1. We don't always recognise our health risks

It's easy to assume that feeling good means we're healthy. However, some of the most common risk factors for chronic diseases can develop without any noticeable symptoms.

High blood pressure, for example, rarely causes symptoms, yet increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Similarly, high cholesterol often goes unnoticed until it is identified through a blood test or cardiovascular risk assessment.

This is why preventative healthcare is important. Rather than waiting until symptoms develop, identifying certain risk factors early allows people to make lifestyle changes or start appropriate treatment before complications arise.

In England, the NHS offers a free Health Check every five years to eligible adults aged 40–74, assessing factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol and cardiovascular risk.

Services such as Emerald can help people take a more proactive approach to their health by bringing together blood test results and other health information, making it easier to understand and track relevant biomarkers over time.

What can you do?

• Take up NHS screening and health checks when you are eligible.

• Understand your personal risk factors, including family history, smoking, blood pressure and cholesterol. Use our health calculators here.

• Discuss with a healthcare professional whether any additional testing is appropriate for your age, medical history and individual risk.

Not every health condition can be predicted through screening, and more testing isn't necessarily better. The aim is to identify meaningful risks where early intervention can improve health outcomes.

2. Healthy choices aren't always affordable

Eating well is often presented as a simple choice, but the reality is that a healthy diet can be considerably more expensive than many households can afford.

The Food Foundation's Broken Plate report found that households in the poorest fifth of the population would need to spend around 47% of their disposable income on food to afford the government's recommended healthy diet, compared with approximately 11% for the wealthiest fifth.

The same challenges can extend to other aspects of health, including the cost of exercise facilities, transport and recreational activities.

What can you do?

• Choose affordable sources of protein and fibre, such as beans, lentils, oats and tinned fish.

• Use frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables, which can be just as nutritious as fresh alternatives.

• Make use of free physical activities, including walking, running, cycling and outdoor exercise facilities.

• Focus on changes that are affordable and sustainable rather than expensive wellness products or restrictive diets.

Improving health doesn't need to involve expensive supplements, specialist foods or gym memberships. Many of the most effective lifestyle changes can be achieved with relatively simple adjustments.

3. Our environments don't always support health habits

Where we live and work has a significant influence on how physically active we are.

For someone living near safe walking routes, cycle paths and green spaces, incorporating exercise into everyday life may be relatively straightforward. For others, long commutes, limited public transport, unsafe roads or a lack of accessible recreational facilities can make staying active considerably harder.

A 2022 overview of 116 systematic reviews examining the built environment and physical activity found evidence that environments supporting walking and active travel were associated with higher levels of transport-related physical activity.

This suggests that improving population health isn't only about encouraging individuals to exercise more. The design of our towns, cities and workplaces can also make healthy behaviours easier or harder to maintain.

What can you do?

• Incorporate walking or cycling into journeys where practical and safe.

• Break up long periods of sitting during the working day.

• Explore local parks, walking groups and free community exercise opportunities.

• Look for small opportunities to move more throughout the day, rather than relying entirely on scheduled workouts.

Not everyone has equal access to safe and convenient places to exercise. Recognising these limitations is important when setting realistic goals.

4. It's difficult to make time for our health

Between work, commuting, family commitments and everyday responsibilities, looking after our health can easily fall down the list of priorities.

Preparing nutritious meals, exercising regularly and getting adequate sleep all require time, and for many people that time is limited.

Although physical activity guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week for adults, finding time for structured exercise can feel unrealistic alongside other responsibilities.

However, exercise doesn't have to mean spending an hour at the gym. Physical activity accumulated throughout the day contributes towards recommended activity levels, and even relatively small amounts can offer health benefits.

What can you do?

• Start with manageable amounts of activity rather than setting unrealistic exercise targets.

• Build movement into existing routines, such as walking during a lunch break or part of your commute.

• Prepare simple meals in larger portions to reduce the time spent cooking during the week.

• Protect time for sleep and recovery where possible, rather than treating them as optional extras.

The goal isn't to create a perfect health routine. It's to find changes that fit into your life and can be maintained over time.

5. Changing habits is harder than it sounds

Knowing that exercise, a balanced diet and adequate sleep are good for us doesn't necessarily make these behaviours easy to maintain.

Many people start a new health routine with good intentions, only to find that their motivation gradually fades. This isn't surprising. Long-term behaviour change involves more than simply deciding to do something differently.

Research into behavioural interventions suggests that techniques such as goal-setting, self-monitoring, personalised feedback and ongoing support can help people increase their physical activity.

A 2024 systematic review examining behaviour-change interventions in adults aged approximately 50–70 identified several of these techniques as potentially useful components of physical activity programmes.

What can you do?

• Set specific, achievable goals, such as walking for 20 minutes after lunch three times a week.

• Track your progress in a way that works for you, whether through a notebook, calendar or fitness app.

• Link new habits to existing routines, making them easier to remember.

• Make changes gradually and adjust your goals when circumstances change.

Rather than relying on motivation alone, creating routines and environments that make healthy behaviours easier can help support lasting change.

6. Accessing preventative healthcare can be difficult

Healthcare in the UK is often focused on diagnosing and treating illness once symptoms develop. However, identifying risk factors and intervening earlier can play an important role in preventing some long-term conditions.

The NHS provides a range of preventative services, including vaccinations, cancer screening and cardiovascular risk assessments. Yet accessing these services isn't always straightforward.

Barriers may include difficulty booking appointments, taking time away from work, limited awareness of eligibility and challenges accessing follow-up care.

A government review of the NHS Health Check programme also highlighted the importance of what happens after screening. Identifying an elevated risk factor is only useful if people can access appropriate advice, treatment and ongoing support.

What can you do?

• Check which NHS screening programmes and preventative services you are eligible for.

• Attend routine reviews for existing conditions, such as hypertension or diabetes.

• Keep a record of important health information, including medications, previous results and family history.

• If a health check identifies an increased risk, discuss what the results mean and whether follow-up is needed.

Preventative healthcare isn't about testing for every possible disease. It's about using appropriate screening, evidence-based risk assessment and early intervention to reduce the likelihood of avoidable illness.

7. Knowing what health advice to follow is confusing

We have access to more health information than ever before. Social media, podcasts, wearable devices and online wellness platforms provide a constant stream of advice about how to improve our health.

However, not all of this information is reliable.

One week a particular food is described as beneficial, while the next it is linked to disease. Supplements are marketed with claims of improved energy, sleep and longevity, often with limited evidence supporting their benefits.

A World Health Organization review published in 2022 examined the impact of health misinformation and found that misleading health information could negatively influence health behaviours, contribute to confusion and undermine trust in healthcare.

This can make it difficult to distinguish interventions supported by good scientific evidence from those based on preliminary findings, personal experiences or commercial marketing.

What can you do?

• Prioritise advice from established sources such as the NHS, NICE and recognised medical organisations.

• Be cautious of health claims based on a single small study or personal testimonial.

• Look for systematic reviews and clinical guidelines that consider the overall body of evidence.

• Be sceptical of products promising dramatic improvements in health, particularly when they are expensive or marketed as quick fixes.

Reliable health information should explain both the benefits and limitations of an intervention, rather than promising a simple solution to a complex problem.