Questionnaire: Do I Have a Healthy Lifestyle?

There's often so much going on in an average day that it's hard to stop and think, so it's easy for a few bad habits to slip into everyone's daily routines.

But when do bad habits cross the line into unhealthy lifestyles? The answer to this will be different for each teen, but there are some standard areas in which all teens can develop healthy lifestyles.

Sleep, diet, exercise, dental hygiene, emotional health, sexual health, alcohol and drugs are just a few of the issues that teens must contend with, and focus on in order to develop their own healthy lifestyles.

We've put together this questionnaire to help teens figure out where their good and bad habits tend to cluster. Simply answer "yes" or "no" to each question and add up your answers to find out if you have a healthy lifestyle.

Questionniare

1. Do you sleep for about eight hours per night?
2. Do you go to sleep easily and sleep through the night?
3. Do you eat at least five fruits and vegetables each day?
4. Do you limit the amount of sugar and salt in your diet?
5. Do you stay away from cigarettes and other tobacco products?
6. Do you avoid alcohol and drugs?
7. Do you get at least thirty minutes of exercise or activity each day?
8. Do you brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day?
9. Do you see a dentist and GP regularly if you feel something is wrong?
10. Do you usually feel that you can manage all of the tasks required of you in a given day?
11. Do you have family and friends ready to help and support you if needed?
12. Do you feel comfortable and practice safer sex in intimate relationships?

Do You Have a Healthy Lifestyle?

If you answered "yes" to between one and four questions then you have a lot of room for improvement in your lifestyle. Look at the pattern of your answers to find out where you are not concentrating on good health. If you feel unable to make changes yourself, ask an adult or professional to help you.

Visit your local library for more information, or scour the Internet for sites that you trust and implement some of their tips. But make changes soon, before your unhealthy lifestyle has any lasting consequences.

If you answered "yes" to between five and eight questions then you have a fairly healthy lifestyle. However, you can never take your good health too seriously. Try to target a few areas in which you can improve and think up a few easy changes that you can make in your daily life. It may be as easy as going to bed an hour earlier or switching from candy to fruit as your afternoon snack. Whatever it is, dedicate yourself to making changes and celebrate when you do!

If you answered "yes" to nine or more of these questions then you have a healthy lifestyle. For optimal health, work on any topic to which you answered "no". Lucky for you there does not seem to be many areas on which to concentrate. But while you obviously take care of yourself well, for the brightest future you must look after all areas of your physical and emotional health. If you find that you are unable to identify areas of change yourself, consider asking a trusted adult or a health professional for guidance.