Off the Blahs

I hope you'll join me today at LV Barat's blog where I'll be talking about drinking in the medieval world where so many high fantasy novels take place. You'll also find a link to one of my favorite reference books when you get there.

Didn't think it possible for twenty degrees to feel like a heat wave but that's where we're at this February. But March is only days away and soon we'll see those spring bulbs pushing their way toward the sun. Cold weather and get a person down, depressing the creative urges and even the urge to exercise and eat right. Just in time to get us thinking about our health, new dietary guidelines have been published. Here's an article from the New York Times where they share some opinions and facts.

It seems that despite all those terrible facts about cholesterol and eggs, they really aren't bad for you and are an excellent source or protein. Coffee, can be good for you. I saw an article in the paper suggesting that 3-5 cups of coffee per day might be okay for a lot of people.

Things everyone should watch out for, added sugars like in soft drinks and many fruit drinks and juices. Just eat the real fruit and don't buy juice at all. Sodium is a big item to avoid also. Processed meats and cheeses are very high in sodium content and should be avoided as much as possible. Red meat, not so good, and anything high in saturated fats.

Eat as natural as you can, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and get your protein from poultry, fish and nuts. Drink water.

Exercise, exercise, exercise. I'll be so glad to get back outside working in the yard. I have a lot of ground to take care of so it gives me a second bout of activity after my morning runs or walks. Even weeds sound lovely after all this cold and snow.

I'm past the mid-point in my next science fiction romance. I haven't settled on a title yet but my publisher is good at suggesting possibilities so we'll come up with something together. My next series is already taking shape so I need to get this one done.

"Never go to a doctor whose plants have died." Erma Bombeck

What do you think of the new dietary guidelines? Any surprises? Ever think about how lucky we are to have clean water supplies?

Do stop in at the A to Z blog today for some more inspiration and leave me a note if you'd like to be a Dragon Soldier and help me out during the challenge. I could really use one or two more helpers. And a new post at IWSG will get you on track for another week of inspired writing.