How to Survive the Winter, c. 1200

J. Paul Getty Museum MS 14, f. 3r (13th century)

Winter is damp and cold: we should turn to food. Nourishment should be delicious in the winter. Neither purging nor bloodletting is helpful then, and encounters in bed with your lady friend should be moderate.

Daniel of Beccles, Urbanus magnus

If your New Year’s resolutions involved less eating and more sex, you might be in trouble.