It may seem a bit strange to be talking about health on a romance writing blog however, your health is vitally important to your productivity and ultimately to your success.

What you eat gives you energy, right?

Eat the wrong things and your energy gets all messed up. My husband is a fantastic chef. He bakes, he cooks and I’m very very lucky. Generally, he also focuses on making healthy food too.

However, he made these peanut butter chocolate bars about a week ago. They had peanut butter, graham crackers, powdered sugar and chocolate in them. Not healthy and downright addictive. (It probably didn’t help that I ate an entire box of chocolates over the course of three days either. But I was on vacation!)

I found myself eating two or three a day. And guess what happened? My energy spiked and plummeted. Repeatedly. I couldn’t figure out why I was so exhausted.

And let me tell you, I was also not getting nearly as much done on my WIP as I need to. I have a deadline and here I am snoring on the couch.  The reason…too much sugar.

Exercise also plays a very important role in giving you energy.

It boosts your metabolism and that’s good for maintaining weight. But what I’ve found to be the biggest benefit of exercise are those endorphins. Those feel good hormones that are kicked out. And you don’t have to run a marathon to feel them, either. A jog around the block gets the job done.

Endorphins help stimulate your creativity. You’ll be amazed how many story plot or character problems you solve when you’re exercising. I like to exercise outside because the vitamin D (or just good old fashioned fresh air and sunshine) do a lot to clear my head and improve my mood too.

I’ve fallen off the wagon…

Between the sugar bomb peanut butter bars and the 101 degree days, I’ve stopped eating healthy and I’ve stopped exercising like I should be. And my writing has suffered.

Want to get back on the wagon with me?

I’m going on a three week sugar elimination diet – no sugary sweets, no soda pop or even diet soda. Just good, nutritious food. (You don’t have to do anything that restrictive. Just cut back)

And I’m going to add 20-30 minutes of cardio back into my day by taking a quick jog around the block in the early morning or late evening hours when it’s not too hot.

Care to join me?

No sugary foods for three weeks and 20 minutes of exercise each day?  You’ll be amazed how much more energy you have and how much more creative you feel.

If you want to join my on my three week challenge post a comment here and motivate others to join. Share your experiences!