Vaccinations aren't just for kids. Older adults should update their inoculations, including a tetanus booster every 10 years and an annual flu shot, and start new ones, like the pneumonia vaccine, that are particularly important after age 60.

Your list of recommended medical tests is about to get longer: the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says men should get their cholesterol checked regularly after age 35 — women, after 45 — and talk to the doctor about lipid-lowering medication if necessary. At age 40, women should begin getting mammograms every one to two years. (Women with a family history or other breast-cancer risk factors may start earlier.)

"Patients really should be empowered," says Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine. "You shouldn't assume that your doctor knows everything he or she should know." So preserving your good health means educating yourself.

"Adolescents should have yearly checkups," says Dr. Michael Weitzman, a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center.

At The Doctor's Office

Get all of the recommended vaccinations. "All of them," says Dr. Joseph Hagan, a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. For children 12 or younger, these include hepatitis A and B, DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis), varicella and polio.