As the director of wellness at Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ, Dr. Stefanie Meyer’s mission is to teach students healthy actions they can benefit from now and long after graduation. 

The 2023-24 academic year saw an expanded First-Year Experience wellness program with first-year students taking wellness courses both semesters.

Meyer, a newly certified professional, knew she wanted to incorporate the practice of lifestyle medicine into those wellness courses. She says it’s an evidence-based approach that uses lifestyle change as treatment for many chronic diseases and their symptoms, in addition to being used as prevention.

She uses lifestyle medicine practices as part of Concordia’s wellness curriculum, which focuses on seven dimensions of well-being: physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, and environmental. 

Lifestyle medicine focuses on six key pillars of health:

• A whole-food, plant-based eating pattern, 
• Physical activity,
• Quality sleep, 
• Stress management, 
• Avoiding risky substances, and 
• Fostering positive social connections.

“The practice of lifestyle medicine is important as upwards of 80% of chronic illness could be prevented by focusing on these foundational lifestyle behaviors,” Meyer said. “This practice is more than ‘self-care’ and has the potential to be fundamental to the future of health care and to improve population health.”

In the courses, she gives students sustainable examples of actions they can take, such as gardening with friends, using a separate alarm clock to reduce cell phone use, and deep breathing exercises.

“The number one thing students said they were going to take with them is do some type of meditative practice,” Meyer said.

Though these elements may seem basic, many struggle to maintain these habits.

“It’s true, the pillars of lifestyle medicine are not novel. However, historically, transformations have come from the rediscovery of something simple and true,” she said. “It seems, though, that society needs permission to go back to simplicity in things.”

“Often society will tell us that we have a lack of will-power to engage in health-promoting behaviors when in fact, population approaches to supporting the pillars of lifestyle medicine must be included as well.”

For tips on developing healthy habits, follow Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ on and during Lifestyle Medicine Week May 18-24.

Dr. Meyer shares information about Lifestyle Medicine Week on