By Sheila Kun RN, BA, BSN, MS

How do we judge how healthy are we? I have my own “check list” that I want to share with you. There is no scientific evidence of how I measure my health status, but just a practical way to assess my health status in general. My engineering friends have shown me that a quick way to get things done is by designing a comprehensive check list. So, here we go, the Kun’s check list on how healthy you are. I use the acronym ABCDES for my check list.

A	Annual Body-Check	It is essential that you have a regular physical check up to monitor your health status. I have seen examples of people not paying attention to this routine and get caught: i.e., not knowing that he has diabetes until he strokes out.
B	Basic daily functions/blood sugar/blood pressure	It is essential that you have a regular physical check up to monitor your health status. I have seen examples of people not paying attention to this routine and get caught: i.e., not knowing that he has diabetes until he strokes out.
C	Cholesterol/cognitive functions	Is my cholesterol under control? Do I need help with adhering to daily routines? Do I know dates and time? Am I forgetful? Can I put a simple task together without missing key steps?
D	Diet Control	Under this category, attention is paid to nutrition, food choices and weight. As you know, obesity is the source of many health problems. Keeping your weight and diet under control is a key to better health.
E	Exercise/Emotional stability	I cannot stress enough the importance of exercise and activities to your health. In our previous posting, we have talked about exercises for different age groups. Regardless of the exact type and hours of exercise, it is critical that you take this “E” seriously – inactivity kills! Your emotion impacts on every aspect of your health. Maintaining your mental health is a good first step to judge the rest of your bodily functions.
S	Sleep/Stress reduction	We all know from animal experiments that when a mouse is deprived of sleep, the outcome is death. Hormonal regulations, mental rest and other still unknown benefits come from a good night sleep. Don’t wake up without a good one! Stress at work and in your daily life is an everyday occurrence. You need to develop a strategy of how to manage your stress. Especially for seniors – we don’t have time to worry about petty things!
?	Others?	I leave this blank for you to think about what might be important for you personally to include in your health check list.

How did you score on your health check list? Your homework from the Care Ministry this week: do an inventory of your health status. Love to hear from you: kunlouis@gmail.com