Every building needs a foundation.

There are 7 different Building Blocks that are important in preparing that strong foundation. One way to remember them is that together they lead us to a new place, a new point on the journey that is life. They give us a new ‘ADDRESS’.

As a GP, I spend much of my life talking to people of all ages about challenges to their health.

A for Activity (or exercise or movement).

Of all the building blocks that are talked about, this one is perhaps the one that is easiest to do something about. No matter what you do in your day, it is possible to ‘move more’. If you spend all day sitting - get a step counter, or switch on the step counter on your phone. See how many steps you do now - and aim to double it.

However, we all start at different places as far as activity is concerned. If you are someone who goes for a run at the weekend, or plays sport once a week - find a slot midweek where you can do a home workout, or go to a class.

Remember - more movement is always good.

And once you start, you’re on a journey. I know someone who lost 10 stones (nearly half her body weight). The first step on the journey was exactly that. Doing steps on the bottom step at home.

Only you can choose your starting point.

Why not do it now?

D for Diet

Diet. What we eat, what we choose to put in our mouths. So many choices - how do we know that we are choosing well?

Remember that there are 2 sources of foods:

Animal sources - Meat, fish, eggs, dairy
Plant sources - everything else! Fruits and vegetables, Nuts and seeds. Beans and legumes. Grains (Rice. Wheat for bread.)

And there is also a wrecking ball - ultra-processed food. Produced in a factory, much of the goodness removed, often harmful to our health.

Eating well involves eating MORE plants, less food from animal sources- and largely avoiding ultra-processed food.

D for Direction (or purpose) in life

We all need purpose in life. Something that gets us out of bed in the mornings, Something to focus on in dark times. It might be big - our career, looking after a child or a family member - or it might be tiny. It might change the world, or it might change your back garden or your windowsill. The important thing is that it’s yours.

R for Risky substances

These include smoking and vaping, alcohol and sugary drinks, ultraprocessed foods. All of these can be challenges for each of us as we try and improve our lifetyles.

E for Emotions (and Stress)

Emotions are what makes us human.

And Stress is defined as the physical and mental response to a perceived challenge or threat.

Neither of these are bad in themselves - it is the quantity of stress, the intensity of the emotions that we feel, and our response to them that makes these into positive ‘building blocks’ - or daily challenges that we need to overcome.

Morningness/Eveningness Questionnaire

S for Sleep

It’s gotta be important. If it wasn’t, we would have evolved to need less of it. Instead, each human being needs 7-9 hours of sleep. Every day. To borrow from the well-known sleep scientist, Dr Matt Walker, we need to look at sleep in 4 ways:

Quantity - in general, we need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. And most of us live in ‘sleep deficit- that is, we don’t get enough. And that is often because of the strange machismo we have about ‘not needing more than 6 hours’, or going without sleep in order to finish a box set.
Quality - sleep quality is disturbed by so many life choices. Coffee in the afternoon. Alcohol. LEDs in the bedroom. Traffic noise. Yes, some of it is outside our control - but we have some control over many of these factors.
Regularity - apologies in advance as this is not likely to be popular. But REGULAR sleep is important. Going to bed and getting up at the same time. Weekday and weekend. Summer and winter. Holiday or working day.
Timing - Are you a lark or a night owl? Do you bounce out of bed at 5.30am ready to start the day? Or do you do your best work at night? It’s important to know this, for yourself and for those close to you. If you’re not sure, have a look at the 'Morningness/Eveningness Questionnaire' by clicking the green button.

S for Social connection

Just how important are our friends and family? It might surprise you to know that they are probably more important than any of the other building blocks. In 2024, you are more likely to survive cancer than long-term loneliness. And more likely to become diabetic or have a heart attack if you’re not meeting others for coffee. Or a walk. Or football. Nourishing our social connections is not just fun - it is essential for our health.