Welcome, 

I help individuals build wellness habits for high performance. 

I'm a Physical Therapist, Health Coach, and the author of The Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers (2024). 

The Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox focuses on six primary factors of lifestyle medicine: nutrition, exercise, sleep hygiene, stress management, risky substance use, and social connectedness. It also provides information on mind-body movements, nature-based therapies, art-based therapies, and self-care.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through LinkedIn. Have a great day! 

Cheers, 

Z

Ziya "Z" Altug, PT, DPT, MS, DipACLM, OCS, CSCS

🧰Toolbox for healthy living

🍎High performance wellness

💪Parkinson’s fitness

🩺Physical Therapist 35+ years

💡Health Coach

📖Author of The Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox  (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London, 2024) 

My Formal Education:

▪️Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), specializing in lifestyle medicine, integrative medicine, and wellness 

▪️Board Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) from the American Physical Therapy Association

▪️Certified Lifestyle Medicine Professional (DipACLM) from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine

▪️Certified Health and Well-being Coach from Wellcoaches

▪️Blue Zones Certified Health Professional 

▪️Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association

Los Angeles, California

@zaltugdpt 

(Disclaimer: The content on all of my social media is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.)

BLOG: Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox

**************************************************************************************************

2026

******************************************************************************************

July 9, 2026 - Published Rehab Consult: A Wellness Toolbox  column on Healio - Microbreaks at work: Small pauses, big benefits

******************************************************************************************

July 1, 2026 - Published new issue of newsletter "Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox" on LinkedIn. 

******************************************************************************************

June 19, 2026 - Published new column Rehab Consult: A Wellness Toolbox on the Healio medical media company. 

June column topic: Why exercise snacks are good for health.

******************************************************************************************

April 16, 2026 - Published Burnout Prevention & Stress Management for Professionals course on the Udemy website.

******************************************************************************************

April 13, 2026 - Published Nature Prescription for Parkinson's: Harness the Healing Power of the Outdoors on the Parkinson’s Community Los Angeles (PCLA) website.

******************************************************************************************

March 5, 2026 - Published Walking for Parkinson's: Building Confidence and Daily Function on the Parkinson’s Community Los Angeles (PCLA) website.

******************************************************************************************

February  23, 2026 - Published Boxing for Parkinson's: Fighting Back With Movement on the Parkinson’s Community Los Angeles (PCLA) website.

******************************************************************************************

January  31, 2026 - Published Yoga for Parkinson's: Finding Balance, One Move at a Time on the Parkinson’s Community Los Angeles (PCLA) website.

******************************************************************************************

January  22, 2026 - Published  Pilates for Parkinson's: Restoring Control and Stability on the Parkinson’s Community Los Angeles (PCLA) website.

**************************************************************************************************

2025

******************************************************************************************

December 30, 2025 - Posted my 2026 Healthy Lifestyle Calendar.

******************************************************************************************

December 2, 2025 - I obtained a new certification as a Blue Zones Certified Health Professional.

******************************************************************************************

November 25, 2025 - Published Tai Chi for Parkinson's: Meditation and Balance in Motion on the Parkinson’s Community Los Angeles (PCLA) website.

******************************************************************************************

November 7, 2025 - Published Qigong--Baduanjin for Parkinson's: Simple and Graceful Movements on the Parkinson’s Community Los Angeles (PCLA) website.

******************************************************************************************

October 1, 2025 - See the October 2025 issue of the LinkedIn Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox newsletter. 

******************************************************************************************

September 9, 2025 - Published  Why Your Clinic Waiting Room May Affect Patient Outcomes on KevinMD.com

******************************************************************************************

August 27, 2025 - Published How Physicians Can Reclaim Resilience Through Better Sleep, Nutrition, and Exercises on KevinMD.com

******************************************************************************************

August 19, 2025 - Publsihed Self-Care Toolbox for Parkinson’s on the Parkinson’s Community Los Angeles (PCLA) website.
🏓Ping Pong for Parkinson’s: A Fun and Functional Path to Better Health

and

🌑Pickleball for Parkinson’s: Friendly Fun and Fitness

******************************************************************************************

July 12, 2025 - Speaking at the American Physical Therapy Association, Combined Sections Meeting in Feb. 2026.  Stop by and say hello!

******************************************************************************************

July 12, 2025 - Speaking at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Annual Conference on Nov. 15, 2025.  Stop by and say hello!

******************************************************************************************

July 12, 2025 - Speaking at the California Physical Therapy Association Annual Conference on Sept. 21, 2025. Stop by and say hello!

******************************************************************************************

July 1, 2025 - See the July 2025 issue of the LinkedIn Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox newsletter. 

******************************************************************************************

April 1, 2025 - See the April 2025 issue of the LinkedIn Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox newsletter. 

******************************************************************************************

January 1, 2025 - See the January 2025 issue of the LinkedIn Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox newsletter. 

******************************************************************************************

2024

**************************************************************************************************

December 12, 2024 - I thank the Society of Lifestyle Medicine of Nigeria for the Certificate of Appreciation for my presentation in November 2024. 

**************************************************************************************************

November 13, 2024 - I am excited to announce that I have become a Wellcoaches® Certified Health and Well-being Coach!

**************************************************************************************************

October 5, 2024 - I thank the American Physical Therapy Association Magazine for including me as a part of their October 2024 feature story about Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine and PTs.

**************************************************************************************************

October 1, 2024 - See the October 2024 issue of the LinkedIn Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox newsletter.

*************************************************************************************************

August 6, 2024 - See the Journal of Biophilic Design for the article Reimagining Health. 

Our article explores designing and using outdoor structures such as wellness gazebos, pergolas, and garden sheds as healing spaces for the home, workplace, or school.

**************************************************************************************************

May 15, 2024 - See Healio, the medical news, education, and information platform, for my Body Scan Meditation guide. 

**************************************************************************************************

May 7, 2024 - PHYSIOTIMES magazine in India reviewed The Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox book in the March 2024 issue.

**************************************************************************************************

April 2, 2024 - See the April 2024 issue of the LinkedIn Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox newsletter.

**************************************************************************************************

March 5, 2024 - See the March 2024 issue of the LinkedIn Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox newsletter.

**************************************************************************************************

February 21, 2024 - Publication Day for The Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox!

**************************************************************************************************

February 6, 2024 - See the February 2024 issue of the LinkedIn Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox newsletter.

**************************************************************************************************

January 2, 2024 - See the January 2024 issue of the LinkedIn Lifestyle Medicine Toolbox newsletter.

**************************************************************************************************