wisewords

Pleasure in Life Finding More

A Conversation with Dr. Christiane Northrup

by Ellen Mahoney

C

hristiane Northrup, a respected obstetrician/gynecologist and visionary in women’s health and wellness, is renowned for the practical medical and emotional counsel she generously shares in her many bestsell- ing books. Among her best known are

Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

and Mother-Daughter Wisdom. Now Northrup is focused on another aspect of women’s health in The Secret

Pleasures of Menopause. The idea

is to help women of all ages achieve vibrant health by tapping into their inner wisdom in order to experience joy and fulfillment throughout life.

Why do you believe the pursuit of pleasure is just as vital for a vibrant life as a healthy diet and exercise?

You will not stick to a healthy diet and exercise plan unless you find pleasure in the pursuit of it. You must come to this by yourself and discover that the moment-to-mo- ment way you live your life has to be pleasurable, because there’s not a happy ending to an unhappy journey.

For years, I’ve

watched people forego- ing various foods to look a certain way; I see people who have perfect bodies, but absolutely no joy or life force shining behind their eyes. The joy and pleasure have to come first; then the

38 Collier/Lee Counties swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com

lifestyle supports this.

We consider a narrow waist beautiful because it is generally healthy. Too much belly fat is unhealthy, because it produces an abnormal hormonal milieu and can lead to an earlier death from cancer, heart disease and/or diabetes. You have to exercise your body and eat well on a sustainable basis to look healthy— there’s just no way around it. The more you take care of yourself, the more pleasure you expe- rience. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64