Becoming aware of your health can be one of the most important discoveries you will make. This awareness will help you identify your personal needs for optimal health and assist you in making choices on how to improve your overall health and well-being. Good health offers vitality and the opportunity to enjoy the special moments in life that you share with family and friends.

One tool to help you get started down a healthier path is the Stanford Health and Lifestyle Assessment (SHALA). SHALA is an online survey that gauges one’s habits, attitudes and readiness for change. The results of your SHALA survey can be a valuable starting point for a conversation with friends, family and wellness providers like the Suffolk Family YMCA around good health and individual obstacles, desires and successes. We encourage you to take SHALA and bring your summary support to the Suffolk Family YMCA to learn how the YMCA can support you in making healthy changes.

The Stanford Health and Lifestyle Assessment (SHALA) takes only 15 – 20 minutes to complete online and provides you with immediate, personal feedback in a Health Education Report. The report includes information on your health status and risks, with action-focused tips and relevant resources to assist you. SHALA assesses individuals’ biometric risk factors for diseases such as type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease; lifestyle behaviors around physical activity, eating habits, stress management, alcohol consumption and tobacco use; and respondents’ readiness for making a lifestyle change based on objectives put forth by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. In the end, SHALA will provide you with health behavior targets you can set for yourself to reduce your risk and improve your health.

So to review: why should you take SHALA – the Stanford Health and Lifestyle Assessment? Because it:

4Helps you identify potential health risks.

4Helps you in deciding which YMCA programs, services and activities may be appropriate to your needs and wants.

4Provides immediate results through a simple on-line process.

4Is completely confidential. Your individual results are not shared with anyone.

To get started now, visit http://stanfordhealthimprovement.org/activate_america.