Movement as Medicine

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According to a 2023 report from the CDC, only 28% of US adults met combined aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity guidelines, 150 minutes of moderate exercise and two days of muscle strengthening per week, despite the well-known benefits of physical activity as it relates to the prevention of chronic disease. Increasing your activity doesn't need to be complicated: taking the stairs, parking in the farthest spot in a parking lot, having a dance party with your kids, or scheduling a walk with a friend all count! The best exercise is one that you enjoy and will motivate you to reach your physical activity goals every day.

group of people on yoga mats performing yoga

group of people practicing yoga in ault park

According to new research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, strength exercises may play a role in helping you prevent disease and live longer. Compared with people who didn’t do muscle-strengthening activities, researchers found that individuals who did 30 to 60 minutes of resistance, strength, or weight training weekly had a 10% to 20% lower risk of early death from all causes, and getting heart disease, diabetes, or cancer at all. These types of exercises are designed to improve muscular fitness by exercising muscles against external resistance.

person walking on sand outside A 2022 study shows that taking 8,600 steps per day can prevent weight gain and adding 2,400 steps can reduce obesity risk. Walking 10,000 steps per day can reduce dementia risk by 50%, and even 3,800 steps can reduce it by 25%. According to another study, a brisk pace of 112 steps per minute for 30 minutes can lead to a 62% reduction in dementia risk. This study followed 78,500 people who wore step counters for seven days.

Click here for 5 ideas to increase your physical activity.

Movement Therapy Classes

In these nonaerobic, movement-based therapies, participants learn controlled breathing which helps reduce stress and anxiety often linked to disease and illness. All classes are offered weekly at no cost to patients and their caregivers. Learn more about Integrative Medicine Classes.

Yoga Therapy

These classes help build strength, soothe the mind, improve posture, flexibility, and balance, sharpen concentration and enable relaxation through Yoga. Classes include Yoga for MS and Other Neurological Disorders, Yoga for Cancer, and Gentle Yoga Therapy

Learn more and register for a class

Tai Chi

These beginner-level classes incorporate slow, comfortable movements and combine breathing, mindfulness, and gentle stretching. Classes include Tai Chi and Tai Chi for Parkinson’s Disease and Other Neurological Disorders.

Learn more and register for a class

Osher Collaborative Guided Yoga Therapy and Mindfulness Meditation Series Supporting Cancer Patients and Survivors

Our Guided Yoga Therapy and Mindfulness Meditation Series, developed by our team in partnership with the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of California, San Francisco, is designed specifically to help cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers manage the common side effects of cancer treatment, such as: fatigue, nausea, cognitive changes, sleep disturbances, pain & neuropathy, anxiety & depression. The series also includes educational content on the science and evidence behind integrative oncology and mind-body medicine. It empowers patients to not only experience the benefits of these practices but also to understand how they work and why they are an important part of cancer care.

videos of yoga therapy and mindfulness

Guided Yoga Therapy and Mindfulness Meditation Library to Support Cancer Patients and Survivors

Educational Opportunities: Certificates & Courses focused on Movement

Yoga Studies Certificate & Yoga Teacher Training

If you have a passion for yoga, check out our new programs including the Yoga Studies Certificate that focuses on the history, theory, philosophy, and practice of yoga and how it can benefit your everyday life as well as Yoga Teacher Training that prepares you to become a yoga instructor.

Movement as Medicine Courses

Courses include MEDS 2091 Philosophy of Yoga and MEDS 2092 Medication through Movement: The Benefits of Tai Chi

View all Integrative Medicine Courses.

Lifestyle Medicine Consultations

patient and provider during lifestyle medicine consultation Our goal is to work with you to create a personalized self-care plan that you can implement and sustain with your lifestyle.

At your lifestyle medicine consultation, you will initially meet with your physician or nurse practitioner for one hour. They will learn about your personal, medical and family history; your dietary, exercise and sleep habits; your sources of stress and coping mechanisms, and then will assess your health concerns and evaluate your symptoms, order any necessary tests and create mutually agreed upon lifestyle prescriptions.

To schedule a consultation, call 513-475-9567.