We all talk about taking control over our own health. We make plans about what we’re going to eat, how much we are going to weigh, and how we are going to accomplish those goals. Then, somewhere along the way, we miss a step. We don’t see the results we want in the time we want and we can’t figure out where we’re going wrong or what we should adjust. This is where most of us give up.
Don’t!
One of the keys to actually getting healthy (instead of just planning for it all the time) is to monitor your health and your progress toward your goals. Actually and actively tracking what you eat, how and how often you move, etc. is what gives you the data you need to make adjustments. More importantly, tracking that data is what will give you hard evidence that you actually are making progress even when your feelings (or your jerk of a mirror) tell you otherwise.
Here’s how you do it.
The Old Fashioned Way
This is all at once the simplest and the most time-consuming method of monitoring your own health and it is exactly what you think it is: simply writing everything down, every day. Keep track of what you eat, how much exercise you’re getting, your weight, your measurements and, well, anything else you think is necessary. Some people even go so far as to break down what they are eating into categories and track their calories as well as their nutritional intake. How detailed you get is up to you.
Apps
One of the best things about living in the future is that there are health and medical mobile apps that do the majority of your health tracking work for you. There are apps for tracking your food, your weight, your exercise, even your vital signs. There are even apps that help your doctors monitor your health remotely and share your information between providers, which can make caring for diseases like diabetes much easier for everyone involved. Here are some of our favorites.
TruClinic
TruClinic is a featured app in the ADP AdvancedMD Marketplace, which helps doctors streamline their clinic operations and patient management. What makes TruClinic worth mentioning here is that it is billed as the app that will “bring back the house call.” With this app, patients can check in with their doctors about health issues in between official appointments. As someone who is trying to monitor and improve their health, this app will allow you to track your progress with your doctor, sometimes even in real-time, and get answers to your questions about potentially changing your diet, exercise routine, and any medications you might be taking, etc.
FitBit/Apple Watch
At first FitBit was little more than a pedometer that you wore around your wrist instead of clipped to your pocket. Over time, though, it has become a full blown, portable medical exam. In addition to the steps you take every day, the FitBit (and it’s much more expensive counterpart, the Apple Watch) can track your heartbeat, the amount and quality of your sleep and a bunch of other vital signs. It also integrates with dozens of different health apps that you can use to track your food intake, nutrition, etc to give you the “whole picture” with regards to your health.
Vida
At $15 per week, Vida can be a little on the spendy side for people whose budgets are tight. Still, it is one of the best overall health management apps in the iOS market. You can use this app to track all of the standard stuff like weight, diet, and movement. You can also use it to help you manage health conditions like diabetes, cardiac issues and other chronic conditions. The app works by pairing you with a licensed health coach who is available at a moment’s notice and who checks regularly in via video chat and text to see how you are doing and to help motivate you on days when you feel like slacking.
There are tons of apps out there and the market is only growing. Google is even working on creating something that is sort of like a Fitbit but that monitors your vital signs and a variety of other lifestyle factors and sends them to your doctor so that your doctor can get a better picture of your life when you’re not on the exam table. Before long, you won’t have to track anything yourself. In the meantime, you might find the old fashioned way a lot more satisfying!
Remember: the method you use isn’t important. The data is what matters.
