What is Lifestyle Medicine
Lifestyle Medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle interventions (including but not limited to nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, connection and modification of substance use) to prevent and manage chronic disease. It includes an approach to working with people which is informed by the science of behaviour change (a 'coaching' approach), and recognises the broader societal and environmental factors which impact our health.
Research shows that lifestyle interventions that focus on these aspects can be effective in reducing risk factors for several conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.* Lifestyle Medicine is not an alternative medicine, but one that works alongside pharmaceutical or other treatments when appropriate.
Improve your energy, confidence and overall wellbeing
A healthy lifestyle helps you get more out of life. It reduces your risk for disease, improves your energy levels and sleep quality and increases your confidence, and general wellbeing.
Coaching combined with medical advice
Most of us know that some of our habits can lead to unhealthy outcomes. But knowing what to do and being able to shift our behaviour in the direction we would like to go are two different things, and the ‘doing’ is where we often get stuck.
My medical background, combined with my qualifications in counselling and coaching mean that I can help you identify the barriers and challenges that make it hard for you to move forward. I can provide realistic strategies to help you achieve your specific health goals and ensure that the actions you take will support and promote your physical health.
*
Sadiq I. Z. (2023). Lifestyle medicine as a modality for prevention and management of chronic diseases. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences,18(5), 1115–1117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtumed.2023.04.001
Why Lifestyle Medicine
Chronic diseases cause substantial ill health, disability and premature death in Australia. Unfortunately, almost half of all Australians have at least one chronic condition that impacts their health, while 20% have two or more conditions.**
Some of the determinants of whether we stay well over our lifespan are beyond our control. However, there is much that we can do to reduce our risk of chronic health issues and their complications. Simply being told to ‘live a healthy lifestyle’ doesn’t always lead to improved long-term health outcomes, because chronic and lifestyle-related conditions are complex and often have many contributing factors which can take time to unravel.
Adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle can go a long way towards reducing and managing chronic health conditions. However, this involves more than being told to make healthier choices. It involves giving you accurate and tailored medical advice, supporting you while you make changes to build healthier habits, and helping you overcome any psychological barriers that may prevent the adoption of these new habits.
This process takes time. It benefits from regular checking with someone who understands you and your ‘why', as we build on the shifts that you make on your journey to build the skills and habits which support your longer-term health and wellbeing goals.
Utilising a coaching approach, I can help you understand the factors which may be contributing to your current situation and empower you to make healthy lifestyle changes you can sustain for the rest of your life to improve your health.
** Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia’s Health 2022, Chronic conditions and multimorbidity,
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/chronic-conditions-and-multimorbidity