Do you ever stop to consider if you are thriving? Do you feel as if there might be more to life and that there is some secret that you might be missing out on?
Nature is very clever! Humans can sometimes think they know better! We try to control nature, tame it and on many occasions deliberately destroy it!
In order to thrive on this planet we need to be in balance with nature. We are nature. One example of this interconnectedness is the developing science around the gut microbiome. Bacteria and viruses were once thought of as the ‘enemy’ but are actually vital in maintaining our health. We now know that human beings are 99% bacteria and virus DNA and only 1% human cell DNA and that these bacteria are responsible for producing a huge variety of the molecules essential for our functioning!
In order to thrive we need to create the conditions for a healthy microbiome along with other basic key principles which revolve around the 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine being in balance in our lives.
Awareness of how our environment may be impacting our physiology and therefore our health is one of the key elements of the Lifestyle First programme and its work across school communities.
This is achieved through a variety of staff, student, parent and whole school education initiatives and works best as a coordinated programme so that no group gets left behind.