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Lifescripts

Lifescripts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patient brochure

Information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Lifescripts and the adult health check - keeping you healthy.

Lifescripts and the adult health check - keeping you healthy (PDF 84 KB)

Hard copies of this document can be ordered from National Mailing and Marketing - see Lifescripts order forms.

html version of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patient brochure

Talk with your health worker or GP about how they can help to keep you healthy.

Being healthy isn't only about feeling well or not being sick. If you are healthy it means that you can have a good time and do the things that really matter to you and your family.

So getting an adult health check is important. You don't want to wait until you are really sick before you see a health worker or doctor. Getting a check early will also stop you from getting sick later on. It will help you live longer.

Sometimes the things that we do or don't do make a real difference to our health. Throwing away the smokes, getting healthy feeds, cutting down on the grog, getting a bit of exercise and watching the weight can stop us getting sick, keep us healthy and even help us get better quicker.

Its worth it to make a few changes.

By throwing away the smokes, you will be able to breathe better, feel stronger and you won't get 'short wind'. You have less chance of getting sick later on with your heart, cancer or diabetes. It will also save you heaps of money.

A healthy feed or good tucker means eating lots of vegetables and fruit, drinking water and not eating too much sugar, salt and fat. Doing this will help stop you getting problems with diabetes, your heart and cancer.

Lots of us like a drink. Drinking too much grog at once or drinking too much grog too often can make you sick, cause accidents and cause trouble for you. You might want to stop drinking or choose to just drink a bit of grog every now and then.

Making sure that you keep active and on the move will cut down your chance of diabetes, some cancers, stroke and heart problems. It can also help with your emotional and spiritual wellbeing. It's good to do something every day even for just 30 minutes. It's easier when it's something you like doing.

If you are overweight then it's more likely you will get sick with diabetes, heart problems and other sickness that lasts a long time. Having healthy feeds and going for a bit of a walk will make you feel better and keep the weight down.

The team from your health service can help you:

• Use your health check information to work out if you might get sick or how you can get better quicker
• Change some of the things you are doing to help stop you getting sick or help you get better
• Work out how to make some changes that suit you and that you want to do
• Make sure that you know what to do and you have some help to do it
• Find other people and services who can help you

This service is part of Lifescripts, a national program to keep you healthy. Talk to us about how you can stop from getting sick or get better quicker.

Page last reviewed: 18 March 2011