I'd like to propose a new concept of wellness, that health is more than an absence of disease symptoms; PLEASURE is a key factor in whether we are truly well. How fully we are enjoying the sumptuous bounty of our earthly blessings determines the honest state of our health. Wellness has to be experienced through the senses, it is SENSUAL. Remember the taste of a fresh, ripe strawberry warmed by the sun on a hot summer day, the sweaty, satisfied glow you feel just after your workout, or the electric bliss of dancing to that special song that always sets you free. Reveling in these everyday pleasures, drinking happily the nectar of the physical world, keeps you healthier then having good self-care habits because you "should." There is a huge misconception that what is pleasurable must be unhealthy. It's easy to fall in the trap that healthy habits are obligations and that to treat ourselves to pleasure we have to splurge on something "bad." But, it is possible to take great joy and comfort in the "right" things to do for well being. The attitude you have about what you are doing is essential. If your going to indulge, really go for it! Enjoy a slice of nutritious raw chocolate cake quietly by candlelight, savoring each bite like a lover's kiss, feeling the vibrant force alive within the food, whispering feverish love poems to your tongue. Take the complete pleasure in it! Do without the guilt and miserable sugar crash. Or, make your daily exercise routine a sensual meditation. Feel the vitality surging through your body as you workout, the power pulsing through your muscles, the hot sweat running down your back, and the rhythm of your breath swaying in your hips.

Not surprisingly, what we eat has a huge impact in our ability to feel pleasure, in the long and short term. Natural food, especially if we live in cities, is our main communication with the natural world; it creates pleasurable sensations in the long term, and keeps us feeling balanced and well. One of the things I do with my clients is to take their favorite recipes and modify the ingredients to include healthy fats, spices, and grains without sacrificing the sensual appeal to your taste buds. This is the best of both worlds.

The key to maintaining wellness is eating food that is healthy and delicious, and taking time to enjoy it; moving your body in a way that is fun and expressive; finding a career that brings you joy; creating extraordinary, nourishing, playful relationships, and doing something on a daily basis that connects you to your spirit. As a holistic health counselor, I help people refine a lifestyle that really brings them pleasure in the long and short term.

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Take a moment. Close your eyes, take a deep breath. Feel how the air is cooler as it moves down your throat and a little warmer as it comes out. Breathe into a part of your body that's tense and listen to what it has to say to you. Take a moment to notice what a miracle it is to be in this body. Notice and appreciate the force that keeps the billions of processes happening simultaneously without you having to do anything.
   
2. How you eat is just as important as what you eat. Before you eat, give thanks for what you are receiving, take time to smell the aroma of the food, chew 30 times until it's liquid in your mouth, be present to the sensations in your body, see if this allows you to eat less and feel more satisfied.
   
3. Schedule time for rest and relaxation. Take one day a week to enjoy a hot aromatherapy bath, restorative yoga, a nice walk in the park. You deserve it.
   
4. Stop looking at exercise as a have to do. Plan some time everyday to move your body in a way that feels good. It can be dancing, stretching, going for a walk outside, bike riding, making love, anything that inspires you and gets you moving.