Where are you physically? Do you have goals for your physical well-being? Do you have a trim, toned body that serves you well, or are you huffing and puffing after one flight of stairs? Do you get home at the end of the work day feeling like you’ve got a lot more day to go, or do you park yourself in front of the couch starting at around 7 p.m., for an extended couch potato session?

Regardless of your age and level of fitness, the first order of business for you when it comes to setting and reaching physical goals is to get a comprehensive health checkup. If you’re between 20 and 35, and you haven’t received a complete physical exam recently, it’s probably no big deal. Don’t delay, however, get a checkup within the next month. If you’re 40 or over, and you haven’t had a checkup for a while, schedule one for the next week or as soon as possible. Why? You need a baseline from which to begin and the information generated is so basic and so vital, that it is unwise to go much longer without it.

Are You Under or Over age 40?

For those under 40, many texts advise that a checkup every five years or so should be adequate. For those over 40 and certainly over 45, an annual checkup is just about mandatory. For women, obvious concerns regarding breast and ovarian cancer and for men, concern about prostate cancer, as well as a host of other concerns for both sexes all but necessitate a visit to a doctor’s office, clinic, or HMO.

A blood test is certainly a standard procedure for such a checkup. Miraculously, blood tests reveal so much, and all you do is suffer a pin prick for a couple seconds. Also, make sure that the exam that you get is the comprehensive type with a treadmill so that your doctor or health care provider has a more well rounded view of the state of your physical being.

An Operating Plan

Based on the results of your test, you’ll have an operating game plan as to which are the most appropriate goals to set regarding your physical well-being. If you have too much of the bad cholesterol, then a change of diet is in order. If your lungs are polluted because you’ve been whacking down cigarettes for the last 15 years, I’m not even going to spend another sentence attempting to convince you that you need to have a serious dialog with yourself about what you’re doing to your body and your overall well-being.

Checking Out Yourself

In addition to having a comprehensive physical checkup, at any time along your life’s trail, and at least on a monthly basis, check yourself out as well. This is more mental than physical, but it aids in your physical well being enormously. Sit in a comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed. Then, starting at the top of your head, working all the way down to your toes, think about each area of your body, and how it is functioning.

• At the top of your head for example, are you experiencing any pressures or pains right now?
• Do you experience frequent headaches at work, or after work?
• How about dizziness?

Make Notes!

Keep a pen and paper nearby so you can mark down anything you notice during this mental inventory of your physical well being. While some aspects of this mental checkup may seem obvious, too often, in this rush, rush world, you may forget about, or worse, ignore minor ailments or physical irregularities and later find that the situation has escalated into something of greater concern.

• Moving down your body, your forehead, do you feel pressure, perhaps sinus pressure?
• Are your eyes clear and white or tired and red?
• Are you breathing easy or are you congested?
• Do you feel any tension in your jaw or mouth area?
• Is your neck area tight?
• If you work at a desk with a PC, chances are the back of your neck is as taut as a piano wire. The same may be likely for the inverted Y that starts at the back of your neck and extends out to each shoulder.
• Do you feel any tension in your upper back?
• How about any pain in your lower back?
• On the front side, are you breathing easily or is your chest constricted?

How about your stomach area? More than 30 million people in America alone suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (And why not, with all those pepperoni pizzas?). Moving down to the hip, buttocks, and shall I say, private areas, do you have any unusual feelings or sensations? Any pains or issues over which you may have concern?

Think about your thighs, knees, calves, shins, and ankles. Any soreness, any aches or pains? Move all the way down to your feet, including your heels, your arch, and the tips of your toes. Once again, mark down anything that seems even a tad out of the ordinary. Now, do one more sweep based on observable characteristics. Any rashes, discolorations, apparent bruises, red or purple blotches, or sores that haven’t healed and so on?

Essentially you’ve completed a mini-inventory that will have great value when you bring it in to your doctor at checkups or other times. After all, it’s so easy to be focused on some acute physical disturbance, while letting longer term less insidious experiences fall by the wayside.

Rounding Out Your Activities?

While you’re in this physical inspection mode, make an appointment with your eye doctor, if you haven’t done so recently, and then do the same with your dentist. Pay the extra amount to have the complete checkups done so that when you leave, you know all you can about your physical condition. With your eye doctor, get the glaucoma test, with your dentist, get the oral cancer test, and, unlike other visits, spend a few extra minutes talking with your doctors as to what you may need to be doing between visits, given your age and overall health.

By having yourself checked out, you are on your way to achieving your physical goals. Now you will be ready to hoist yourself off the couch and start exercising!