Wellness Wednesday Tip #31: Go Get a Physical!

Happy #WellfieWednesday friends!

     This week’s tip is to visit your physician for a routine physical exam! In today’s busy world it’s so easy to let routine exams like going to see your physician or dentist (or physical therapist!) slip down on the to-do list until an illness or injury occurs. Instead of waiting until it’s too late and playing defense against health concerns, try being proactive and maintaining a regular schedule with routine physical exams, including blood work, to track health markers every six months to one year. Establishing this relationship can be especially helpful in monitoring the effectiveness of changes you make to your diet or exercise program and the effects it’s having on biometric markers like blood pressure, glucose levels, and hormone production.

     Additionally, talk to family members to find out if there are any common conditions such as cancer or heart disease that you and your family may be genetically predisposed for. Awareness of these common ailments can literally be a life-changer, helping to catch a disease early or change habits and routines to prevent changes altogether. You may be surprised at what you find!

      Bonus tip: try searching for a preventive medicine physician in your area to establish a relationship with and help you track your health outside of the traditional medical model (aka waiting for something bad to happen then trying to play catch up with medication or other treatments).  

     So give it a shot and let us know how it goes! Thanks again for all of the #WellfieWednesday support, be sure to post your pictures again this week and tag Patrick (@PBernerSPT) or myself (@Eric_in_AmERICa) and keep the wave of healthy change going!

- Dr. Eric Uveges, PT, DPT

- Dr. Patrick Berner, PT, DPT