{"id":12018,"date":"2019-12-30T01:42:58","date_gmt":"2019-12-30T06:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/macarthurmedi1.wpengine.com\/?p=12018"},"modified":"2019-12-30T01:42:58","modified_gmt":"2019-12-30T06:42:58","slug":"2020-commitment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/blog\/2019\/12\/30\/2020-commitment\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Tips for Becoming the Healthiest YOU in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Health screening guidelines we can all use.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Make a 2020 commitment to a better and healthier YOU. Many of us put off our self-care. We prioritize work, family, and other obligations before taking care of ourselves. Make 2020 different.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Here is a basic health screening checklist you can use as a guide to optimizing your health. We want you to lead a longer and healthier life. This list should be used as a discussion guide between you and your primary care physician as recommendations will vary with age and other risk factors.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Schedule a routine physical exam<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Find out your body mass index: Work with your doctor to determine a goal. Weight management is a challenge but<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/healthier-life-style\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a key step to living healthy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Blood pressure evaluation: Get your blood pressure checked. Current recommendations are for tight blood pressure control and early intervention.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/mammogram-why-should-i-get-one\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Breast cancer screening<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Get your mammogram updated. Recommendations for women are to start annually at age 40 or sooner if there is a family history.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/male-mammogram\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Men with a family history or a breast mass<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> may also need screening.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/portfolio\/colonoscopy\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Colorectal cancer screening<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Colonoscopy once every ten years starting at age 50. African Americans should begin at age 45. Anyone with a family history may need to commence screening earlier.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/specialties\/obstetrics-gynecology\/gynecology\/pap-smears\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cervical cancer screening<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/what-exactly-is-a-pap-smear-checking-for\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pap smears<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and pelvic exams should start at age 21 until 66.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cholesterol analysis: recommendations vary by age, weight, and medical conditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diabetes screening: recommendations vary by age, weight, and medical conditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Update your vaccinations. You can check the recommendations for your age group on the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vaccines\/schedules\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> CDC vaccine schedule<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/flu-shot-saves-lives\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Flu shots<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> should be done every year. The<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/qa-with-dr-adriana-lopez\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">HPV vaccine<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is now recommended for those age 9\u201345.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Exercise 30 minutes a day.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/making-a-change\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We all make excuses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, but daily exercise is crucial to our health.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meditate at least 5 min a day. Try<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2XKohQK\"> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Headspace<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> if you are new to the idea of Mindfulness.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eye exam: Protect your eyes and get them tested.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dental exam: Dental hygiene has an impact on your overall health beyond clean and pretty teeth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Assess your bad habits:<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/vaping-e-cigarettes-teens\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Quit smoking<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and assess your alcohol intake. If you use any drugs, be open and honest with your doctor to ask for help.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/specialties\/obstetrics-gynecology\/#sexually-transmitted-infections\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sexually transmitted infection testing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: If you are sexually active, then get tested. Help protect yourself and others. STIs are common, and anyone<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/specialties\/obstetrics-gynecology\/sexually-transmitted-diseases\/chlamydia-trachomatis\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sexually active is at risk<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Bone density testing: Start at age 65 or sooner if risk factors for osteoporosis are present.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mental health assessment: Ask for depression screening. Be open and honest about any issues with which you are struggling. Never be afraid to ask about Postpartum depression. Many of us struggle with<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/seven-ways-to-fall-asleep-faster\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">insomnia<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Your doctor can help, but you must share your concerns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Testicular and prostate screening: Men need to discuss the recommendations for screening with their doctor.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/specialties\/obstetrics-gynecology\/#birth-control-options\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Family planning<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: If you plan to get pregnant, start taking a Prenatal Vitamin daily. If you are sexually active and do not want to be pregnant, then come in for a visit to discuss your birth control options.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/prevent-pregnancy\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Be pregnant when you are ready.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nutrition assessment: Evaluate your diet and find areas to improve. Some may want to lose weight, while others may need to gain weight. Many of us simply want to feel better. Improving our diet is crucial.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #000080\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Thank you to <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/live-your-life-on-purpose\">Live Your Life on Purpose<\/a> for publishing this a article on <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/live-your-life-on-purpose\/20-tips-for-becoming-the-healthiest-you-in-2020-287d955861e4?source=friends_link&amp;sk=08c4fcb6b9ae82b03057161c984fa2c1\">Medium<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Blog Author: Dr. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/macarthurmc.com\/dr-jeff-livingston\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jeff Livingston\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Main Blog Photo By:\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"bx ge gf gg gh gi\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@jtylernix?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Tyler Nix<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0<a class=\"bx ge gf gg gh gi\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@drjefflivingston\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-14705\" src=\"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Medium.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"477\" height=\"104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Medium.png 1043w, https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Medium-300x66.png 300w, https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Medium-1024x224.png 1024w, https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Medium-768x168.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 477px) 100vw, 477px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Health screening guidelines we can all use.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12019,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[129,130,131],"class_list":["post-12018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jeff-livingston","tag-health","tag-new-year-resolution","tag-personal-growth","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}