We love data and tracking health, and in today’s world options are endless. Measuring wellness can be very helpful in many ways. Measuring wellness can be anything between notes on paper and microchips installed under your skin. We are not so excited about the chips, one of the important features of such a device is in our opinion, that it’s removable, and there is no need to be online 24/7.
If trying to track and measure everything possible, it can become too much work. You should measure things that are important just for you. If you have trouble drinking enough water daily, track that. Or if you are doing keto, measure ketones.
The thing that everyone should examine from time to time is sleep. Sleep is critically important to our health. Read our post about it here.
Measuring health can help you to focus on the important things.
Sleep
There are several ways to track your sleep. Oura ring is considered one of the best ones. It’s effortless to wear and offers an easy and complete app to follow your sleep. Almost all smartwatches also offer sleep tracking, and Apple Watch works great with the Oura ring. There are also fitness tracking bands that have sleep tools, for example, Fitbit.
If you don’t want to use wearables, you can use an app on your phone, but they don’t offer as many features as wearables. There are several free apps, for example, Pillow for iOS for Apple phones and Sleep Cycle for Android.
See Sleep Foundation’s YouTubee review of tracking wearables.
Activity
Activity is one of the most interesting things to track. If you need to up your activity, tracking with a ring, watch, or sport band is an easy way to do it. You can define your goals for daily steps, time, and effectiveness of your exercise.
You don’t need a wearable to track activity. There are many free apps for your phone, for example, Sports Tracker.
Calories and macros
Regardless of your nutrition method, sometimes it’s a good idea to check if your daily calories and macros are in order. There are great apps to do this, for example, Yazio and Carb Manager. You can add your favorite recipes, find inspiration on what to ea,t and of course, apps calculate your calories and macros when you add all your meals. Set your goals and start tracking!
Old school paper and pen are also a good choice, and it can be a very calming activity, almost like meditation. Needs a little more effort to calculate than an app, tho.
Blood glucose levels
Even if you are not diabetic, everyone should follow blood sugar levels sometimes. That way you notice in time if you are getting pre-diabetic, and have a chance to fix it before escalating to full diabetes.
There are easy-to-use devices just for testing blood glucose levels, but also devices that measure ketones if that’s something you are interested in.
You can measure this also from breath, but a blood test is more accurate.
See also our best substitutes for sugar- post.
Ketones
If you are on a ketogenic diet, it may be a smart move to measure your ketones, so you’ll know if you are on the right path with your eating. Some artificial sweeteners and additives can kick you out of ketosis even if your macros are at the correct level. Ketones can be measured from urine, breath, and blood. Blood is the best and most accurate method. Most devices measure ketones and blood sugar, like Keto Mojo and CareSense Dual.
Check out our keto- post.
Laboratory blood test
Everyone can benefit from checking basic tests from blood with a laboratory test. It can bring out some surprises too! The helpful combination can be for example:
- Cholesterol and complete blood count – heart health
- C-reactive protein – inflammation
- Iron, vitamin D, B-12, calcium, potassium, natrium
- Long-term blood sugar – if you don’t measure glucose levels at home
Consult your health professional for the best solution for your situation.
Body measurements
Reliable method if trying to lose weight, much better than a scale. All you need is measuring tape, paper, and a pen.
Fasting
Fasting is a great way to enhance your health, and you don’t need devices for that if you don’t want to use them. But apps are helpful and fun. From the Life app, you also find a community if feel the need for support.
And of course, the ultimate health measure is your own experience of how you feel. If you are in the best shape of your life, no need to measure anything, enjoy! Maybe focus on sleep, to make sure you stay that way.
See our cute Daily Planners📝