Even small changes can make a big difference when it comes to lifestyle and optimizing health and wellness. The upcoming Living a Healthy Life Wellness Series led by Swedish Hospital integrative and functional medicine specialist Tyler Saunders, DO, will empower and inspire you to make your health a priority.

Dr. Saunders encourages everyone to create goals and priorities for your life, with the knowledge that sustained health is a long game—a marathon, not a sprint.

“Being active and not reactive is essential; you can write your own health history now,” said Dr. Saunders who stresses that aging as we often think of it in a negative sense is not necessarily inevitable.

The three part hybrid series—offered both virtually and in person—kicks off Thursday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 pm with “Optimize Your Sleep to Optimize Your Life.” Sleep provides the foundation for health and wellness, and unfortunately much of the country is chronically sleep deprived. The program will explain the sleep cycle, the importance of quality vs. quantity and how to improve your sleep.

“Nutrition and Making Sense of the Diet Wars” is the second program. Trying to digest the endless cycle of diet fads and latest eating plans can be overwhelming. Dr. Saunders will cover common nutrition myths and explain the importance of creating an individualized diet plan.

Sleep and Nutrition are the first building blocks to good health and wellness, but the other key aspects include movement, stress management and relationships/community. Understanding the key elements for maintaining health is followed by Future Goal Setting in the final program.

Dr. Saunders breaks down the keys to good health with evidence-based recommendations. Movement is medicine! Not only does it pay physical dividends, research shows that regular exercise improves memory and mood and can decrease anxiety and depression, said Dr. Saunders.

And how do relationships and community impact your wellness? “Detrimental health effects of loneliness have been likened to smoking 15 cigarettes a day,” Dr. Saunders said.

Creating tangible, SMART goals begins with changing your mindset and prioritizing your own health. To register or learn more about the free wellness series visit https://swedishcovenant.org/classes-events/detail/wellness-series-living-a-healthy-life