Hi Friends,
Many of my friends, colleagues, and the physicians I see practice Lifestyle Medicine, and I think it’s a wonderful approach to health. If you’re not familiar with it, Lifestyle Medicine is a medical specialty that uses evidence-based lifestyle changes as the primary foundation to prevent, treat, and even reverse many chronic diseases.
For years, I thought the most important ingredient in health was what we put on our plates.
And don’t get me wrong—I still believe nutrition is incredibly important.
But after everything that’s happened these past 4 years, I’ve come to believe there’s another ingredient that’s often overlooked.
(Hint: It isn’t kale 😂)
After my cancer diagnosis, I realized I had become so consumed with trying to extend my life that I wasn’t fully living it.
Looking back, I also realized something else.
Somewhere along the way, I got so focused on making a living that I forgot to make a life.
I had unintentionally neglected one very important thing: joy.
So I started saying yes.
Yes to improv.
Yes to friendships.
Yes to laughter.
Yes to art classes.
Yes to experiences that simply make me happy.
Yes to trying new things, even when I was afraid I would fail.
That realization changed how I think about health.
It also led me to an unexpected question:
Could fun itself be an important part of health?
Here was my prescription for FUN this week:
Even though my house still isn’t completely put together, we enjoyed a wonderful three-day visit from four of our besties. Lissa and Nate of Raw Food Romance fame drove in from Las Vegas, my dear friend Rebecca (who was my sous chef for many years) came from East Los Angeles, and my oldest dear friend, Tim, came from San Diego.
We were also joined by our dear friends Steve and Lynda for an improvisation workshop with Patrick Bristow:
Patrick and a slew of other improvisational comedians will be performing at The Plant Powered Party.
Of course, no visit would be complete without conducting a little scientific research…
We visited as many places for vegan ice cream as we could in three days.
Chef Tanya’s Kitchen was the clear winner for vanilla soft serve (with Lappert’s a close second), but the award for the most unique vegan ice cream goes to Kreem in Palm Springs for their incredible Ube flavor made from sweet purple yams and toasted marshmallows.
It was SO good that Charles ate the entire $15 pint by himself!
Apparently, next time I need to buy two.
We also took a glass fusion workshop at Old Town Artisan Studio in La Quinta. This was my very first piece.
I loved the class so much that I’m now taking it every week with my friends Lynda and Debbie. Between that and my two in-person improv classes and two virtual improv classes each week, I’m having more fun than I’ve had in years.
We also spent a lot of time at a beautiful park doing…well…nothing.
Just sitting.
Talking.
Looking at the sky.
Sometimes that’s enough 💜
And I even took a little nap.
Trixie, on the other hand, doesn’t need research studies to remind her how to live.
She’s always happy.
She doesn’t worry about tomorrow.
She doesn’t regret yesterday.
She simply enjoys today.
Maybe she’s onto something.
Experiencing all of this made me curious.
Was this just making me happier…
…or was it actually making me healthier?
So I went to the medical literature.
The Six Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine
Lifestyle Medicine focuses on addressing the root causes of illness rather than simply managing symptoms. It emphasizes six core areas:
• Optimal Nutrition: Shifting to a whole-food, plant-predominant diet to prevent and manage disease.
• Physical Activity: Incorporating regular, consistent movement into daily life.
• Restorative Sleep: Prioritizing quality sleep for physical repair, mental health, and hormonal balance.
• Stress Management: Using techniques such as mindfulness, yoga, or therapy to reduce chronic stress.
• Social Connection: Building meaningful relationships and community to combat isolation and improve well-being.
• Avoidance of Risky Substances: Minimizing or eliminating tobacco, alcohol, and other harmful chemical exposures.
Many people have pointed out that the six pillars don’t explicitly include joy, play, laughter, or fun. These concepts are often grouped under stress management or social connection, but a growing body of research suggests they deserve attention in their own right.
But now researchers are increasingly studying:
• Positive emotions (joy, amusement, gratitude)
• Play
• Laughter
• Purpose and meaning
• Creativity
• Awe and wonder
These experiences are associated with greater resilience, better mental health, reduced stress, and, in many studies, improved overall well-being.
Some clinicians have even proposed an unofficial seventh pillar of Lifestyle Medicine with names such as:
• Joy and Play
• Positive Emotional Well-being
• Purpose, and Connection
While none of these are officially recognized pillars, the ideas are gaining attention as research on well-being continues to grow.
Landmark Papers
Barbara Fredrickson (2001)
The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions
One of the most influential papers in positive psychology, it proposes that positive emotions broaden our thinking and help build lasting psychological, social, and physical resources over time:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3122271
The Laughter Prescription: A Tool for Lifestyle Medicine
This review concluded that laughter can reduce stress hormones, improve mood, increase pain tolerance, strengthen social bonds, and may even enhance aspects of immune function. The strongest evidence supports stress reduction and improved quality of life:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30202281
To be clear, there is no high-quality evidence that joy, laughter, or having fun cures cancer or shrinks tumors.
However, there is substantial evidence that these experiences can improve quality of life, reduce anxiety and stress, improve sleep, strengthen relationships, and help people cope more effectively with serious illness.
The current evidence suggests that building a life rich in joy, curiosity, laughter, meaningful relationships, creativity, and purpose supports resilience and overall well-being. While fun may not be viewed as a treatment for disease, I truly believe it’s the missing pillar of Lifestyle Medicine.
I used to think health was mostly about what we put on our plates. Today, I believe health is more about how we choose to live our lives between meals.
Nutrition still matters.
But so does joy.
Play.
Laughter.
Curiosity.
Creativity.
Purpose.
And making memories with the people we love.
Before I became Chef AJ, I worked as an Activities Director in a retirement community.
One thing I noticed has stayed with me ever since.
The people who seemed to thrive didn’t stop playing because they got old.
They got old because they stopped playing.
I hope that no matter how busy your week is, you’ll make time for a little play.
Laugh a little more.
Call a friend.
Try something new.
Take a nap.
Watch the clouds.
Eat some vegan ice cream.
Learn a new hobby.
Whatever brings you joy…
Please make time for it.
Because while none of us knows how many years we’ll have, we do get to choose how we spend today.
Please don’t die with your music still in you.
Love & No Regrets,
AJ ❤️