Something I love about practising Lifestyle Medicine is the emphasis on prescriptive lifestyle changes.
The keyword for me is prescriptive.
Lifestyle Medicine has six pillars: Nutrition, Movement, Sleep, Stress Management, Social Connection, and Avoiding Risky Substances. Most of my clients agree that optimizing these pillars can make us healthier and happier.
Simple, but not easy. We all struggle to put this into practice consistently.
A tool that I use with my clients is writing prescriptions for lifestyle changes. In my experience, clients get more excited about changing their lifestyle when they have a prescription to help them do it.
I often prescribe my clients a half cup of broccoli, five nights a week. I know not everyone likes eating broccoli, but most people I’ve met so far don’t like taking pills either…
Knowing the pillars of Lifestyle Medicine is one thing. Putting it into daily practice is another. Lifestyle prescriptions can bridge this gap by helping us take actionable, focused steps to improve our health.