Happy to see you here...
I’m Dr. Paul Smith, a board-certified Lifestyle Medicine and Occupational Medicine physician, and a former participant in the PAVING The Path To Wellness program, facilitated by Dr. Beth Frates, the program creator.
PAVING The Path To Wellness is an excellent program that conveys the foundational elements of lifestyle behavior change, while also providing the maintenance support for self-management. The small group setting lends itself to a safe, open, interactive exchange among participants and with the facilitator.
PAVING the Path to Wellness
Based on the principles of lifestyle medicine, the PAVING program focuses on the whole person-body, mind, and spirit- with the goal to empower individuals to live healthier lives with a sense of purpose.
My personal experience of attending a group PAVING program provided a great model for facilitating my own groups. I distinctly remember feeling an immediate connection of friendship with Dr. Frates, which made me feel that I had the same connection with the other attendees through their connections with her. She created a warm, comfortable, and secure environment that precluded my usual anxieties and fears from preventing my self-disclosure and vulnerability. As a facilitator of the PAVING Program, I aspire to project what I experienced in my group setting with each group I have the opportunity and privilege of facilitating. Thank you for the opportunity to share a story!
The PAVING STEPSS
The PAVING STEPSS Wheel identifies all 12 areas of growth and focus for the program. For a healthy body we focus on physical activity, nutrition, and sleep.
The emphasis on purpose, social connection, and energy help us have a joyful heart. For a peaceful mind, stress resiliency, attitude, and time outs are important.
To make all of this work and make progress, our action steps include goals, investigations, and variety.
The 12 Parts of the Wheel
Healthy Body
1. Physical Activity
Build aerobic fitness, strength, and flexibility; learn simple ways to move more throughout your day
2. Nutrition
Nutrition content encourages increasing nutrient density, preferring whole foods over processed foods, and helps participants gain skills through cooking classes.
3. Sleep
Through evaluation of the quantity and quality of their sleep and what enhances/detracts from sleep, participants are prepared to make their nights more restful.
Action
4. Goals
Through learning to set SMART goals, successful behavior change becomes more likely.
5. Investigations
Participants enjoy investigating which lifestyle behaviors feel best for their body and are empowered to lead healthier lives.
6. Variety
Whether trying new vegetables, a different form of physical activity, or a new stress resiliency practice, “Variety” is emphasized throughout the lifestyle pillars.
Peaceful Mind
7. Stress Resiliency
Participants are introduced to a variety of stress resiliency tools including deep breathing, the relaxation response, and mindfulness-based stress reduction.
8. Attitude
Participants are introduced to “growth mindset” concept, and encouraged to have an attitude of openness throughout the sessions.
9. Time Outs
Participants learn the benefits of taking breaks from unhealthy influences, prolonged sitting, difficult conversations, and negative self-talk. A “time out” allows for increased clarity and overall well-being.
Joyful Heart
10. Energy
Increasing the use of natural sources of energy such as healthful foods, exercise, and connecting with friends allows participants to increase vitality through healthy behaviors.
11. Social Support
Throughout the course, high-quality connections with family, friends, and community are emphasized and meaningful connections with others in the cohort are experienced.
12. Purpose
Identifying priorities, examining life’s meaning, and seeing the bigger picture in life allows participants to align their behaviors with their purpose.
Coming Soon: The PAVING Program, for personal growth.
Join a welcoming online group and explore the PAVING Program’s 12 practical steps in 6–12 weekly, practitioner-led meetups—combining education and conversation to strengthen healthy routines, reduce stress, and align your habits with a purpose that energizes you.
