Assess Your Current Health

Health PositionIn order to create a health plan you need to do a proper health assessment. This helps you understand where you are starting from and set realistic healthy living goals. Ask yourself what is health and wellbeing. Does it mean fitting into a size 6 or being able to hike the nearest mountain? Perhaps you are looking for a better quality of life overall. To create a complete health evaluation it is necessary to consider not only your current medical condition but past medical conditions and those of close family members.

Create a Family Medical History

Start by examining the cause of death and various diseases that have plagued your family back to your grandparents or even great-grandparents if possible. This can give you clues as to ailments that you are prone to but will not always be a blueprint for your health and wellbeing. Writing it all down will give you a better idea of what to look for in your own life.

Lifestyle Health Assessment

As much as we would all like to ignore the facts that we know and continue eating and drinking whatever we want. You must face reality in that the way that you live your life can lead to diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and emphysema. Start a journal of your average day. Include the amount of exercise you get along with what food and drinks you consume. If you smoke then record the number of cigarettes you smoke per day. Don’t change your habits yet. This health evaluation is to record your starting point.
Here are a few questions to help you gauge your future progress of health and wellbeing:

  • Do you have a regular exercise program?
  • Do you get winded walking from your car to the grocery store?
  • Do you drink two or more alcoholic beverages on a daily basis?
  • Do you eat a diet balanced in fresh fruits and vegetables?
  • Are you within 5-10 pounds of your ideal weight for your age and height?

Once you have created your health assessment you are ready to start working on your health plan. This will get you started on your new journey to healthy living.