Track Yourself

"What gets measured gets managed." This saying by Peter Drucker is as true for fitness as it was for business. Of course, just like in business collecting data is useless if you do not have time to analyze it and respond to it. The best way to ensure you have time to analyze data is ensuring that you are spending the least amount of time and energy collecting it. Thankfully there are tools for this.

Track your Macros

I have been using My Fitness Pal for many years now. I first used it as a way to track my calories, but eventually tailored it to track my macro-nutrients more closely. It is easy to customize by adding recipes and importing ingredients by bar code. What is great about My Fitness Pal now is that it will connect with dozens of other apps and devices, including Fitbit devices.

Track Your Fitness

It seems that 2015 was the year for wearable electronics, especially personal fitness trackers. I have been wearing a Fitbit for a little over two years now. I first started with a Fitbit Flex that I received as a birthday present. It is light weight. The battery lasts for days and the black band is replaceable with many aftermarket color options. My steps would show up on My Fitness Pal

I upgraded to a Fitbit Charge HR back in June. From my Burn Fat with Science post, you can see why I was interested in my resting and active heart rates.

Track Your Weight

I received a Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi scale for my birthday (thanks Mom and Dad) last year and have been syncing my daily weight to My Fitness Pal over the Wi-Fi. It does not get any easier than that.

Track Your Sleep

The Fitbit does track your activity level, even when you are sleeping. Unfortunately, even the Charge HR does not seem to record anything more than if you moved or got up. This has its uses, but for hardcore Biohackers like myself, more information is required.

For tracking my sleep, I prefer to use Beddit. Beddit is a thin strap you place under your bottom sheet at about chest level and plug into a USB power source. The Beddit syncs your heart and breathing rates via Bluetooth all night long and gives you a detailed chart showing how you slept and gives you a sleep efficiency score based on your desired length of sleep and the quality of your sleep. It also compares your heart and breathing rates to a 14-day average, so you can see if changes you have made in your life are having any effects on your sleep.

Hopefully you will find some of these tools helpful in achieving your New Year's goals.

Stay well engineered,

Devon

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These statements or products referenced are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.