For a new book, Ariel Gore decided to tackle the topic of positive psychology and whether it's possible for a woman to be smart, empowered and happy. The result? Bluebird: Women and the New Psychology of Happiness. Here, Gore fills us in on the connection between happiness and feminism, and what truly makes women happy. (Here's a hint: More sex, less vacuuming.)

Q: How did you become interested in positive psychology?

A: I heard on the radio that positive psychology was the most popular class at Harvard and that intrigued me. I thought, Harvard? Happiness can be an intellectual pursuit - for smart people? That seemed to cool to me. Especially because I'd always thought of happiness as, well, pretty uncool.

Q: Can you explain your book's connection between happiness and feminism?

Each morning, we dish out a few links we love.

Looking for an entertaining way to get really fit? Studies show that soccer is more effective than running and lifting weights combined -- and it's more fun too.

Make sure you don't neglect the most important food group: Superfoods! Here are a few that you should definitely be filling up on.

Hate your thighs? Stop -- here are some tips on how to embrace (and love) your body, no matter what shape and size you are.

Ever wondered what causes an itch? Here's an explanation, along with how to properly take care of it.

Sounds ridiculous, but if you want to get in shape for Valentine's Day, here's a workout for the mother of all sexy lingerie-wearing days.

Last week, while walking to Kensington Market for my weekly grocery shopping excursion, shivering and frozen to the core, I started fantasizing about this soup. If you have been reading my posts, you will know that winter is not my favourite season as I MUCH prefer the sun and the warmth. However, I can get by, if I arm myself with a bunch of core-warming and nutritious soup recipes.

Health Benefits of Squash

Did you know that butternut squash is actually a fruit? The tip off is that it contains seeds just like all members of the gourd family (cucumber, pumpkin, melon). When you cut into its pale yellow and hard skin you will discover a vibrant flesh -- a tell tale sign it is beaming with a powerhouse of nutrients know as carotenoids, which protect against heart disease. Its very high levels of beta-carotene (which your body converts to vitamin A) has been studied extensively for the effects in reducing breast cancer and macular degeneration (protecting your peepers).

Dietary fibre is another reason to love this fruit. Fibre is extremely important for keeping cholesterol in check and your digestive tract detoxifying efficiently (fibre, along with bile, remove toxins from the body). Squash is also a source of potassium, vitamin B6 and folate, and it reduces inflammation because of its high antioxidant content, which is important for reducing arthritis and a whole host of inflammatory related disorders.

Recipe after the jump...

Some wonderfully, healthy eating trends are picking up speed with the mainstream population, which makes nutritionists like myself very joyous. Both raw food and gluten-free diets are becoming popular while the low-fat trend of the 80s and 90s is on the way out. This is good news as the latter did nothing good for us other than make our muffin tops and love handles grow at an obscene rate due to the over consumption of carbohydrates and processed foods.

These newest food trends are here to stay because they are all about promoting health. When you subscribe to the notion of eating nutrient-dense, low-allergen foods as the path to wellness, your gut and life will change for the better.

Eating raw is not something I personally do 100 percent of the time. I love cooked foods, especially soups and certain vegetables, which are easier to digest and simply taste better when cooked, including cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower. However, as Dr. Brian Clement, a raw foodie and co-director of the Hippocrates Health Institute says, "Food is not only for pleasure; it has the potential to aid in reducing disease and prolonging life." I couldn't agree more and truly believe that eating more raw food is critical to a joyous healthy life.

Top three reasons to go raw and cookie recipe after the jump

Each morning, we dish out a few links we love.

Time to move to the interior of BC? Studies show that obese and overweight people have an easier time losing weight when they live at high altitudes.

In honor of Superbowl this weekend, Lemondrop is counting down the 10 best butts in the NFL.

Runners, you are not going to like this -- studies show that jogging might be a waste of time.

Does your digestion feel more like indigestion? Here are some tips to help get you back on track.

Do you eat 'clean' food? The issues is far more complex than you'd think, so read this before you answer.

I'm sure you've heard of Kegel exercises, but the odds are good that you don't know exactly what they are. The word on the street is that they're a simple exercise you can do in seconds a day and they can dramatically improve your sex life. We asked sexpert Teesha Morgan to explain.

Q: What are Kegel exercises and can they really improve the quality of your sex life?

A: Kegels are the name of an exercise developed by Dr. Arnold Kegel. They involve contracting and relaxing ones PC muscles (Pubococcygeus muscles). These are found between the tail bone and the pubic bone and are in use when one stops the flow of urine. Both men and women can and should do these contractions (approximately 25 a day) as there are many health benefits.

For women, it prepares the pelvic floor for the stress of childbirth and helps prevent uterine prolapse. For men, it can help with prostate pain and swelling. They are also beneficial in preventing urinary incontinence in both men and women and can increase sexual gratification for both genders. This can range from more intense orgasms for men and women, to stronger erections, better erectile control and multiple orgasms for men. These exercises do not have to be done while urinating, but can be done at any time during the day. So yes, doing your Kegels can improve the quality of your (and your partner's) sex life.

Waiting is one of my pet peeves. I once had an ex-boyfriend who was notoriously late; sometimes I waited up to twenty to thirty minutes for him, it would drive me crazy; I would get so angry that it would spark a fight between us. This experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that I started to become very agitated when I got together with friends who were even five minutes late.

Many years later, I came to the conclusion that perhaps I was not a very patient person, and it was for this very reason that I was experiencing 'late' people all the time.

I recalled interactions with my family that left me hot-tempered with nostrils flaring after a telephone conversation. Or the many times I ferociously packed back a meal in five minutes. Or the occasions when I thought I was too busy to hold a door for someone walking a few steps behind me. I believe in the idea that other people act as mirrors, and my own lack of patience was being reflected back to me clear as day, it just took me a while to figure that out.

While many of us worry unnecessarily about extra inches or a few extra pounds, we also know the real signs of being overweight or obese. Or do we? It turns out that numbers on a scale can lie when it comes to carrying too much fat, and that you can be of normal weight and fat at the same time. A recent report from the Mayo Clinic, reported by Ron Winslow in the Wall Street Journal (The Scales Can Lie), calls this phenomenon "normal weight obesity" - and it brings into question one of our most commonly assumed signs of health.

Keep reading for all of the details - and to figure out if you're fat or fit.