Most people do “checkups” like shopping: they pick random tests, pay, collect a file of numbers — and still miss the conditions that kill quietly. A proper annual checkup is not a receipt. It’s a risk investigation.

Start with the basics: the checks that pay for themselves

• Blood pressure: repeated readings over time.
• Weight + waist circumference: waist predicts metabolic risk.
• Blood sugar: fasting glucose and/or HbA1c based on risk.
• Lipids: cholesterol profile if at risk or age-appropriate.

On diabetes, the WHO notes prevention and delay are possible through diet, activity, healthy weight, and avoiding tobacco — but early detection is the bridge between advice and survival. Screening helps detect risk before complications arrive.

Understanding HbA1c: the 3-month report card

HbA1c reflects average blood sugar over roughly 2–3 months. International guidance commonly uses 6.5% as a diagnostic cut point for diabetes, under strict quality conditions. A single test is not the entire story, but it is an important signal in context.

What people waste money on

Many commercial “full body checkups” bundle low-value tests for everyone. The smarter route is targeted screening: choose tests based on age, family history, symptoms and lifestyle risk — and interpret them with a clinician.

Women’s essentials

• Cervical cancer screening per age and national guidance.
• Breast awareness and appropriate screening based on risk.
• Iron status if symptomatic (fatigue, heavy periods) — guided by assessment.

Men’s essentials

• Blood pressure, lipids, sugar — especially after 30.
• Prostate discussion based on age, symptoms, and family history.

What to ask your clinician (so your checkup becomes a plan)

• What is my top risk: BP, sugar, cholesterol, weight, smoking, family history?
• What three actions reduce my risk most this quarter?
• Which results need repeating, and when?
• What symptoms should trigger an earlier visit?

Bottom line: A checkup is not a ritual. It is a strategy. The goal is fewer surprises — and more years lived with strength.