Sure, plenty of us like to put some goals on the calendar for the new year that often include working out more, eating more nutritious food, and trying to get back into that favorite pair of jeans after all the delicious celebrating of the Christmas season.
But do you actually have a good picture of where your health is at as we head into the last weeks of 2025?
Getting an overall snapshot of your health doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some simple but important measures for you to assess how you’re doing today, which can help you set your health intentions for tomorrow:
🩺 Blood pressure check. This can be as simple as running to your local drug store and using their blood pressure machine to get a read on how you’re doing. There are also numerous affordable home units available. It may take you a bit to master using these at home, but when you do, you’ll be able to keep a watch on this important health marker and contact your health provider if you see any concerning changes. (You can learn more about your optimal blood pressure numbers for your age and gender here.)
💉 Cholesterol and lipid panel. While researchers are modifying some of the numbers and ratios around what are considered good levels on this easy blood test, the information still helps indicate your overall heart health. If you’re a Member of Altrua HealthShare, you can easily schedule a cholesterol and lipid panel with our partner friends at Grassroots Labs.
🧁 Blood sugar and insulin levels. The more scientists study inflammation and blood sugar levels in the body, the more weight is put on the importance of knowing your numbers early. A blood draw to look at your blood sugar levels can be done easily in your provider’s office or lab. There are also many at-home units that can give you a more detailed look at your blood sugar over time, allowing you to talk with your provider sooner if you see rising levels.
♀️♂️Hormone panels. Are you hitting some bigger birthdays and feeling a little more…bleh? It could be helpful to know what your hormone levels are. For women, hormone panels can help with understanding possible perimenopausal symptoms, and for men, hormone panels can help point out drops in important testosterone levels. Many optimized hormone clinics offer these types of tests, as do general health providers. The more information you have on your hormone levels, the better you’ll be able to respond with protocols that can help provide relief from menopausal symptoms and other hormone-related issues.
⚖️ Weight and body mass. Sure, getting on the scale isn’t always the most fun, particularly in the midst of a holiday season. But knowing your weight, particularly in conjunction with your height, age, and gender, can be very helpful information in your overall health. You might also consider getting a BMI test, known as hydrostatic weighing, which can tell you how much of your body weight is muscle, bone, and fat, an even deeper indicator of overall health.
Getting a full snapshot of the above measures is a great way to begin to shape your health goals for 2026. Several of these can be done at home; each of these tests are minimally invasive, inexpensive, and can give you big data on how your health is doing. Knowing your numbers also gives you a way to evaluate how your health goals for the year have gone when we hit this time next year. You’ll be able to know, not just guess, if being more intentional with your eating has helped bring down your cholesterol. You’ll be able to see if your approach to stress management is dropping your blood pressure numbers. You’ll be able to measure how swapping out sugar for better nutrition has impacted your blood glucose numbers. Simple tests, important numbers, big impact.
Here’s to gathering your 2025 health numbers so you can make your 2026 number even better!