Your car gets serviced every year, your boiler gets the once-over before winter sets in, but what about you? From watching your blood pressure to watching your waistline, it's time to be your own personal health service.
Be honest, when did you last get your eyes tested? Most of you should be going every two years if you have perfect sight and every year if you wear glasses or lenses. Not only do eye tests pick up sight defects, they also spot other problems, like glaucoma.
If you work with heavy machinery, get tested regularly. If you use computers for more than an hour a day at work, you are legally entitled to a free eye test - your company has to pay.
Blood pressure rises and falls as blood pushes against your arteries and veins around your body. If it remains high it can be dangerous, increasing chances of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and heart failure.
Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure can be controlled by lifestyle changes (less salt, exercise and weight loss) and medication. There are no obvious symptoms so adults should be checked every five years until they reach 80, while those already with high blood pressure should go annually.
We mean cholesterol. High cholesterol is mainly linked to coronary heart disease, as fatty deposits decrease blood flow to the heart. It can result in angina (chest pain) or, at worst, a heart attack.
To reduce your cholesterol levels, eat less saturated fat, exercise more and cut down on booze and cigarettes. Home-testing kits often fail to consider other factors, but a simple blood test is all you need. Get tested if you have cardiovascular disease, a family history of hypercholesterolaemia or are over 35 with any of these risk factors: diabetes, high blood pressure, a family history of early heart disease or if you smoke.
