Why I Never Skip My Annual Check-Up (And Why You Shouldn’t Either)

Every year, in early fall, I book my annual physical. It’s become as important and required as paying taxes or changing the smoke-detector batteries. My family sometimes ask me about it—“You’re healthy, why bother?”—but for me it’s simple: I’d rather spend a morning in a doctor’s office than a month (or more) in a hospital later because something snuck up on me.

The real power, though, isn’t the single visit. It’s the trend line.

I keep every blood-work report. When the new results come in, I open the old ones side-by-side and look at the numbers year over year. Cholesterol, fasting glucose, PSA, liver enzymes, kidney function, thyroid, vitamin D, inflammation markers (hs-CRP), hemoglobin A1c—everything. Watching the trends is like having a dashboard for the one body I’m ever going to get.

Over the last decade the story has been mostly boring, and boring is beautiful when it comes to health. Total cholesterol drifted down a bit, HDL crept up after I started doing more zone-2 cardio, fasting glucose has stayed solidly in the low 90s, and my PSA has been rock-steady. Even better, a couple of minor yellow flags turned green because I could see them coming:

- My vitamin D was borderline low five years ago. I started supplementing and spending a little more time outside; now it sits comfortably in the mid-60s ng/mL.
- Blood pressure was creeping into pre-hypertension territory. More activity around the yard and better sleep hygiene knocked it back into the 120s/70s.

None of these were emergencies on their own, but seeing the slow drift on paper was all the motivation I needed to make small, sustainable changes before they became big problems.

At 51 now, my check-up routine is pretty dialed in. Here’s what I make sure gets done every year (men 50+—talk to your doctor, but this is my standard list):

My Annual “Over-50” Checklist
1. Full physical exam (heart, lungs, abdomen, prostate exam)
2. Blood pressure measurement (at least twice, different days if elevated)
3. Comprehensive blood panel
- CMP (liver, kidney, electrolytes)
- Lipid panel (total, LDL, HDL, triglycerides)
- Fasting glucose + hemoglobin A1c
- CBC (complete blood count)
- PSA (prostate-specific antigen)
- TSH + free T4 (thyroid)
- Vitamin D 25-hydroxy
- hs-CRP (inflammation marker)
- Homocysteine (optional but I like it)
4. Colonoscopy (every 10 years or sooner if family history/risk factors; I’m on the 10-year plan since my first at 50 was clean)
5. Skin check with a dermatologist (full body, I’ve had a couple suspicious spots removed)
6. Eye exam with pupil dilation (glaucoma risk goes up after 50)
7. Hearing test (this was a life long chronic issue)
8. Bone density scan (DEXA) – started at 50, repeat based on results/risk
9. EKG (baseline at 50, then as needed or every few years)
10. Updated vaccinations: flu, COVID booster, pneumonia (PCV20), shingles (Shingrix), Td or Tdap booster
12. Sleep apnea screening questionnaire – I still may do this but haven't yet

Some of these are once-a-decade or risk-based, but the blood work and basic physical are non-negotiable every 12 months.

The way I look at it, I spend more time maintaining my car than I do maintaining my body, and the car is replaceable. This one isn’t.

So yeah, I’ll keep blocking off that half-day every year, keep adding to my little spreadsheet of numbers, and keep making the small tweaks that (so far) have kept the big problems away. Ten years from now I want to be the guy still working in the yard not the guy wishing he’d paid a little more attention when he had the chance.

If you’re over 50 and you’ve been “too busy” for your check-up, do me a favor: book it today. Your future self will thank you, and the data you start collecting now might just be the best investment you ever make. I'd tell my kids to do the same, but start earlier.