Knowing the top behaviors you can adopt right now to improve your personal health can increase your longevity.

While you’re living for today, don’t forget about tomorrow. There may be hidden obstacles blocking your path to a happy, healthy future— obstacles you’ll want to avoid, such as heart disease, diabetes, or lung cancer, to name a few.

“If you knew there was a huge pile of sharp nails that had fallen off a truck onto the road ahead, would you continue or follow a different route to prevent a blowout? Naturally you’d take corrective action to avoid possible flat tires,” says Bill Hettler, M.D., director of the University Health Service at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and cofounder and president of the board of directors of the National Wellness Institute. “So, what if you knew there were some preventable health risks out there in your future? It would be prudent to know what they are so you could avoid them, if possible, or at least catch them early to avoid a lot of damage.”

Uncovering Your Risks
Many people remain entirely unaware of their personal health risks until they’re already well on their way toward diabetes, heart disease, or another chronic illness. That’s where a health risk appraisal, or HRA, comes in handy—it can give a warning when there’s still time for prevention.

An HRA is a questionnaire that asks you about things such as your diet, smoking, and exercise habits; your family history of cancer or heart disease; or other measures. Based on your input, it may assign you a “health age” to compare with your real age; point out how your health risks compare with those of others of your gender and age group; or offer targeted practical advice for avoiding your biggest risks.

You can participate in an HRA offered by your employer or you can take a free appraisal right away at any of several Internet sites (see “Free Online Appraisals” below).

For a Smoother Road Ahead
Knowing your personal risks can be just what’s needed to inspire you to make positive changes, Hettler notes. “At the very least, you can ask: Is there something I could do that could detect this early? Are there behaviors I could adopt to avoid it completely?”

Examples of important controllable health risks include:

A high body mass index (BMI). Your BMI is calculated based on your current height and weight. If you’re overweight, losing as little as 10 percent of your current weight can reduce your risk for many obesity-related diseases, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.

Physical inactivity. By engaging in at least 30 minutes of vigorous activity five or more days a week, you can reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes and certain cancers, strengthen your heart, and support your bones. It also can help you lose weight.

“There needs to be a balance between how many calories you consume and how many you burn through physical activity,” Hettler explains. “You may be consuming four miles a day worth of food, and only walking one mile a day.”

Tobacco use. Smoking is the leading cause of death in the U.S. It increases your risk for lung disease, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other serious ailments. No matter what your age, quitting smoking can lower many of these increased risks.

Excessive use of alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol over time can raise your risk for colon cancer, breast cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, and bone loss.

An unhealthy diet. Over time, eating an unhealthy diet can raise your risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic illnesses.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar. If your numbers are in the unhealthy range, lifestyle changes or medications can help bring them under control.

Time to Take Action
Whether you learn your health risks from taking an HRA or visiting your physician, Hettler stresses that the next step is up to you.

Hettler recalls a cartoon showing a man looking in the mirror and saying to himself: “If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”

“You may go to the best doctor in the world,” he says, “but your doctor isn’t going to do anything to change your risks; you’re the only one who can do that.”

Free Online Appraisals

• Your Disease Risk offers a variety of separate health risk assessments that are clear and comprehensive, easy to use, and informative. Developed by the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention, this Web site can tell your personal risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and osteoporosis, as well as 12 different cancers. Included is plenty of helpful advice for lowering your risks. Visit www.yourdiseaserisk.com.
• The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point offers three free online health risk assessments—visit http://wellness.uwsp.edu and click on “Other Services.”
  • Lifescan gives a quick, overall appraisal of your health risks.
  • LiveWell is a holistic assessment of six dimensions of wellness: physical, spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, and occupational.
  • Stress Assess helps you evaluate and address the sources of stress in your life.
• The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute automatically calculates your body mass index—just plug in your height and weight. Visit http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi.

Polly Turner spoke with Bill Hettler, M.D., director of the University Health Service at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and cofounder and president of the board of directors of the National Wellness Institute.

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