Join us in celebrating Lifestyle Medicine Week
Lifestyle Medicine Week 2024 is from Saturday, May 18 to Friday, May 24. Join ACLM on social media and plan to actively embrace each pillar by practicing a new habit every day this week.
LMWeek is an annual, global celebration of the six key pillars of lifestyle medicine: stress management, physical activity, nutrition, quality sleep, avoidance of risky substances, and social connection.
Each day of LMWeek will spotlight a lifestyle medicine pillar. Social media posts will provide a framework for individuals to learn more about healthy lifestyle habits and take action to improve their own health. This is also an opportunity for clinicians to increase their understanding and clinical delivery of lifestyle interventions.
ACLM sister organizations around the world participate posting key points about lifestyle medicine in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Polish, Korean, Finnish, Hungarian, Mongolian and so many more.
ACLM encourages health systems, hospitals, and private practices to join LMWeek via their social channels. They can encourage patients to embrace each pillar or use this week to promote free continuing education to clinical staff and colleagues.
LMWeek is a prime opportunity to take advantage of ACLMs Lifestyle Medicine and Food as Medicine ESSENTIALS Online Course. Offered complimentary to all providers, this 5.5 hour CME/CE course focuses on the most challenging pillar to address and the leading cause of most chronic disease – food.
The Schedule:
LMWeek begins on Saturday, May 18 with general information about the week and celebration kick-off.
Sunday starts off with the pillar of stress management. Everyone is impacted by stress in one way or another. It can have both positive and negative impact on our physical and mental health. During this day, we encourage individuals and clinicians to take some time to reflect on negative stress triggers and find healthy ways to manage them. Whether it’s meditation, deep breathing, or taking a walk outside, there are a variety of ways to reduce negative stress and improve your overall well-being.
Monday’s theme is physical activity. Regular movement and exercise are essential for maintaining your health. The 2019 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends adults accumulating at least 150 – 300 minutes of activity per week. This can look different for everyone, and it is important to find something enjoyable to achieve those minutes. Whether you prefer running, cycling, swimming, or any other type of physical activity, make sure to get moving on this day! Even just a short walk can make a big difference in your overall health.
On Tuesday, the focus is nutrition. ACLM recommends a plant-predominant eating pattern, meaning the bulk of the foods consumed should come from whole-food sources like fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts/seeds, beans, etc. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is essential for good health. Take this day to learn more about the pillar of nutrition and try incorporating some new healthy recipes into your diet. Small changes can lead to big improvements in your overall health and well-being.
Wednesday will address avoiding risky substances. Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and drug use can all have negative impacts on our health. Take this day to reflect on your own habits and if there is any room for improvement to reduce or eliminate any risky behaviors.
Thursday is dedicated to social connection. Humans are social creatures, and maintaining social connections is important for our mental health and our well-being. Whether it’s spending time with friends and family, volunteering in your community, or participating in a group event, find ways to connect with others on this day.
Finally, on Friday, the theme is quality sleep. Sleep is essential for good health, and many people struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep or even get enough restful sleep each night. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults ages 18–60 sleep at least seven hours each night to promote optimal health and well-being. Take this day to reflect on your own sleep habits and find ways to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep.
To join in on the celebration of LMWeek, you can download a social media toolkit via ACLM’s member engagement platform CONNECT.
Participants are encouraged to share these graphics on the appropriate days, but we also welcome you to develop your own ways to celebrate LMWeek and spread awareness around lifestyle medicine. Create your own social media graphics, daily challenges or events in your communities and share it with us using the hashtag #LMWeek #LMWeek2024!
