What is Lifestyle Medicine?

“Lifestyle Medicine” sounds a bit kitschy, eh? That was my first thought. Then I dove deeper into the idea and the research behind it, ultimately becoming certified as a Lifestyle Medicine Coach. 

The research is that good. 

Lifestyle can easily be summed up as how we each decide to live our lives with the constant choices we make. From sun up to sun down, we are all bombarded with the need to make decisions constantly throughout our days, both for the short term and the long term. It can be exhausting and sometimes overwhelming. One thing that I have found, is that living by a set of values, goals or pillars to reflect the decisions off of can make those decisions a bit easier. 

This is where Lifestyle Medicine comes in for me. Lifestyle Medicine is a speciality that utilizes therapeutic lifestyle interventions to prevent and treat chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, etc. When consistently utilizing these evidence based interventions, chronic conditions and disease can be reversed and potentially eliminated. 

There are 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine; 

• Nutrition, classified as a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern

• Restorative Sleep, 7-9 hours of high quality sleep to allow the body to replenish and restore

• Physical Activity, participating in consistent physical activity that brings joy

• Social Connection, brings meaning and purpose to one’s life

• Stress Management, essential for whole person health

• Avoidance of Risky Substances, any toxic substances that may result in physical harm, addiction or adverse effects

When making decisions for my own life, I will reflect on these 6 pillars to see if those presented choices will support my health and longevity. For me, when I have made the best choice for my health in these 6 areas, my life feels content. 

When all six pillars are in alignment (within our control), we can live our healthiest and most vital life. And the best part, these are all free to us. No gadgets, expensive memberships or physicians required to attain these 6 goals of ultimate health. Seeing the accessibility and simplicity of Lifestyle Medicine made it an easy choice for me to become a Certified Lifestyle Medicine Coach, via American College of Lifestyle Medicine. 

Want to get started on your six pillars? Reach out! We can work together to bring these goals to reality within your lifestyle.