Susan says: "To be healthy, we should shift our focus from what we need to do to be healthy to who we must become. Too often we treat our physical health as if it were something external to us that can be perfected by popping enough pills, consuming enough low-calorie drinks, or eating enough cholesterol free foods. This “Cartesian” approach to physical health, as Dr. Weil aptly puts it, is limiting because it encourages a fragmented approach to wellness. It tricks us into thinking we can be healthy— whole— by simply attending to our physiological needs. This is tantamount to cutting off the roots of a plant and watering it with the purest water. Clearly, a plant has other needs. It needs sunshine and it needs to be rooted in adequate soil. If we ignore the plant’s need for sunshine it will eventually wither away and die. Likewise, if the plant is planted in shallow soil, it will dry up. The plant’s need for water cannot be separated from its need for sunshine and soil. These needs, though specific and distinct, serve one purpose: the health of the plant. We see then, that our health is not served simply by attending to the needs of the body. Certainly the body may survive for a period if it receives sufficient nourishment and adequate exercise, but survival does not constitute health. We are not healthy until we are happy. To be happy, the human mind must be illumined by the light of spiritual truth. Our entire beings—body, mind, and soul—must be rooted to the spiritual source that brought us into being." - Deshon Fox

This is an excerpt from Deshon's latest book "The Middle Theory, a guide to balance". Find it here http://www.themiddletheory.com/index.htm.

I appreciate the concept that health is multi-faceted - it's not just about my physical body. If I am happy, it is contributing to my good health, rather than thinking I will be happy when I am healthy, or 30 pounds lighter, or have those blonde highlights, or quit smoking.