As with home maintenance, sometimes I’m astonished that as an adult no one is reminding us of the health and medical things that we need to do. There can be natural consequences, sure, but those could take years to happen and some never will. For example, no one is fining you if you don’t go to the dentist regularly or have your skin checked at the dermatologist, but both are really important.

So to create the list that I wish existed, below are my health to-dos related to medical appointments and specific daily actions. I’m leaving things off this list like exercise, how I think about food and what I eat, and good sleep although all are important and things I put a lot of effort towards. Those feel like a different kind of health category so they might show up in a different post.

I’d also love to hear what’s on your list! If you’re interested, I also wrote about the healthy habits I practice.

My Personal Health Care Practices:

Brush teeth and floss every day. I was not a daily flosser until I discovered floss picks years ago! Now I am a dedicated daily flosser and I can’t believe I went so long without being one. I’ve been loyal to the Plackers brand for years although now like the Target brand.

Wear daily sunscreen. The best face sunscreen, in my opinion, is Paula’s Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid with spf 50. I’ve been wearing it daily for almost a decade and Chris wears it to. It’s light, not greasy at all, and I love that it has spf 50. It is pricey compared to drugstore options, however, I think it is a far superior product, and what’s the price of skin cancer prevention? We have this on auto-subscription so that we never run out. Additionally, I’m trying to stick to the habit of following my face sunscreen with putting Trader Joe’s spf 40 sunscreen on my upper chest, arms, and backs of my hands. In our sunny climate, this feels really important!

Visit the dentist twice a year.

Annual physical and have blood work done. To take this to the next level, I would also highly recommend maintaining a spreadsheet of your blood work numbers. At my doctor, if I ask for my blood work history I get a multi-page print out that is impossible to easily digest and compare year to year. So I took matters into my own hands. Now, whenever I get blood work, I open up my blood work spreadsheet (here’s a template you can use) and input my latest numbers. It brings me great nerd joy. Vitamin D deficiency is quite common in Americans., however I’ve found this test isn’t always included with blood wood. I always ask to be sure a vitamin D test is included, and even here in sunny Arizona I’ve had low vitamin D before.

Annual flu shot. Years ago I read that getting an annual flu shot is not just for you personally, but for the health of your community. That really struck a chord with me and I’ve diligently gotten a flu shot ever since. It’s a whole can of worms right now, but for the past few years I have also gotten a COVID booster and hope to get one this year as well.

Annual well-woman exam. This provider keeps me up-to-date with an annual breast exam and pap smears as needed. Last year I also asked for a blood hormone panel to be done so that I can have baseline numbers before I start perimenopause.

Annual mammogram. I started with regular mammograms last year. If you’re over 40, don’t delay in getting your first mammogram done. If you’re under 40 but have any family history of breast cancer, ask your doctor when you should have your first mammogram. The procedure was quick and was less uncomfortable than I worried. Honestly, I found the most uncomfortable part to be having to turn my head awkwardly as I had to hug the bulky mammogram machine. Also note that it’s quite common to have “dense breast tissue” and to need a follow up ultrasound. I had to have this and I was thankful a girl friend has given me a heads up about this.

Annual skin check at the dermatologist. I visit the dermatologist annually to have my skin checked. I have a lot of moles so I need to go in every year, but I’ve heard from less mole-y friends that their dermatologists recommend less frequency skin checks.

Annual eye exam. I have eye glasses that I wear infrequently, mostly to drive at night. As a result, I have not always gone to the eye doctor annually. However, I will going forward. With my last glasses prescription change I noticed a bigger change in how much my glasses helped my eyes so I think it’s time to make this an annual thing.

Seeing healthcare providers can be intimidating and feel like a lot of effort (finding a provider, scheduling, going to the appointment). If you find yourself resisting, I suggest thinking about what is specifically holding you back. If you feel nervous about a procedure or medical stuff generally, talk to a friend who’s had the same thing done, or ask your spouse or friend to go to an appointment with you. If you need to find a provider, I like to start with asking for personal recommendations. Finally, please don’t let this list overwhelm you if you see many things you aren’t doing. Pick one thing and do that. You can build from there, and sometimes one positive health change or practice will motivate you to do another.

Here’s something else I’m trying to do: align all my annual exams to be over two days each year. I’m trying to do this in mid-September each year. Appointments can disrupt your day and week, so instead of having them sprinkled throughout the year, I’m trying to corral them across just two days. This way, I can also have scheduling reminders on my calendar weeks (or months for some providers) ahead of time to ensure I get these days. It can take a couple years to shift an annual appointment but working towards this consolidation brings me planning joy, and it’s easier to keep track of my annual appointments too.

That’s my list, and my advice! What am I forgetting? What’s on your list or do you need a friendly nudge on anything? I am cheering for you!