The Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine (ASLM) is a health promotion charity working towards improved prevention, management, and treatment of chronic, complex, and lifestyle-related conditions. ‘Lifestyle-related’ includes environmental, societal, behavioural and other factors.
At ASLM we support an interdisciplinary approach to health and healthcare; shifting away from siloed practice to create a genuinely collaborative means through which complex problems can be solved.
We advocate for health and wellbeing, which includes the absence of disease, but also health equity, social justice, corporate responsibility, and environmental sustainability.
For all Australians and New Zealanders to be happier, healthier, and living longer through lifestyle as medicine.
To promote health and wellbeing through the interdisciplinary delivery of evidence-based Lifestyle Medicine in health and community settings.
ASLM is a leading member of a global network of Lifestyle Medicine societies all working to establish Lifestyle Medicine as central to health and wellbeing, medicine, healthcare and health policy.
We provide CPD education and professional development training for medical and allied health practitioners to support the integration of Lifestyle Medicine into primary care practice.
We fight for better Lifestyle Medicine education in universities, and provide student leadership opportunities in Lifestyle Medicine to empower the next generation of health practitioners.
We advocate for healthcare reform to ensure Lifestyle Medicine is always considered in the treatment of chronic disease.
ASLM has developed evidence-based position statements for each of the pillars of Lifestyle Medicine (LM). The pillars we describe in LM include but are not limited to social connection, stress management, alcohol overconsumption and tobacco cessation, climate and environment, sleep, diet, exercise, and culture. You can view more information on the pillars here.
We recognise the range of limitations an individual may face regarding the LM pillars, including factors relating to accessibility, culture, and financial limitations. In all instances, we encourage health care professionals to work with their clients to ensure personalised advice that incorporates but also extends beyond the following understandings and recommendations.
Our position
Humans are social beings who thrive when they can build positive relationships and social connections in both individual and group settings. Social connection in all its forms is vital for mental and physical wellbeing, and encompasses culture, connection to country, and community. There is no “correct dose” as far as how many relationships one should build and maintain or how often we should be connecting with others.
People should work with healthcare and social care professionals to better understand the opportunities available to them in order to build strong, healthy social connections. Healthcare practitioners are encouraged to explore a person’s existing networks and social opportunities to identify and, where appropriate and possible, facilitate more opportunities for social connection. Practitioners may be able to support social connection by way of initiatives such as social prescribing and shared medical appointments (SMAs)
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Our position
Our ability to manage stress is a key component of health and wellbeing. Stress is highly interchangeable with the other Lifestyle Medicine pillars in that it can be both a cause and effect of lifestyle. Our ability to manage stress, both acute and chronic, can have upstream and downstream effects on both our mental and physical wellbeing.
The severity of any given stressor can be dependent on external factors such as natural disasters, living and working environments, climate changes, personal and professional interactions, and other events. People can be affected by stress regardless of the source, and our bodies are unable to decipher between diverse types of stress.
Coping strategies to deal with both acute and chronic stressors can improve mental and physical wellbeing and can impact and improve all aspects of health and wellbeing.
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Our position
Alcohol overconsumption and all tobacco use have adverse health effects. While e-cigarettes, or vaping products, do not have the same degree of health risks as smoked tobacco, they are not completely without risk. Complete elimination of tobacco use, restricting any use of vaping to people who smoke, and minimal consumption of alcohol, where possible, is best for health.
Individuals should consult with their team of healthcare professionals to seek advice on tobacco cessation and alcohol consumption.
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Our position
Our environment and climate are significant factors affecting public health. They are a major concern on both the individual and population health level as they have direct and indirect effects on mental and physical health.
Access to a clean and safe environment which is free of pollutants and full of natural “green and blue space” is important for overall health and happiness.
We adhere to the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO) on how climate impacts health: “Climate change is already impacting health in a myriad of ways, including by leading to death and illness from increasingly frequent extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, storms and floods, the disruption of food systems, increases in zoonoses and food-, water- and vector-borne diseases, and mental health issues. Furthermore, climate change is undermining many of the social determinants for good health, such as livelihoods, equality and access to health care and social support structures. These climate-sensitive health risks are disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, including women, children, ethnic minorities, poor communities, migrants or displaced persons, older populations, and those with underlying health conditions.”1
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Our position
Getting adequate quality, uninterrupted sleep at an average of seven to nine hours per night is ideal for human health, memory, recovery, learning, unlearning, energy conservation, and mental wellbeing (22). While the optimal time of quality sleep is subjective, these are the average requirements. Individuals may get less sleep than recommended, but this is not necessarily optimal.
Sleep supports immunity, recovery, memory, cognition, focus, and positive mood. The focus is not only on the time asleep, but on the quality of that time asleep.
ASLM adheres to the Sleep Health Foundation’s advice and research around the importance of sleep: https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/
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Our position
The food we eat is critical to maintaining good health. When it comes to diet and eating patterns there is no one-size-fits all. There is an array of evidence-based approaches for which the “best” diet choice is subjective and dependent on many factors. These include but are not limited to culture, accessibility, traditions, preferences, prevalence of disease or illness, ethics, morals, learned behaviour, freedom of choice, education, sustainability, and affordability.
ASLM promotes a range of evidence-based dietary approaches that are based on whole nutrient dense foods and avoidance of ultra-processed products for the prevention and/or treatment of chronic disease based on biopsychosocial-cultural and spiritual personalisation. More intensive medical nutrition therapies may also be required.
Animal products can be included in a healthy diet with a focus on omega 3 rich sources such as fish and regenerative and sustainable agriculture livestock produce.
The benefits of food are not limited to specific ratios of macronutrients, but rather includes a wide number of factors including; quality and quantity of the produce, the order, timing and intervals of food intake, the unique bio-psycho-social profile of the one consuming the food, the cognitive, emotional and behavioural concepts and practices around food, the social and cultural context and sharing of food, and the ecological impacts. Hence, ASLM recommends a personalised and shared decision-making approach to nutrition.
We respect individual choice and encourage healthcare professionals and individuals to work together to determine the best choice for each person.
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Below, we list a range of evidence-based diet strategies to prevent and/or treat chronic illness. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather an explanation of why there is not one single best diet from ASLM’s standpoint.
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Our position
All individuals should participate in consistent, enjoyable daily activity. Ideally, this would include a mix of resistance training and cardiovascular exercise and both moderate and vigorous physical activity. ASLM supports the Australian Government Department of Health guidelines for optimal effects from exercise. These guidelines recommend 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity and 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous intensity physical activity per week. (1) ASLM also recognises this may not be feasible for each individual, and therefore supports a minimum of 30 minutes of movement most days of the week as recommended by the National Heart Foundation of Australia2.
Several factors affect one’s ability, capacity, and/or desire to participate in physical activity. These include but are not limited to culture, accessibility, traditions, preferences, prevalence of disease or illness, ethics, morals, learned behaviour, freedom of choice, and education. ASLM supports a collaborative approach between individuals and their health care professionals to find activities best suited to that individual’s needs, ability and progress.
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Our position
Culture, traditions, and sociocultural backgrounds impact all pillars of Lifestyle Medicine. We recognise Australian First Nations peoples’ wisdom is the oldest continuous culture and that their definition of health and wellbeing includes connection to country, spirituality, and ancestry. We also acknowledge the parallels of this definition with the pillars of Lifestyle Medicine, which specifically recognises the health impacts of meaninglessness, alienation and loss of culture and identity, and includes the importance of connection to family, community and land (or country).
Culturally responsible models of care that engage community and address the social determinants of health are essential for appropriate care. Violence, dispossession, alienation and disruption to culture that has resulted from colonisation continues to play a significant role in the inequity of health and opportunity still acting on First Nations people in Australia and New Zealand and all other countries where First Nation people have been marginalised. ASLM rejects racism in all forms and embraces equity, inclusion and diversity.
We encourage all our non-Indigenous members and followers to reflect on our relationship with First Nations people, find culturally responsive ways to work together, support a First Nation’s economy and self-determination, and create new opportunities moving forward. It is our collective responsibility to open the door to new experiences and challenges and do the work required for true equality and the celebration of Indigenous knowledge and wisdom.
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Our position
Many minority populations face health disparities. These populations may include but are not limited to First Nations people, those with disability, those who identify in the LGBTQIA+ population, and cultural or ethnic minority groups. Such populations may have unique, and many times additional, barriers to access and implement general population health advice as well as the advice embedded in the pillars of LM. Marginalisation, stigma, discrimination, lack of responsive and inclusive care, financial factors, limited education, and other determinants contribute to health risks.
ASLM recognises these barriers and works to promote socially and culturally responsive healthcare. We recognise there is a difference between health disparities and minority health. We expand beyond the standard pillars of LM to include social and cultural determinants of health as these factors affect ability to access and implement all remaining pillars of LM.
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ASLM is governed by a volunteer board of doctors, allied health practitioners, public health professionals, educators and health executives. We are grateful for their commitment to advancing Lifestyle Medicine in Australasia, and the guidance they provide in relation to ASLM’s strategic direction and purpose.
ASLM is proud to partner with a range of vision-aligned organisations across Australia and New Zealand and acknowledges it will take a combined whole-of-system effort to achieve improved, more sustainable and more equitable health outcomes for all Australians and New Zealanders.
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Our team are here to assist you with any enquiries. Please email our office or submit a contact form today..
Phone: +61 3 7020 6996
The Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the unceded lands and waters where we live and work. We celebrate their ongoing connection to land, sea and culture and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. As a bi-national (or Australasian) society, we also acknowledge ngā iwi Māori as the Tangata Whenua (or people of the land) of Aotearoa. We are committed to upholding the principles of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, building our relationship with Māori, and working together to improve the health of all First Nations peoples.
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