Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine
€995
Enhance your ability to make recommendations related to a healthy lifestyle to your clients, underpinned by best practice guidance.
Micro-credential
10 weeks
Online - Part-time
10 ECTS
September 2025
About
Explore the main pillars of lifestyle medicine and discover best-practice on the Micro-credential in Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine from RCSI Centre for Positive Health Sciences.
According to the World Health Organisation, heart and lung diseases, certain cancers and type 1 diabetes are the world’s largest killers, accounting for an estimated 38 million deaths annually, with 16 million of these being premature.
Lifestyle factors are heavily implicated in all these diseases and research focused on the role of psychological and behavioural factors in lifestyle-related diseases has provided new opportunities for understanding and intervention in such conditions.
On this course you'll acquire a basic understanding of the six pillars of lifestyle medicine, as well as best-practice guidelines and recommendations from trusted organisations such as the World Health Organization. A podcast series, readings and journal articles provide the academic content of the topic, giving you the evidence to underpin recommendations related to a healthy lifestyle.
This is a ten-week course, delivered online.
Explore the six pillars of lifestyle medicine
Practice developing action plans
Underpin your practice with evidence
Suitable for
This course is designed for healthcare professionals as well as non-healthcare professionals including psychotherapists, counsellors, educators, coaches and guidance counsellors who wish to better meet the needs of clients and students in relation to their physical health and lifestyle practices.
What you will learn
Explore lifestyle medicine, its principles, NCDs, and evidence-based approaches like the blue zones.
Learn behaviour change science and create a personalised lifestyle action plan for healthier habits.
Discover the whole-food plant-based diet, blue zone eating, and practical tips for healthier nutrition.
Understand exercise benefits, types, guidelines, and tips for integrating physical activity into daily life.
Learn stress management techniques, including meditation and relaxation, to improve overall health.
Explore sleep hygiene, address sleep issues, and learn practices to enhance sleep quality.
Examine health risks of smoking, vaping, and excessive alcohol, plus strategies and support for quitting.
Discover positive psychology, its interventions, and its role in enhancing lifestyle medicine and well-being.
Understand social connections' impact on health, and learn strategies for positive relationships.
Reflect on your lifestyle action plan, set goals, track progress, and access resources for ongoing support.
Faculty highlight
Biography
Dr Pádraic Dunne
An immunologist, psychotherapist, and certified lifestyle medicine professional, Dr Dunne leads the Digital Health Research Group at the Centre for Positive Health Sciences, focusing on health coach-led programmes. He co-directs the MSc in Positive Health Coaching and the Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine programme at RCSI.
Find out more
Register your interest
Interested in learning more about this programme? Submit your details below and a member of the team will be in touch.
Course information
On successful completion of this module, participants will be able to:
- Describe and discuss the foundational epidemiology of the chronic diseases of the modern era with particular reference to lifestyle medicine.
- Examine and reflect on the six pillars of lifestyle medicine and their role in sustaining health and preventing the development of chronic diseases.
- Identify and discuss the basic theories of behaviour change science and develop personalised lifestyle actions plan for themselves and others.
- Describe and discuss the role of positive psychology in health and its association with lifestyle medicine.
- Access trusted sources on lifestyle medicine such as the World Health Organization and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Asynchronous class component
It is expected that participants view all pre-recorded lectures and podcasts.
The following topic areas will be covered:
Week 1: Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine
- Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) that include heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, lung disease etc., as the greatest causes of premature death
- Lifestyle and NCDs
- The blue zones example
- Definition and principles of lifestyle medicine
- Accessing evidence-based approaches from trusted sources
Week 2: Making a Sustainable Healthy Habit
- Basic theories of behaviour change science (health belief model, transtheoretical model/stages of change, social cognitive theory, social ecological model)
- Behaviour change plans incorporating the habit loop and managing cravings
- Behaviour change checklist
- Developing a personalised lifestyle action plan for better health
Week 3: Nutrition and Healthy Eating
- Blue zone eating in your region
- The whole-food plant-based diet
- Practical tips for healthier eating
Week 4: Physical Activity and Exercise
- Benefits of regular physical activity and international guidelines
- Types of exercise and their role
- Incorporating exercise into daily life
Week 5: Stress Management
- Understanding stress and its impact on health
- Stress reduction techniques
- Meditation, relaxation and grounding exercises
Week 6: Sleep and its Importance
- Sleep hygiene and good sleep practices
- Addressing common sleep issues
- Improving sleep quality
Week 7: Tobacco and Alcohol
- Health risks of smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
- The impact of vaping on health
- Strategies for quitting smoking
- Resources for support
Week 8: Positive Psychology and Lifestyle Medicine – Toward Thriving and Greater Well-being
- An introduction to positive psychology
- Positive psychology interventions and well-being
- The association between positive psychology and lifestyle medicine
Week 9: The Importance of Relationships and Social Connections
- Social connections and health; the impact of loneliness
- Positive emotions, engagement and meaning in relationships
- Strategies for cultivating positive relationships and social connections
Week 10: Putting it All Together – Lifestyle Action Plan
- Reflecting on your personalised lifestyle action plan
- Goal setting and tracking progress
- Resources for ongoing support
Course Workload
Our courses are designed in line with the guidelines set by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). A typical 10-credit piece of learning would require approximately 200-250 hours of your time.
Here is a breakdown of how it's estimated you will spend your time:
| Activity | Hours |
| Lectures (live and asynchronous) | 20 |
| Course work preparation | 40 |
| Independent learning time | 145 |
| Tutor-supported online learning | 20 |
| Assessment | 25 |
| Total | 250 |
With no set start date, you can begin this self-paced course whenever you're ready, allowing for complete flexibility in your learning journey.
Assessment is continuous and via weekly quizzes or reflections.
RCSI's micro-credentials may be stacked to build to a higher award. You can use this as an entry way to the MSc in Positive Health Coaching if you don't have a healthcare background or a basic understanding of human biology.
We are proud to be a recognised University of the National University of Ireland (NUI).
Recognition by Ministries and bodies in other jurisdictions must be determined by the individual applicants.
Admissions
To be eligible for the programme you must:
- Hold a level 7 or level 8 degree, or equivalent.
- Be working in a relevant sector (e.g. healthcare, allied health, education, law, HR, management or equivalent). As there is an emphasis on well-being of self and others, you should ideally be working in a setting where you can apply your learning.
- Meet the English language requirements: IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent score on another standardised test . Please refer to English language requirements for Postgraduate study at RCSI Dublin - Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
If you do not have an undergraduate degree at level 7 or above you may still be eligible to apply through recognition of prior learning (RPL). RPL is the assessment of knowledge, skills and competence previously acquired.
Learning occurs in many contexts which include work, involvement in social and community activities, or learning through life experience generally. RPL does not give credit for experience as such; rather it considers the learning that was acquired as a result of the experience.
RPL may be used to gain:
- Admission to courses/programmes where a person may not have obtained the standard entry requirements.
- Exemptions from course modules which duplicate the learning outcomes an individual has already demonstrably acquired through prior learning.
Recognition of prior learning (RPL) pathway is outlined here.
If you wish to apply for recognition of prior learning, please complete the essay requirement as per assignment descriptor outlined in the document below.
Exemptions may apply for:
- Applicants who have completed their school or undergraduate studies (three or more years) through English in a country where English is the majority native language.
- Applicants who have completed their school or undergraduate studies (three or more years) in an English speaking institution in a country where English is not the majority native language and where an IELTS score of 5 or more was a requirement for admissions to the programme.
- Applicants who have been working in a country (three years or more) where English is the majority native language or for an employer where English language is the official language.
- Graduates of an RCSI Undergraduate, Masters or Professional Diploma programme in Dublin and Bahrain.
Please note: Certified proof must be uploaded as part of your application.
Total fees: €995.
Please note
- The fee includes all resources, access to our award-winning online learning portal and access to extensive RCSI-only databases.
- The fee includes NUI fee.
- The fee is payable via the above schedule, where relevant.
- If you have outstanding fees you will not be entitled to receive your grades or be eligible to progress and or graduate (VLE and Library privileges will be withdrawn in these cases).
- RCSI accepts no obligation to refund any fee, or part thereof, in respect of a student who chooses to withdraw from a programme.
- If you choose to withdraw from a programme you are liable for full fees owed for the seat on that programme.
- All NUI parchments are issued in Latin; you will be required to pay an additional fee of €50 to NUI if you wish to have a parchment published in English.
- Fees are subject to review annually.
- If you are being sponsored or funded by your employer you should upload a funding confirmation letter in the document upload section on the application portal. A template is available below to download at your convenience.
For more information please visit our Postgraduate fees policy.
How to apply
Applications for the Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine programme are now open! This self-paced course grants you immediate access as soon as the full course fee is paid. With no set start date, you can begin whenever you're ready, allowing for complete flexibility in your learning journey.
apply now