Writing a Blog for the BSLM

Please send your blog to office@bslm.org.uk and include your biography including details of your social media accounts and website if appropriate.

Step 1: Pick your topic

This should be a topic that:

You are passionate about
You have knowledge, expertise or experience in
Is relevant to the field of lifestyle medicine

Topics relevant to the field of lifestyle medicine would include:

The definition of lifestyle medicine as the application of evidence for which lifestyle factors improve health and proven techniques to support people to make healthy lifestyle changes.
Cellular/biological mechanisms in lifestyle medicine such as epigenetics, telomere science, longevity pathways and genes, the microbiome and chronic inflammation
The pillars of lifestyle medicine: the science of sleep, nutrition, physical activity, stress management, social connection, connection with nature, smoking cessation and alcohol reduction.
Condition specific application of lifestyle medicine e.g. for Obesity and metabolic diseases, neurological, gastrointestinal, respiratory, gynaecological, genitourinary, dermatological diseases, fertility, cancer and autoimmune disease etc.
Lifestyle medicine skills such as motivational interviewing, health coaching, group consultations
Lifestyle medicine practice models such as group consultations, social prescribing, person-centred care, shared decision making, supported self-care etc

Step 2: Consider if your blog post will fit with the values of the BSLM as an educational charity:

The BSLM promotes an evidence-based, inclusive and patient-centred approach to lifestyle medicine. For example, we teach about a variety of healthy eating approaches. Discussions about values, purpose and meaning are important in lifestyle medicine but we believe that this should not encompass any religious teaching.

The BSLM promotes a food first approach to nutrition and avoids promotion of supplements.

The BSLM teaches a behavioural science approach to supporting patients with lifestyle changes and avoids promotion of genetic profiling or excessive use of testing when simpler and more cost-effective methods for guiding behaviour change already exist.

Step 3: Consider who your audience is

Are you aiming the blog at nurses, health coaches, doctors or patients?

Make your audience clear in your title.

Most blogs should be aimed at the level of understanding of the general public.

Step 4: Keep your blog short and information easily digestible

Write the blog from your own perspective – this is a way to express your views on a topic but your opinion should be based and backed up with up-to-date evidence or experience in the field.
Start with an engaging short introduction summary of your points, starting with a quote helps. Return to summarise your points at the end of the blog.
Focus your blog on 3 main points
Consider using bullet points, “top 10 tips” and subheadings to break up information, but please ensure you still write in full sentences, with appropriate punctuation, for ease of reading
Stick to around 600-800 words excluding references (no more than 1000 words)
Have up to 5 references (use Harvard referencing and provide a link to the paper)

Step 5: Avoid causing offence or revealing patient identifiable information!

Have you considered the emotive topics in lifestyle medicine and how your blog might come across to people who feel they might not have the means to address lifestyle e.g. issues of health inequality, race, culture and socioeconomic factors

Have your considered how your blog might come across to those who feel that they are being blamed or stigmatised for their condition?

Step 6: Social Media

It would be great if you could include some key stats / findings or snippets that could be used for social media purposes – anything that will grab the attention and drive a “click through” to the full detail

Step 7: Submitting

Send your draft blog to office@bslm.org.uk with a short biography (100 words max) and photograph. You may mention your own ventures and guide readers to your work within this biography. (please avoid doing this within the blog post itself)