Rocks, pebbles, sand & preventative health
I recently read some information on the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that I have a keen interest in as it is something that my dad is affected by. There is a large body of research into Alzheimer’s prevention including recommendations to eat unprocessed foods, get regular exercise, mitigate chronic stress, maintain social connection, avoid air pollution including smoking, and prioritise quality sleep. What really stood out for me, was that these factors are also associated with prevention of a range of other conditions including cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, and many forms of cancer.
This reminded me of the rocks, pebbles and sand metaphor (also known as the big rocks story), popularised by Dr Stephen R. Covey and often presented at leadership development programs. For those who are not familiar with the story, or who want a quick recap I have summarised it below, and have also included a link to a video of Dr Covey demonstrating the story in the mid 1990s at the end of this post.
In short, if we imagine a large glass jar which represents our life. If we focus on all the small things that arise day to day, we end up filling our jar with sand, and we don’t have enough room left to fit in all of the bigger, more important things in our lives. Whereas if we prioritise the big rocks (the important things) and put those in the jar first, we can then fit in the pebbles, and finally the sand around them. While this is a useful analogy for life and prioritisation in general, I think it also can be applied in the context of health.
Most of us will have known people who have been affected by conditions such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, and it is understandable that we would seek out or be drawn to information as to how to avoid these conditions ourselves.
Popular media is often quick to highlight new research findings but often present these without the necessary context, or accurate interpretation of the scientific evidence and may overstate the implications. Similarly, business will then seek to capitalise on early research findings marketing products with large advertising budgets to appeal to the consumers desire to avoid disease.
Humans are also predisposed to seek out solutions that minimise the required effort, to preserve our energy which in a time of limited resources encouraged our survival. While this can be advantageous and has led to the development of innumerable technological inventions (eg. the wheel), it can lead us to place a disproportionate value on simple or easy approaches. The miracle pill.
I’m personally terrified of developing Alzheimer’s, so it is appealing to think that eating blueberries or taking a vitamin tablet could prevent it. But while there is some evidence that ongoing blueberry supplementation may be protective against cognitive decline in certain circumstances, it would be naive to think that if I eat a cup of blueberries a day, while not engaging in any form of physical activity, eating predominantly ultra-processed foods, and smoking a pack of cigarettes a day that I would be effectively protecting myself from Alzheimer’s.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I personally think blueberries are a delicious food that I enjoy regularly, and there can definitely be a place for supplements. We should not blindly discount easy solutions, or assume that the difficult approach is better. But we can have the greatest impact on our health by focusing on the big rocks first. Nutrition, physical activity, stress management, sleep, social connection, and avoiding toxins such as smoking. No, these are not guaranteed, but will go a long way towards improving your chances of a longer, healthier life.
It is also important to recognise that working on these ‘big rock’ factors can seem overwhelming, and they do not need to be addressed all at once. Small steps, building on your progressive wins, is usually the best approach. So, for some people eating the blueberries, may be the first step. But that is for another post.
FranklinCovey. (2017, Aug 25) Big Rocks [Video file]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=zV3gMTOEWt8
Krikorian R, Skelton MR, Summer SS, Shidler MD, Sullivan PG. (2021) Blueberry Supplementation in Midlife for Dementia Risk Reduction. Nutrients, 14, 1619. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14081619