The last few days I've been contemplating my mental health. It just hasn't seemed great this week, I've been in a rotten mood, had a touch of insomnia, prone to crying...that whole bit. Of course I blame part of it on lack of exercise. It takes a lot of extra emotional energy to exercise with a toddler, who fights the stroller and tends to not want to stay out as long as I do, and lately, I just haven't gone to the effort.

There's something more though. I've been on eDiets, and while I love the meal planning, I just realized that I'm eating a lot less beef than I usually have. There's one or two beef meals in the selection, a couple veal, couple liver, a couple lamb, a bunch of poultry, and a whole lot of fish. Here I'm used to eating beef at least once a day. I think all this white meat is not doing the work beef did for my moods. So I've decided to take their suggestions on what goes with the meat, but stick with more beef. I tried liver last night, but didn't enjoy the experience of cooking it, and couldn't quite eat more than a couple ounces. I could only find regular beef liver, not free range, and that doesn't cut it for me anymore. Free range beef seems to have more energy and vitality to it...for some reason. It's just a happier food, and I like happy food.

And... I got some exercise today. I cleaned off the deck outside. It was very overgrown with a virginia creeper. I had no idea what a mess it was. I took out a lot of frustration on that vine, and I think it took a little out on me too, but I won! I can now see the whole deck again. I still need to cut back that vine some more, to control it. It's so beautiful in the fall, but I'm beginning to wonder if I really like it as much as I thought I did. It's nice when you have something to show for your exercise, and I did get my heart rate up well enough for it to be called exercise.

Tomorrow is another day, tonight I eat steak.