Bluecrest Senior Account Manager Will Beer shares what keeping healthy means to him this **World Health Day**. 

![will.png](https://bluecrest-strapi.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/22222_56416fb96b.jpg)

"It’s super important to me to prioritise my health and wellbeing. Not only just to maintain my health now but also to ensure that I stay healthy for the future. Coming from a sporty background playing rugby, I’ve always been actively interested in looking after my health, whether this be eating healthy and nutritious foods or regularly going to the gym and exercising. 

It's also a big thing for my mental health and I like to mix up with going to the gym sometimes before starting a working day or at the end of the day to unwind and destress. Having played rugby for 20 years, I know that it has taken a toll on my body and so it’s very key for me to remain active and stay proactive with my health so that these don’t become bigger issues when I am older.    

It's also vital for me to know what's happening inside my body and by getting a health assessment through Bluecrest I get key insights into just how well my body is functioning. I do have a family history of diseases and cancers so it gives me peace of mind in the long run to see where I stand with my current health status as the years progress."

To find out more about our packages please reach out to your Account Managers. 


Bluecrest Senior Account Manager Will Beer shares what keeping healthy means to him this World Health Day. 

Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures 

The New Year is a time when many of us set fresh resolutions. While these goals can vary widely, a significant number focus on improving health—whether it’s losing weight, getting fitter, or enhancing overall wellbeing. However, without a clear understanding of your current health status, setting realistic and achievable goals can be challenging. Undetected health issues, such as underlying conditions, nutrient deficiencies, or hormonal imbalances, may unknowingly hinder your progress.

In this blog, we’ll explore how our health assessment can provide you with crucial insights into your health, empowering you to set informed goals and stay on track with your fitness ambitions this New Year.

## What can a health assessment tell you about your health?

A private health assessment can offer vital insights into your overall health, which can be useful if you are planning to set yourself achievable New Year health and fitness goals.

### Weight, BMI and body composition

Losing weight is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, but setting meaningful weight loss goals starts with understanding where you are now. Without knowing your current weight or body composition, it’s difficult to create a plan that’s both effective and achievable.

At Bluecrest, our health assessments go beyond just measuring your weight and BMI. Using advanced body composition scans, we provide a detailed breakdown of your body’s makeup—including muscle mass, visceral fat, body water, and more. These in-depth insights empower you to set realistic, personalised weight loss targets that align with your unique body composition and health needs.

### Risk of certain health conditions

Before embarking on a new health and fitness regime, it can be useful to know if you are at heightened risk of common health conditions like heart disease or diabetes. This knowledge can help you address any issues that could be exacerbating your risk of some conditions. It could be as simple as making dietary changes to reduce your sugar or salt intake.

Knowing your risk of common health conditions can also ensure you take any necessary precautions and seek appropriate medical advice before making any changes to your diet and activity levels.

 
At Bluecrest our health assessment packages offer insights into your risk of:

- High cholesterol
- Heart disease and stroke 
- Diabetes 
- Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) – in those aged 40-79

### Blood pressure

Healthy blood pressure is essential for overall wellbeing and can prevent serious health problems. Although both high and low blood pressure can cause health problems, high blood pressure affects most adults in the UK (approximately one in three).

High blood pressure can significantly increase the risk of serious health complications, like heart attacks and strokes. However, as there are often no symptoms associated with high blood pressure, it can go unnoticed for years. This means getting your blood pressure checked regularly is essential, and it's why a blood pressure check is included as standard in all our private health assessment packages.

You can find out more about how often you should have your blood pressure checked in our [guide](https://www.bluecrestwellness.com/article/how-often-should-you-check-your-blood-pressure).

### Heart rhythm

Your heart rhythm provides vital insights into how well your heart is working and how this may affect your health and fitness goals. For example, an irregular heart rhythm can put you at increased risk of strokes as it increases your risk of blood clots.

At Bluecrest, we use an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check your heart rate, rhythm, and electrical activity over a short period.

 Learn more about how an [ECG can help show heart problems] (https://www.bluecrestwellness.com/article/will-an-ecg-show-heart-problems).  

### Key organ function

To function optimally, your body relies on key organs like the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. If any of these are not working correctly, it can affect your overall health and wellbeing, which could potentially hamper your New Year fitness goals.

With a private health assessment, you can gain insights into your kidney, heart, and liver function through a simple blood test, while your lung health can be checked using a breathing test known as spirometry.

### Bone health

Having strong and healthy bones is important as we age as our risk of developing weak, fragile bones or conditions like osteoporosis naturally increases.

Testing the levels of calcium in your blood, a mineral essential for healthy bone formation can help indicate whether you have sufficient calcium levels.

### Energy function

Sticking to your New Year's resolutions will require determination and energy to power you through the days when you don’t feel like getting active.

Having a blood test to test your energy function can be beneficial as it ensures that if you have a vitamin or mineral deficiency that may affect your energy levels, you can seek appropriate treatment.

### Immune health

Your body’s immune health is its ability to fight off infections and keep you healthy. This means making sure it’s working correctly can be vital to you reaching your health and fitness goals.

At Bluecrest, we offer an immune system health check that assesses your white blood cell count and platelet count to offer insights into your immune health.

### Hormone health

Hormones can also play a significant role in the normal functioning of our bodies. Hormonal imbalances can impact everything from your metabolism to your weight and energy levels, so getting your hormone health checked may be a vital step before setting out your New Year health and fitness goals.

We offer Advanced Menopause Profile [hormone profile packages](https://www.bluecrestwellness.com/business/packages/advanced-menopause) designed to support women by addressing their unique health needs during this important life stage. This comprehensive test measures five key hormones, providing valuable insights into hormone levels and overall health markers.

## Why is knowing more about health key to you achieving your health and fitness goals?

Now that you know a bit more about the kind of health insights private health assessments offer, it's important to consider why these insights are vital to keeping your New Year's health and fitness goals on track.

Some of the key benefits of knowing more about your health can include:

**1. Making you aware of any existing health conditions**

Knowing if you have or are at risk of certain health conditions can ensure that you adapt your health and fitness goals appropriately.

**2. Making you aware of any underlying issues**

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, or underlying conditions such as poor immune system health, can all impact your ability to achieve certain health targets. Getting insights first allows you to take appropriate action to treat any underlying issues or adapt your health goals as needed.

**3. Providing you with baseline readings**

Whether you want to lose weight, reduce your cholesterol or blood pressure, or simply improve your overall well-being, a private health assessment can provide you with baseline measurements from which to set achievable targets.

**4. Ensuring progress is trackable**

Vital health readings like your cholesterol level or blood pressure can be recorded and tracked, enabling you to see if you are making progress.

**5. Ensuring you set safe goals**

While any improvements to your health and wellbeing are a positive step, if you have existing health conditions, it’s important to discuss your health and fitness plans with your GP to ensure that your goals are safe and appropriate. Having the insights from a private healthcare assessment can help facilitate the conversation with tangible results.

## Top tips to help you stay on track on their health and fitness goals this new year

To keep your health and fitness New Year goals on track, we recommend:

**1. Set SMART Goals**

These are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. For example, instead of setting yourself the goal of losing weight, you might set yourself the goal of losing four pounds by the end of January.

**2. Break Goals into Smaller, More Achievable Steps**

For example, if you want to start following a healthier diet, you can start by introducing one or two daily changes like snacking on fruit or vegetables instead of crisps or biscuits, as this is more achievable than completely overhauling your diet at once. 

**3. Share Goals with Friends or Family**

This will help keep you accountable.

**4. Stay Flexible**

 Plans change, and life doesn’t always go to plan, so it’s important to stay flexible to keep your health and fitness goals on track.

**5. Track Progress**

This could be recording your weight loss, monitoring your fitness levels, tracking your heart rate, taking pictures of your progress, or booking a follow-up private health assessment to track any health improvements. You can do whatever works for you to help you stay on track.


The New Year is a time when many of the employees in your workforce may be thinking of setting fresh new year resolutions. While these goals can vary widely, a significant number focus on improving health—whether it’s losing weight, getting fitter, or enhancing overall wellbeing. 

How can a health assessment help with keeping your health and fitness goals on track this New Year?

Health assessments provider, Bluecrest, has expanded its offering to include a Menopause Hormone Test – and Advanced Menopause Profile – to help women understand if they are menopausal.

Broadening female health support for women, the tests are designed to support women over- 40 with suspected menopausal symptoms, and those looking to check menopausal status. 

![Dom and Martin.jpg](https://bluecrest-strapi.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Dom_and_Martin_f1dce81dda.jpg)
>"Traditionally a menopause diagnosis is based on symptoms alone. However, we know many women want to know what is happening during this time – so our tests offer further insight.  We have included a GP consultation as part of our Advanced Menopause Profile, offering women a chance to discuss their results and symptoms – to establish the right path forward”
comments Martin Thornton, Chief Medical Officer at Bluecrest.

Bluecrest’s Menopause Hormone Test looks at follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, which play a crucial role in promoting egg growth and triggering the production of oestrogen. An FSH blood test provides insights into the health of the pituitary gland – a key regulator of reproductive hormones – and can help to assess whether women may be entering menopause. The Advanced Menopause Profile looks at FSH levels, as well as oestradiol, sex hormone binding globulin, testosterone, and thyroid stimulating hormone.

More than 90% of postmenopausal women were never taught about the menopause at school, and over 60% only started looking for information about the menopause once their symptoms had started, according to a study conducted by the University College London. (1)

Thornton explains: 
>“There’s still a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation out there, and many women report feeling alone when trying to cope with difficult symptoms. Being able to take a dedicated Menopause Hormone Test could transform someone’s menopause experience.”

Dominque Kent, Bluecrest Chief Executive, comments: 
>“We are so excited to launch the new Advanced Menopause Profile, which, along with a GP consultation to discuss symptoms, can give women insight into where they are on their menopause journey. So many women confuse perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms for burnout or other lifestyle pressures and vice versa. Our Menopause Hormone Tests give women the information they need to understand what is going on for them and take action.”

Researchers also found that ~63% of participants had found the menopause either difficult or very difficult – with women describing their experiences as a “nightmare” and “awful.”1

Bluecrest’s Advanced Menopause Profile supports the understanding of specific hormone levels, and can help women in their decisions around HRT, so that they can better manage the impact of menopause on their daily lives.

Kent continues: 
>“This launch is particularly personal to me, given my own experience and that of many women around me. Menopausal symptoms can be scary when you don’t know what is going on for you. We want to be able to empower and provide data about something that happens to 50% of the population, helping women manage menopause in the best way that they can.”

With NHS waiting lists for menopause specialist guidance rising to several months, (2) the tests will allow women to have informed conversations with a GP about where they are on their menopause journey and the treatment options available to them. 


#### References
1.	UCL News. 2023. Nine in ten women were never educated about the menopause. Available at: [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/apr/nine-ten-women-were-never-educated-about-menopause](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/apr/nine-ten-women-were-never-educated-about-menopause). Accessed: December 2024
2.	iNews. Menopause care crisis revealed as women face waiting until 2025 for NHS appointments. Available at: [https://inews.co.uk/news/women-menopause-appointments-2025-2275134?srsltid=AfmBOooPb2zEiuUj238GtZCmO3pHfkaJBa5SbpBGDZYMJe1zhCL_gP6s.](https://inews.co.uk/news/women-menopause-appointments-2025-2275134?srsltid=AfmBOooPb2zEiuUj238GtZCmO3pHfkaJBa5SbpBGDZYMJe1zhCL_gP6s.) Accessed: December 2024 

Female health tests launch for women suspecting menopause 

Bluecrest introduces two new menopause hormone tests

#### A whitepaper prepared by Bluecrest Wellness 2024

This paper draws upon the results of our 2024 nationwide consumer research. This explores the latest views and opinions towards health and wellbeing. This includes the changing roles of the NHS, employers and individuals in taking proactive, preventative action to live well, work well and stay well.

Bluecrest commissioned Find Out Now to interview 2,502 adults from 22nd to 28th March 2024, and produced a nationally representative sample of 2,009 respondents, including 1,437 in employment. 

Addressing the challenges highlighted in this white paper requires a multifaceted approach involving collaboration between healthcare providers, individuals, and businesses. Investing in prevention, promoting early detection, and fostering a culture of wellbeing in the workplace are essential steps towards improving overall health outcomes and reducing the burden on healthcare systems and businesses alike.

Key findings:

1. **NHS concerns and trust**

Despite widespread worries about the NHS’s capacity to provide timely support, there remains a strong level of trust in the institution. However, pre-diagnosis support and long waiting lists for diagnosis and treatment are significant concerns among the populace.

2. **Prevention gap and missed opportunities**

The impact of COVID-19 on healthcare has led to missed screenings and appointments, potentially resulting in delayed diagnoses. There is a worrying trend of people hesitating to seek medical attention, leading to a potential gap in prevention and early detection of chronic diseases.

3. **Individual investment in health**

Individuals are increasingly willing and actively taking preventative steps to improving their long-term health. Health-related expenditures, particularly among women, reflects a growing consciousness about prevention and self-care.

4. **Interest in health assessments**

There is substantial interest in health assessments among the population, driven by the desire for peace of mind and early identification of health risks. Common areas of interest include cancer risk, heart health, and overall physical wellbeing.

5. **Workplace wellbeing and prevention**

Businesses play a pivotal role in promoting employee health and wellbeing. There is a strong demand for services in the workplace that enable the working well, healthy employees, to take control of their health, before they get ill, with financial support from employers being a significant motivating factor.

**[Read the full report here](https://bluecrest-strapi.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Reba_Whitepaper_Digital_1_be18ce87a5.pdf)**

_**Enhance your organisation's health and wellbeing strategy with our comprehensive health checks. Book a meeting with us today to explore how our services can bridge the gap in your current wellbeing initiatives, providing the essential preventive measures your business needs.**_

_**Request your information pack now and discover the transformative impact we can have on your workplace wellbeing. Email: businessdevelopment@bluecrestwellness.com**_

A whitepaper prepared by Bluecrest Wellness 2024

Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures

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How can a health assessment help with keeping your health and fitness goals on track this New Year?

Bluecrest introduces two new menopause hormone tests

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