Last month, Winona State University Adult & Continuing Education (ACE) joined Lotus Health Foundation and dozens of wellness experts and Lifestyle Symposium 2019 community partners for the 2019 Community of Wellness Symposium, a special event highlighting the latest trends in community lifestyle and behavior medicine.
The two-day conference offered insights and solutions that focused on health and the basic principles of nutrition, physical activity and resilient lifestyles. An interdependent model of wellness focused on six key pillars including movement, nutrition, stress management, social connections, passion and sleep. These six pillars were highlighted by physicians and healthcare professionals who connected the dots between healthy lifestyles, workplace wellness, and individual health and happiness. Symposium coordinator Mei Liu, Rochester Clinic Chief Financial Officer, commented, “Together, we can build resilience within the community by fostering happier and healthier individuals.”
Rochester’s Mayor, Kim Norton, proclaimed March 21 as Lifestyle Medicine Awareness Day. This proclamation supports a commitment to improve the health and wellness of Rochester citizens by raining the awareness of adopting lifestyle medicine.”
Nationally-renowned lifestyle medicine physician, Dr. Neal Barnard, shared how nutrition directly impacts our overall health and discussed the power foods for the brain. Other experts addressed “employer wealth” and why alternative health plans that focus on lifestyle and behavioral changes can reduce risks and improve a business’ bottom line. In addition, mental health topics were addressed to explore how the brain functions and the most concerning lifestyle-related illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, and depression. Lastly, Dr. Thomas Harman talked about how vital it is to improve brain health through proper sleep.
Attendees were challenged to grapple with the question, “How does the life I live today transform the life I lead tomorrow?” The 2019 Community of Wellness Symposium was a celebration of lifestyle medicine and its profound impact on our everyday lives and the community.
Lotus Health Foundation (LHF) provides evidence-based education and preventive services to empower individuals to manage or prevent chronic illness and decrease medical costs through healthy lifestyle management and a decreased need for medical interventions. www.lotushealthfoundation.org