Finding Health and Happiness in a world struck by fear – the L.I.F.E.S.T.Y.L.E. FIRST method – with Dr Alka Patel, GP, Health Coach and Lifestyle Medicine Physician
On Monday 8 June the St Albans Soroptimist Club hosted their first Zoom fundraising event and it was a big hit!
#SoroptimistsinLockdown This event is one of a series of events organised by Soroptimist International St Albans and District focused on wellbeing. As we come through the COVID-19 crisis it is really important that we all stay as well as we can, so that we can enjoy our lives to the full when we move into the new normal…
Dr Alka Patel delivered her presentation to almost 80 people – helping them to understand her 10 key dimensions of health and simple steps to take every day to prevent, reduce and reverse ill health.
We had lots of guests from all over the UK – from other Soroptimist Clubs, many other groups plus friends. Members from our Friendship Links, Soroptimists in Chico California and Muenster Germany, were able to join us too. We also raised a fabulous £450 for the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge from voluntary donations when people booked – wow! The screen shot above from the event is just one of 4 screens of attendees.
‘I found Dr Alka Patel’s talk very interesting and thought provoking.’
‘Thank you for a great evening. Alka Patel is wonderful and gave us a fascinating and inspirational evening. Brilliantly professional event and the club did some fund raising too. Perfect.’
‘Thank you for organising the event…lovely way to spend an evening’
‘I learnt a lot from Dr Patel’s pioneering LIFESTYLE First method to promote health’
‘Thank you for an excellent motivating meeting’
‘I’ve done 15 minutes in the garden and done some deep breathing so far’
‘I would like to congratulate you and St Albans Club for an amazing meeting last night. I don’t think any other club has had quite such a successful evening.’
‘Great event last night. Really interesting talk, lovely speaker, and how well it all went.’
Biography – Dr Alka Patel
Dr Alka Patel is a GP, Health Coach and Lifestyle Medicine Physician.
She is the Founder of Lifestyle First® and the Creator of The Lifestyle First Method®
And she is changing the way we define health.
Through her own extensive reading, research and insights she has created The Lifestyle First Method® – a 10 point lifestyle blueprint based on the 10 key dimensions of health and happiness, and through this she is able to provide her patients with a Lifestyle First Prescription® – without pills!
Her passion project is: to sew the seeds of lifestyle medicine into everyday conversations, to embed the roots of health into daily living, to create a canopy of self care across communities and to flourish on the fruits of connectivity. Her approach to healthcare is centered on the knowledge that much disease is preventable, reversible and reducible and that health lies in self-care and self-compassion and in valuing lifestyle first. Her approach focuses highly on patient motivation and she empowers individuals to achieve a sustainable healthy and happy lifestyle aligned to personal and professional values. She uses a combined medical and coaching approach so that patients discover a way to explore their health and are able to share and express what matters to them and gain a firmer understanding of how to live a values-driven happy and healthy life. It’s not just about advising patients on what to do – it’s supporting them in how to do it.
Following 20 years as a well-established NHS GP, she is acutely conscious of the revolving door of healthcare and the critical need to stop it turning. It’s patients who are the owners of their health, not doctors. With this knowledge she is also now a practicing Lifestyle Medicine Physician offering Lifestyle Medicine Consultations and Health Coaching Programmes to patients who want to take back control of their health. She offers more specific coaching programmes utilising the pioneering field of epigenetics to reduce biological ageing through a tailored lifestyle approach and on weight loss through habit change. In addition, she supports organisations in seeking creative solutions that push boundaries towards new possibilities in the delivery of innovative healthcare.
She qualified from Guys and St Thomas’s Hospital in 1990 and completed her GP training in 1999, achieving a distinction in her membership exams for the Royal College of General Practitioners. She has a broad range of clinical experience, with Diplomas in family planning, obstetrics and gynaecology, child health and dermatology as well as the Diploma in Advanced Primary Care Management, focusing on collaborative healthcare and leadership. She has a particular interest in behaviour change, habit change, sleep, menopause and diabetes.
She holds the Diploma for the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine/British Society of Lifestyle Medicine and an accredited coaching qualification with the National Society of Health Coaches. She also holds additional roles with regulatory bodies including NHSE (Specialist Appraiser), the GMC (Performance Assessor) and CQC (Specialist Advisor). She is a Regional Director for the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine and a member of the UK Health Coaches Association. She is also a member of the RCGP Wellbeing Committee. In addition Dr Patel is a Practitioner supporting the health of healthcare professionals through the Practitioner Health Service – a free confidential service for doctors and dentists with issues related to mental health concerns and addictions. She is committed to improving the wellbeing of medical professionals. A caring role bears wounds and the carers need to be cared for too. She also focuses on workplace wellbeing for corporate organisations as well as small and medium enterprises industry-wide to ensure that healthy lifestyles are embedded into the workplace culture to support physical and emotional wellbeing.
She runs a regular Podcast and You Tube channel – The Lifestyle First Podcast – providing weekly health tips.
Find her on www.dralkapatel.com
Twitter @dralkapateluk
Facebook @DrCoach-LifestyleFirst
