- October 21, 2026
This article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
If you are not sure when you last had a checkup, you are not alone. How often you should get a physical depends on your age, health history, and risk factors, and medical organizations do not all agree. This guide gives you a practical schedule by age, explains why guidance differs, and lists the situations that call for more frequent visits.
The Short Answer
How often you need a physical depends on your age, health, and risk factors, and guidelines vary. Windermere Medical Group recommends a yearly physical for adults. Healthy younger adults may go longer between visits, while people with chronic conditions need more frequent care. Your provider sets the right schedule for you.
How Often to Get a Physical by Age
| Age group | How often | Main focus | Source |
| Infants and children | About 12 visits by age 3, then yearly from ages 3 through 18 (schedule continues to 21) | Growth, development, vaccines, school and sports forms | AAP (HealthyChildren.org) |
| Adults 18 to 39 | Blood pressure every 3 to 5 years if low risk with a normal prior reading; yearly if at increased risk. Cervical screening every 3 years for ages 21 to 29 | Blood pressure, weight, vaccines, screenings based on personal and family risk | USPSTF |
| Adults 40 to 64 | Yearly | Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and age-based cancer screenings | Windermere recommendation; USPSTF |
| Adults 65 and older | Yearly physical, plus a yearly Medicare Annual Wellness Visit | Falls, memory, vision, hearing, medications | Windermere recommendation; Medicare.gov |
Children and Teens
Children need the most frequent checkups in their first years, when growth, development, and vaccines are the focus. After early childhood, well-child visits continue through adolescence on a schedule set by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Your child’s provider can confirm the timing and help with school or sports forms.
The AAP lists well-child visits at 3 to 5 days old; at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months; at 2 and 2½ years; and then once a year from ages 3 through 18, with its well-child care schedule continuing through age 21. The AAP periodicity schedule lists the screenings done at each visit. To see what a visit involves, read our guide to a pediatric primary care visit, or learn how sports physicals work. We also offer pediatric care at all six offices.
Adults 18 to 39
Healthy adults in their 20s and 30s often do not need a physical every year. They still benefit from regular blood pressure checks, vaccine updates, and screenings based on personal and family risk. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) says adults 18 to 39 who are not at increased risk and had a normal reading before can be screened for high blood pressure every 3 to 5 years, while adults at increased risk need it yearly. For women ages 21 to 29, the USPSTF recommends cervical cancer screening every 3 years. Ask your provider what schedule fits you.
Stay current on your adult vaccines, even in years when you skip a full physical.
Adults 40 to 64
Windermere Medical Group recommends a yearly physical for adults in this age range. Midlife is when blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and cancer screenings become routine parts of preventive care, and a yearly visit keeps them on schedule.
Age-based screening matters here. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends colorectal cancer screening starting at age 45. It also recommends screening mammography every two years for women ages 40 to 74. Your provider will add other tests based on your history. Our men’s annual physical exam and preventive and wellness exams pages explain what to expect.
Adults 65 and Older
Windermere Medical Group recommends a yearly physical for adults 65 and older, and Medicare covers a yearly wellness visit as well. The two visits do different jobs. The physical checks how your body is doing, and the wellness visit builds a prevention plan.
At this age, visits often focus on falls, memory, vision, hearing, and medications. Read more in our guide to the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit.
Why Guidelines Differ
Guidance varies because the evidence is clearer for specific screenings than for the exam itself. Medical groups do not all agree on whether healthy adults without symptoms need a full exam every year. What does not change is the value of keeping up with screenings and checks for conditions like high blood pressure, on a schedule that fits your age and risk.
Blood pressure is a good example. The 2025 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guideline sets a treatment goal of below 130/80 mm Hg for adults, with individual considerations, and you cannot know your number without checking it.
Windermere Medical Group recommends yearly visits because they give you and your provider a regular chance to review screenings, update vaccines, and check numbers like blood pressure before problems cause symptoms.
Physical vs. Medicare Yearly Wellness Visit
| Physical | Medicare yearly wellness visit | |
| Main goal | Check your overall health, including a hands-on exam | Create or update a personalized prevention plan |
| What happens | History, vital signs, hands-on exam, screening questions, and tests as needed | Health risk questionnaire, routine measurements, history and prescription review, cognitive assessment, and a written plan for screenings and vaccines |
| How often | Set with your provider. Windermere Medical Group recommends yearly for adults. | Once every 12 months |
| Medicare coverage | Not part of the wellness visit. If a routine physical exam is added, you may owe the full amount. | Part B covers it, and you pay nothing if your provider accepts assignment |
When You May Need Visits More Often
- Ongoing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or thyroid disease. Our chronic care services include regular follow-ups.
- A new medication, or a dose change that needs monitoring
- A family history of heart disease, cancer, or diabetes
- Tobacco use, heavy alcohol use, or a weight-related health condition
- A recent hospital stay or major illness. We offer hospital follow-up care.
- Changes in mood, sleep, or memory
- Pregnancy or planning for pregnancy. Talk with your OB-GYN about care during pregnancy.
What If It Has Been Years Since Your Last Physical?
- Book a visit. Same-day appointments may be available, so you do not have to wait weeks.
- Gather your information. Bring a medication and supplement list with doses, the names of your other doctors, your family health history, and any vaccine records you have.
- Write down your top three concerns. Raise them early so there is time to cover them.
- Expect a catch-up plan. Your provider will review which vaccines and screenings are due for your age and risk, and may order tests.
Physicals at Windermere Medical Group
| Location | Address | Phone | Weekday hours | Saturday hours |
| Cumming | 3850 Windermere Pkwy, Ste 105, Cumming, GA 30041 | (678) 455-2800 | 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM | 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Canton | 200 Eagles Nest Dr, Ste 300-D, Canton, GA 30115 | (678) 455-3200 | 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM | 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Baldwin | 386 Hwy 441, Baldwin, GA 30511 | (706) 407-0100 | 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM | 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Gainesville | 1556 & 1564 Park Hill Drive, Gainesville, GA 30501 | (678) 400-7001 | 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM | 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Alpharetta | 775 McFarland Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30004 | (470) 470-3272 | 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM | Weekdays only |
| Lawrenceville | 1695 Duluth Hwy, Lawrenceville, GA 30043 | (470) 240-0888 | 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM | Weekdays only |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
It depends on your age and risk. Windermere Medical Group recommends yearly physicals for adults, including every year from age 40. Healthy adults in their 20s and 30s may be able to go longer between visits, and the USPSTF says low-risk adults 18 to 39 can have blood pressure checked every 3 to 5 years. Your provider can set the right schedule.
Medical groups disagree on whether healthy adults without symptoms need an exam every year. Yearly visits still give you a regular chance to check blood pressure, update vaccines, and review screenings, which is why Windermere Medical Group recommends them. Ask your provider what schedule fits you.
Windermere Medical Group recommends a yearly physical for adults 65 and older, plus a Medicare yearly wellness visit once every 12 months. People with chronic conditions often need more frequent visits. Ask your provider how to schedule both.
Children have more frequent checkups in infancy and early childhood, then regular well-child visits through adolescence, following the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule: about 12 visits by age 3, then once a year from ages 3 through 18. Your child’s provider can confirm the timing.
A physical includes a hands-on exam and may include tests. A Medicare yearly wellness visit is a conversation-based visit to build a prevention plan, and it is not a routine physical exam. If you have Medicare, ask for the right visit when you book.
Coverage depends on your plan. Medicare covers a yearly wellness visit, and you pay nothing if your provider accepts assignment, but extra services such as a routine physical exam may cost the full amount. Call your plan or our office, and check our accepted insurances.
Bring your photo ID and insurance card, a list of medications and supplements with doses, the names of your other doctors, your family health history, and any vaccine records. Write down your top three concerns so you can cover them early.
