Sex! Orgasms! Feelings! They’re the missing keys to health. There, I said it. Now that I’ve gotten it off my chest, we can dive in.

Feel uncomfortable already? It’s ok, I do too. It’s not easy to talk about sex, but when your goal is optimal health, it’s crucial.

Keep reading – you’ll feel better when I cite scientific ways sexuality and sensuality are intrinsically linked to optimal health.*

By the way, sex is not dirty and should not be taboo. You wouldn’t be alive without it, for crying out loud. So keep reading.

When I first opened my practice, a lot of my clients were eating all the (cooked) kale, quinoa, and healthy fats in the world, but they were still feeling tense and frustrated at work and at home, and overweight to boot.

They couldn’t ease their anxiety and get focused no matter how much they reduced caffeine, sugar, and alcohol – the primary stimulants that mess with your focus, emotions and weight. Overall, they were feeling sucky and some were even falling into serious depression.

When we started talking about sexuality and sensuality, things shifted.

They started having big aha moments when they realized they hadn’t had sex in six months, or were totally ignoring the everyday beauty of life (sensuality).

When you engage sexually, and especially when you orgasm, you release a flurry of feel-good hormones like serotonin, wiping out cortisol, the stress hormone that makes you anxious and fat – especially around the middle of your body.

This visceral belly fat is super dangerous for your health, as it obstructs crucial organ function.

Here are five health benefits of sex*:

1. Reduces anxiety and releases endorphins.
2. Improves immunity.
3. Balances blood sugar.
4. Regulates hunger signals and weight.
5. Increases quality of sleep.

Ok, so sex is good, do it, check mark. If you want to dissolve guilt around sex, email me at lula@goodtastebylula.com. Totally confidential – no one has access to this email account except me.

Then we have sensuality. What I mean by this is the engagement of all five senses – taste, touch, hear, see, smell.

When you fully taste your food, you need less of it to feel satisfied.

When you have physical contact (touch) with another person, you’re less likely to feel lonely and sad and finish off the tub of rocky road ice cream in your freezer.

When you take out your earbuds and listen to nature, you hear birds chirping and are reminded of the simple beauty of nature (even in the biggest of cities, the soundscape is beautiful).

When you look up from your iPhone and fully see the world, you catch a lot of beauty, like a perfect flower growing out of the dirt, or a passionate kiss between lovers across the street.

When you smell the flowers, grass, coffee, your life, you’re reminded of how good things are, naturally.

We’re going to discuss sensuality more in-depth soon. It’s so powerful on its own.

You can see that I’m a huge fanatic of engaging all senses and enjoying the method that brought you (yes you) into this world – sex.

Now it’s your turn.

Which specific sense out of the five (taste, touch, sound, smell, sight) would you like to engage more fully?

And if you’re comfortable sharing, what’s one way you’d like to improve your sex life?

By the way, your sex life doesn’t have to involve another person necessarily.

Share in the comments below, or if you want to talk to me one on one, email me at lula@goodtastebylula.com. No one has access to this email account except me.

I can’t wait to hear from you!

*Yay for science! Study here.

Photo by Francesco Sapienza