Health Checks | Why Are They Important?

Health Checks | Why Are They Important?

Being ‘healthy’ means something different to each and every one of us due to our contrasting health and fitness goals. Whilst some people want to lose weight to improve their wellbeing, others are looking to add on a few pounds to reach a healthy target. The word ‘health’ means so much more than simply being absent from disease or infirmity, it refers to a state of complete physical, social and mental wellbeing (Constitution of the World Health Organization, 2022). This is because an individual who is physically and emotionally fit, are seen to be better able to recover from different illnesses than an individual who is unfit.

In order to maintain our health, we need to adopt a healthy, active lifestyle; this includes a balanced diet, regular physical activity and an adequate amount of sleep each night. It is also important to try and reduce alcohol consumption, stress levels and smoking.

Benefits of regular check-ups:

  • Identify underlying medical conditions early on before they become a higher risk
  • Reduces risk of becoming sick
  • Increases chance of recovery
  • Monitoring existing conditions can increase lifespan
  • Reduce healthcare costs over time
  • Better understanding about physical and mental wellbeing

How often should I have a health check?
It is recommended to have a routine health check yearly to help prevent certain health conditions, however, it may be beneficial to have a health check more often to monitor an existing condition.

What do health checks assess?
There are different levels of health checks that look at different conditions and ailments. Most commonly, health checks focus on:

  • Lifestyle (diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, stress levels, smoking
  • Height and weight
  • Body fat, muscle mass and bone mass
  • Cholesterol and diabetes
  • Blood pressure
  • Lung capacity
  • Posture alignment
  • Mental wellbeing

Other health checks can assess certain conditions more in-depth such as cancer and heart disease. Many of the L Leisure team have a wealth of experience working with people with various health conditions. To have a look at how LLeisure can help you with a health check, visit our website HERE.