How and why the idea of wellness holds such rhetorical—and harmful—power. In Why Wellness Sells, Colleen Derkatch examines why the concept of wellness holds such rhetorical power in contemporary culture. Public interest in wellness is driven by two opposing philosophies of health that cycle into and amplify each other: restoration, where people use natural health products to restore themselves to prior states of wellness; and enhancement, where people strive for maximum wellness by optimizing their body's systems and functions. Why Wellness Sells tracks the tension between these two ideas of wellness across a variety of sources, including interviews, popular and social media, advertising, and online activism. Derkatch examines how wellness manifests across multiple domains, where being "well" means different things, ranging from a state of pre-illness to an empowered act of good consumer-citizenship, from physical or moral purification to sustenance and care, and from harm reduction to optimization. Along the way, Derkatch demonstrates that the idea of wellness may promise access to the good life, but it serves primarily as a strategy for coping with a devastating and overwhelming present. Drawing on scholarship in the rhetoric of health and medicine, the health and medical humanities, and related fields, Derkatch offers a nuanced account of how language, belief, behavior, experience, and persuasion collide to produce and promote wellness, one of the most compelling—and harmful—concepts that govern contemporary Western life. She explains that wellness has become so pervasive in the United States and Canada because it is an ever-moving, and thus unachievable, goal. The concept of wellness entrenches an individualist model of health as a personal responsibility, when collectivist approaches would more readily serve the health and well-being of whole populations.

Not exercising as much as you should? Counting your caloriesin your sleep? Feeling ashamed for not being happier? You may be avictim of the wellness syndrome. In this ground-breaking new book, Carl Cederström andAndré Spicer argue that the ever-present pressure to maximizeour wellness has started to work against us, making us feel worseand provoking us to withdraw into ourselves. The Wellness Syndromefollows health freaks who go to extremes to find the perfect diet,corporate athletes who start the day with a dance party, and theself-trackers who monitor everything, including their own toilethabits. This is a world where feeling good has becomeindistinguishable from being good. Visions of social change havebeen reduced to dreams of individual transformation, politicaldebate has been replaced by insipid moralising, and scientificevidence has been traded for new-age delusions. A lively andhumorous diagnosis of the cult of wellness, this book is anindispensable guide for everyone suspicious of our relentless questto be happier and healthier.

You try to do all the right things to be fit and healthy. The gargantuan fitness, health, and wellness industry is supposed to be based on the premise that it helps others. Yet the obesity epidemic is still on the rise in first-world countries. The countless useless supplements, gadgets, programs, and books that claim to know the 'truth' have seeped into our very culture. That's why in Unfit, Unhealthy & Unwell a group of acclaimed industry veterans, renowned medical doctor Ari Bernstein, and international award-winning consumer psychologist Nia Williams finally reveal the tricks of the trade. These experts offer their candid opinions in a set of easy-to-read hard-hitting essays. Learn about the dark depths of the industry to protect yourself, and learn how it moves forward from here...

True well-being isnt hard to find. You just have to know where to look. In this insightful, full-color tour of Jamaica, Norway, Hawai'i, Japan, India, and Brazil, wellness and travel journalist Annie Daly shares a diverse array of philosophies, lifestyles, and practices for better living. Fed up with the commercialization of the wellness industry after working in it for years, Annie embarked on an inspiring adventure through some of the world's happiest and healthiest cities and villages to find out what we can learn from them. Whether she's hiking along gorgeous fjords in Norway to see why Norwegians are so dedicated to getting outside, soothing her spirit with Hawaiian salt water cleanses, or learning about the importance Brazilians place on community, Annie combines on-the-ground reporting with heartful personal narrative to share the global lessons, philosophies, and customs that prove that wellness is not about the products—it's about the way you live your life. With candid photography, lesser-known history sidebars, and guidance on how to incorporate these often ancient and always timeless practices into your own lifestyle, this culturally-immersive read invites you to view the world through a different lens and decide what being well means to you. Destination Wellness is the perfect book for: • Anyone who has embraced hygge and is looking for new lifestyle inspiration • Armchair travelers and staycationers • Happiness and inspiration seekers • Wellness and travel enthusiasts • History lovers

We tend to believe we have agency over our bodies, our minds and even our deaths. Yet emerging science challenges our assumptions of mastery: at the microscopic level, the cells in our bodies facilitate tumours and attack other cells, with life-threatening consequences. In this revelatory book, Barbara Ehrenreich argues that our bodies are a battleground over which we have little control, and lays bare the cultural charades that shield us from this knowledge. Challenging everything we think we know about life and death, she also offers hope - that we find our place in a natural world teeming with animation and endless possibility.

THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED THE HIT NETFLIX SERIES "I laughed so hard I choked on a donut reading this book."—Jen Mann, NYT-bestselling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat Tired of late-night parties and all-day hangovers, thirty-something-year-old journalist Brigid Delaney decides to test the things that are supposed to make us healthy and whole, looking (with skepticism) to the trillion dollar wellness industry as her guide. She begins with a controversial and brutal 101-day fast, which leaves her glowing and "giddy," but also unemployed, bed-ridden, and strangely stinky. Next, she tries yoga classes, meditation, CBT, Balinese healing, silent retreats, group psychotherapy, and more, sorting through the fads and expensive hype to find out what works, while asking, "What does all this say about us?" With refreshing honesty and biting wit, Wellmania is an all too relatable book about the lengths we go to achieve optimal health—and whether it’s really worth it. As The Cut's Katey Heaney said: "Reading about all these impossible, expensive, scientifically unsupported self-improvement projects piled end on end, I wanted to shake Delaney, as I might shake myself, were I brave enough to tally all the money I've spent on green juice and witchy crap." According to comedian Judith Lucy, the result of Delaney's harrowing wellness journey is "a bloody entertaining read that leaves you wondering whether you want to do yoga or get mindlessly drunk and despair at the state of the world."

Cracking The Wellness Code has been on our minds for a long time! Quotes on 'wellness' abound through the ages: The part can never be well unless the whole is well Plato Mankind has aspired to long life throughout the ages. He has long recognized that without 'sound mind' and a satisfactory 'quality of life' long life is not an attractive prospect. Philosophers and sages - including the unknown cynic who stated that 'Good health is merely the slowest way to die!' - have offered numerous solutions to this long-standing predicament. This is where the Celebrity Experts shine light on the subject. The Celebrity Experts in this book document the fact that healthy bodies and healthy minds are key ingredients to cracking The Wellness Code. In our lives, there are many different routes to "Wellness" for each of us. There is no panacea. Consequently, these Celebrity Experts focus on the most relevant areas, including: nutrition, diet and exercise, physical and mental health, medical considerations, career wellbeing and healthy habits. In the search for "Wellness" the Celebrity Experts discuss healthy living from the standpoint of balance, lifestyle and mindset. When you read this book, you will find numerous topics of interest written by those who have experienced positive results. The leading coaches in their subject matter have poured out their best tips that clients invest thousands of dollars to glean. This subject matter is set in a contemporary setting for twenty- first century relevance, so read and enjoy................ Mens sane in corpore sana. Juvenal (A sound mind in a sound body)