Well it turns out that there’s plenty we can look out for to get clues as to when we have any, even minor health issues.

Our bodies are incredible things – they are complex, sophisticated and nuanced. When you really get down to it, pretty impressive bits of kit we have. So why not try and understand them a little better, respect them, listen to them and ultimately look after them? Obviously the pay-off is huge.

Perhaps now more than ever on this Covid-ravaged Earth, it is a good time to empower ourselves to take a little more responsibility for monitoring and looking after our own health.

I’ve written before about diet, mindfulness, psychology… and I’ve often wondered myself whether there are more ways we can self-diagnose our own health, like a regular MOT we could take ourselves. Years ago when I was working and had private health care, I used to go every year for a ‘Well Man’ test. I really liked the idea of getting the all clear in this test and some feedback in the form of a fancy report telling me exactly where I was on some key health indicators.

How much of that can we do for ourselves?

Maybe not the full suite of info but there are actually quite a lot of things we can check very easily, quickly and any time we want for absolutely free, no cost except a few minutes of our time. Here are a bunch of easy checks you can do and why you should do them:

1. Stamina/Lung Capacity Check

Get yourself into a comfortable seating position. Relax. Once you are happy that you are comfortable and relaxed, grab something with a second hand or a timer. Breathing normally, count how many breaths you take in a minute. Your lungs are working well if the number is between 12 and 18. Much more than that (say, 25+ breaths per minute) and this is a sure sign that you need to up your level of cardio exercise.

2. Weight Fluctuation Check

Paying attention specifically to fluctuations or unexplained weight gain or weight loss can also signal a major issue with your health. Don’t ignore such fluctuations. Unexpectedly losing a lot of weight can signify cancer, hyperthyroidism, autoimmune diseases, chronic diseases, and depression. Unexpectedly gaining a lot of weight however can signify hypothyroidism, adrenal disorders like Cushing’s syndrome, fluid retention as in congestive heart failure or renal disease, and pregnancy.

3. Thyroid Check

Believe it or not, Thyroid problems are thought to affect up to a startling 50% of us. If you find yourself feeling tired, cold and depressed, it could be that your thyroid hormones may be a little out of sync. Ask your body and it will give you a clue. Record your underarm temperature over a period of several days and note down the figures. Between 36.5 and 36.8 degrees celsius you are working well – higher or lower and your body is trying to flag a problem.

4. Cardiovascular Check #1

We all know that taking the stairs is much healthier than taking an elevator, but did you know it is one of the things that many heart doctors swear by and do themselves to protect their own hearts? Your fitness level on the stairs can also be used to detect whether cardiovascular problems may be already present. Walk up one flight of stairs while talking or singing a simple song like “The Wheels on the Bus” If you get so winded you can’t talk or sing, or feel a tightening in your chest, see your doctor. This test doesn’t only tell us how well the heart is functioning but also how well the lungs are. Getting out of breath easily could also indicate asthma, bronchitis, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

5. Dehydration Check

Pay attention to the colour of your urine. A urine colour darker than light yellow could signify that you are dehydrated. Obviously you can also pay attention yourself to your daily activities and the weather. Hotter weather means you should be taking in more fluids as does more exercise.

6. Sleep Test #1

This one is *very* simple. We all need sleep. Good quality sleep that is. There are plenty of devices out there to check this and tell us how many hours of sleep we get every night. We need 7-8 hours of sleep, much less and we are depriving ourselves of key restorative time and much more and we are probably over sleeping. Keep track of how many hours sleep you are getting every night, of the quality of that sleep and make sure you are getting enough. In case you can’t sleep at least rest during those hours, your body needs it.

7. Balance Check

Balance is actually a pretty good measure of your overall wellness. Balancing with your eyes closed is difficult but most healthy people should be able to balance with their eyes open without any issues. Here is a simple way to check that: Time yourself as you stand on one leg with your eyes open. Hold this position for up to 60 seconds. If you wobble after just 20, you could possibly be at risk for future brain problems. In a Japanese study published in the journal ‘Stroke’, 30 percent of older adults who couldn’t balance for this long had microbleeds in the brain. These tiny drops of blood in the brain leaked from vessels are only detectable through MRI and are an early indication of risk for stroke or dementia. While these bleeds are a warning sign of bigger brain problems to come, they have an immediate impact on balance as well as a person’s memory and decision-making.

8. Fibre Check

Monitor your trips to the loo. You should be moving your bowels about once every 24 hours – anything less could indicate you have insufficient fibre in your diet.

9. Environment Check

Whilst we are going through all of these DIY checks, we must not forget one of the most important of all is not only your body but the environment in which you place your body – i.e. your home. Check your surroundings — this alone could indicate health issues and even save your life. To live a healthier lifestyle, it is extremely important to maintain a healthy home and be aware of toxins and other irritants that can exist in your living space. If you notice headaches, congestion, respiratory irritation, asthma, or allergies, you should have your home tested for mold, allergens, and chemicals. Molds, for example, can produce spores, mycotoxins, and MVOCs (chemicals produced by mold), which can give you an array of symptoms and cause you to feel unwell.

10. Abdominal Fat Check

Divide your waist measurement by the distance around your hips. Anything over 0.85 indicates high levels of abdominal fat – the type most hazardous to your health.

11. Skin Check

Get into a regular habit of checking your skin at least once a month to look for changing moles or non-healing lesions. The only healthy tan, is the tan you were born with. Tanning is actually damaging your skin with the sun’s radiation. A melanoma, which can be fatal, may begin as something so seemingly innocent as a slightly darkened mole, so a simple self-exam of the skin can alert you that you need to go to a dermatologist for a full screening. You should know the difference between skin spots in order to find potentially dangerous diseases like skin cancer. An easy way to decipher if a mole on your body is normal or potentially harmful is to use the ABCDEs. This handy American Academy of Dermatology method, which stands for asymmetry, border, color, diameter, and evolving, will help you determine if you should schedule a screening with a dermatologist. When observing a mole on your skin the first thing you want to look at is its shape. Is the mole asymmetrical? If both halves are the same, it’s probably fine. Next, an atypical mole will not have a defined border. If yours looks irregular, get it checked. Notice if the colour of the mole is all one shade or if it varies. A healthy spot will be one consistent colour. The diameter of melanoma [skin cancer] is usually greater than 6 millimetres, or the size of a pencil eraser. Finally, is your mole evolving in size and/or shape? If so, have it checked by a medical professional.

12. Cholesterol Check

Look closely at your iris – a white line around the outside could indicate high cholesterol.

13. Digestion Check

Much of your health and wellbeing relies on the ability of your gut to digest what you eat. If your digestion isn’t working properly you won’t absorb all the goodness from your food. Bloating, intolerances and discomfort after eating could all be signs that your gut health is in poor shape. To check your stomach acid is at a healthy level, next time you feel uncomfortable after a meal take a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. If the pain goes away you may have too little stomach acid. If the pain worsens you may have too much and it would be worth seeing your GP for advice.

14. Sleep Test #2

Do you ever wake up at the same time several nights in a row? If you do, make a note of this time and look into it. Chinese medicine links different two hour periods of the day and night to the different organs in our body via the Meridian Clock – so any repeated disturbance at a given time is said to be an indicator that a certain organ is weak. For example if you wake up at 2am every morning then your liver is weak. If you wake up at 4am then it’s your lungs. I am no expert in Chinese medicine but if this happens to you then it is certainly worth investigating further as when it comes to our health, any indicators we have are potential early warning signs so therefore (in my view) worth at least consideration.

15. Cardiovascular Check #2

Sit on the floor with your back and head pressed up against a wall. Bend forward and try to touch your toes. If they’re still far, far away from your fingers, you may be at risk for cardiovascular problems. Using this test, researchers at the University of North Texas found that a flexible body may be a predictor of flexible arteries. The reverse was also true: People who were inflexible (and unable to touch their toes) had stiffer, less elastic arteries than those who were more able to bend. When arteries have some give to them, blood can flow easily. When arteries are stiff, due to inactivity or unhealthy habits like smoking, the heart must work harder to pump blood, potentially putting the body at risk for heart attack or stroke.

Final Thought

Not too shabby, eh?

Not bad for starters. If you can think of any then please do feel free to shout out in the comments below (or to comment on anything you read here). Most of these things are habits you can form fairly easily and more about being more mindful about your health and simply paying attention (which can’t be a bad thing, right?). So all good.

Habits here: Habits
Mindfulness here: Mindfulness

Now I am off to sing “The Wheels on the Bus”.