Overview

Routine checkups can help you stay healthy. Your doctor has checked your overall health and may have suggested ways to take good care of yourself. Your doctor also may have recommended tests. At home, you can help prevent illness with healthy eating, regular exercise, and other steps.

How can you care for yourself at home?

• Get screening tests that you and your doctor decide on. Screening helps find diseases before any symptoms appear.
• Eat healthy foods. Choose vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods, and protein foods. Limit fat, especially saturated fat. Reduce salt in your diet.
• If you drink alcohol, try to drink less. Your risk of harm from alcohol is low if you have 2 drinks or less per week, moderate if you have 3 to 6 drinks per week, and high if you have 7 or more drinks per week.
• Try to do moderate to vigorous activity 2½ hours a week. It's fine to be active in blocks of 10 minutes or more throughout your day and week. Walking is a good choice. You also may want to do other activities, such as running, swimming, cycling, or playing tennis or team sports.
• Reach and stay at a healthy weight. This will lower your risk for many problems, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
• Do not smoke. Smoking can make health problems worse. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking programs and medicines. These can increase your chances of quitting for good.
• Care for your mental health. It is easy to get weighed down by worry and stress. Learn strategies to manage stress, like deep breathing and mindfulness, and stay connected with your family and community. If you find you often feel sad or hopeless, talk with your doctor. Treatment can help.
• Talk to your doctor about whether you have any risk factors for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). You can help prevent STIs if you wait to have sex with a new partner (or partners) until you've each been tested for STIs. It also helps if you use condoms (male or female condoms) and if you limit your sex partners to one person who only has sex with you. Vaccines are available for some STIs.
• If it's important to you to prevent pregnancy with your partner, talk with your doctor about birth control options that might be best for you.
• If you think you may have a problem with alcohol or drug use, talk to your doctor. This includes prescription medicines (such as amphetamines and opioids) and illegal drugs (such as cocaine and methamphetamine). Your doctor can help you figure out what type of treatment is best for you.
• Protect your skin from too much sun. Stay in the shade or cover up with a wide-brimmed hat and tightly-woven clothing when outdoors from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wear UV-blocking sunglasses. Put broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) on any exposed skin, even when it's cloudy.
• See a dentist one or two times a year for checkups and to have your teeth cleaned.
• Wear a seat belt in the car.