Time for your annual health review

The start of a new year is always a great opportunity to re-engage with your health. And one of the first steps is to conduct a personal health review. "It's a way to measure where your health stands now, outline what goals you hope to accomplish, and devise a strategy in partnership with your physician, mapping out how to reach them," says Dr. Jeremy Whyman, a geriatrician and specialist in internal medicine and palliative medicine at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

A personal health review follows a three-step process: gathering all your current health information, listing your goals, and sharing everything with your doctor during a scheduled wellness visit.

Gather the information

First, make a list of key health points from the past year. "Include everything from routine check-ins with other specialists to urgent care visits to diagnostic tests," says Dr. Whyman. "Be as detailed and concise as possible. Nothing is not relevant when looking at your overall health." Here are some examples of information you should collect (your patient portal can help):

• Have you seen a new doctor or specialist for any reason?
• What tests did you have and what were the results and conclusions reached?
• What medications do you currently take and do you take them regularly? Did you begin taking any new medications? Did you stop taking any, or was your dose adjusted?
• What routine check-ups did you have (dental, eye, skin, hearing, foot)? What were the results? Were any recommendations given?
• Did you have any surgery or treatment?
• Did you suffer from an injury? Even a minor one?

Another component of important health information you need to record is lifestyle issues, such as exercise routine, weight pattern, diet, and emotional health. Here's a look at what points you should include and how each can fit into your future health goals.

Exercise: Outline your regular exercise activities (what you do daily and weekly, and for how long. For example, strength training, aerobic exercise, flexibility, or some combination). Also, highlight if these are new endeavors or continuous ones and how motivated you feel about your overall exercise efforts. "You might be ready to increase your efforts in certain areas or be open to adapt your usual workouts with something new to increase motivation," says Dr. Whyman. "Be explicit with your physician about what you are and are not ready to pursue. This helps focus the conversation during the visit." Also, note any injuries or recurring aches that may have hindered your workouts, like a sore knee or back. "If you have had physical therapy for an issue, make sure you include that, too," says Dr. Whyman.

Weight: Has your weight gone up or down over the past year? Did it fluctuate? Do you feel you are at a comfortable weight? "If weight loss is a goal, define a reasonable idea of how much you should aim to lose," says Dr. Whyman.

Diet. Do you follow a specific diet or eating plan, like a Mediterranean diet? If not, what do your daily meals look like? "It's difficult to provide detailed accounts of every daily meal but try to paint a picture of your usual eating habits and be as honest as you can. It's so important for your physician to know the good and the bad," says Dr. Whyman. What area(s) do you think are your strengths (for example, eating whole grains for breakfast and fruit for snacks) and weaknesses (for instance, skipping meals or eating too much red meat or snack foods)?

Mental health. How has your mood been over the past year? Have you experienced any periods of time where you've felt depressed or anxious? Did you suffer a personal loss or setback? "Everyone has the occasional down day but note any specific times where you felt low or anxious for an extended period, or if it interfered with your life, preventing you from being with friends or family, doing important work or even completing routine tasks that usually come easy to you," says Dr. Whyman. "A lot of men often don't like talking about their mental health, but it could be an underlying barrier that needs to be addressed."

Outline your goals

Next, choose three health goals and rank them. "You don't want to take on too much, but selecting three goals is manageable, and prioritizing them helps you and your doctor determine what changes need to be made first," says Dr. Whyman.

Some examples: increase strength and endurance to interact with grandchildren, improve your functional fitness so you can do daily chores, and continue to live independently. "Think in terms of what you would like to achieve in the short term and the long term," says Dr. Whyman.

Schedule a wellness visit

When you schedule your annual get-together with your primary care physician, make sure the office staff indicates it is an "Annual Wellness Visit." Then it will be fully covered by Medicare, as well as by most other health insurance plans.

This consultation can help your doctor identify areas that need improvement or adjustments and devise a strategy to follow. "Your physician is like a quarterback overseeing the entire offense," says Dr. Whyman.

For instance, knowing what other health care you have received, including drug prescriptions, can help your doctor determine if any changes in doses should be addressed with your specialists to match your health goals.

Regarding exercise, your doctor may advise strategies to overcome obstacles and address your goals — for example, adopting a step counter to help you walk more, switching to a treadmill or elliptical trainer, or hiring a personal trainer to increase strength training. "He or she also can help identify problems or barriers that may hinder your exercise, like arthritis or tendinitis," says Dr. Whyman.

Your doctor can also suggest changes to your eating habits, like increasing protein to combat natural muscle loss and offering healthy alternatives to satisfy cravings. Seeing a nutritionist may be recommended if you have trouble making healthy choices. If you have weight issues (significant losses or gains), the conversation might reveal other undiagnosed issues such as depression or a thyroid problem.

Your doctor also will want to ensure you are up to date on cancer screenings based on your age and family history. For men, this may include colon cancer screening and possibly PSA blood testing for prostate cancer. Your doctor also will review your immunization history and recommend vaccines or boosters for which you are due.

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