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We live longer today, but our modern lifestyle also makes us more sedentary, more stressed and more vulnerable to lifestyle-related diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and hormonal imbalances. Staying healthy over time is not just luck – it requires good nutrition, regular exercise and adequate sleep.
At the same time, many health problems develop slowly and without symptoms. That is why preventive health checks are becoming increasingly important. By regularly monitoring blood values, blood pressure, ECG and other markers, you can detect risks early and make changes before problems arise.
In short: yes, we are healthier today, but long-term health requires conscious choices and that we monitor our health over time – not just when something feels wrong.
We are more sedentary, eat more energy-dense foods, sleep less and are exposed to higher levels of stress. The result is that many of today's biggest health problems are not infectious diseases but lifestyle-related conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, hormonal imbalances and mental illness. This means that the question of "healthier" is not entirely simple. On paper, we have better conditions than ever, but staying healthy over time requires more conscious choices than before. And here exercise, diet and sleep play a greater role than ever. Exercise is one of the most protective factors we know of for both the body and the brain. Diet affects everything from inflammation to hormone balance. Sleep is the foundation where everything recovers, the immune system, emotional regulation and metabolism.
At the same time, a fourth key is emerging: prevention. Today's healthcare is still largely reactive, people simply seek help when symptoms are already present. But much of the ill health people experience today develops slowly, silently and without clear symptoms. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to get health checks that are not about illness, but about understanding the body in time.
Preventive health check
More and more people are therefore asking whether we should have broader and more regular health checks as a natural part of life, even when we feel completely healthy. In today's healthcare system, most people only get tested when symptoms have become so obvious that they interfere with everyday life. But many of the most common health problems develop slowly, often over several years without the body giving off any clear signals. Here, a general health check can play a crucial role, especially when comparing over time. By annually monitoring around 50 key blood markers, such as blood fats, blood sugar, liver and kidney values, hormones, vitamins, minerals and inflammation levels, you get a unique opportunity to understand your health in depth rather than just reacting to symptoms.
With regular check-ups, it is possible to identify small but significant changes over time: rising cholesterol, declining insulin sensitivity, hormonal imbalances, recurring vitamin deficiencies or signs of long-term stress. These are changes that often go unnoticed in everyday life but that clearly affect the risk of future illness. Many critics believe that broad health checks can create concern, but experience shows that it more often leads to increased security, better lifestyle decisions and early intervention when something starts to deviate. Furthermore, it is the trends over time, rather than the individual test result, that provide the greatest medical benefit. When you follow your body on an annual basis, it becomes easier to understand what is normal for you – and when something has actually changed.
Prevention as the healthcare model of the future
Health checks are often supplemented by other preventive methods such as blood pressure checks, ECGs and, in some cases, MRIs. Together, they provide a holistic picture of the body and make it possible to detect risk factors before they turn into actual illness. In a society where more people are living longer and where chronic diseases are increasing, this is one of the most effective ways to relieve the burden on healthcare and at the same time increase people's quality of life.
Prevention is fundamentally about taking responsibility for your health and giving yourself the best possible conditions for a long and healthy life. The combination of regular physical activity, a nutritious diet, good sleep and well-balanced health checks means that many health problems never need to arise. These methods make it possible to act early, adjust lifestyle, start treatment or simply confirm that the body is feeling well.
So – are we healthier today?
Overall, the answer is yes. We are living longer than ever before and have more healthy years of life. At the same time, a larger and older population means that the need for long-term health and effective preventive care is greater than ever. We need to care for our elderly for longer, and more people are living with chronic lifestyle-related conditions that require follow-up over time.
This means that perhaps more than any generation before us, we need to think long-term about our health. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, good sleep and modern preventive health checks give us the opportunity to not only live long but also live well, with more strong and healthy years.
