Health Tracking for a Healthier You

Why Use A Health Tracker

How many steps have you taken so far today? How many calories have you consumed? What has been your average heart rate? If you already know the answers to these questions, you are one step ahead of the game. If you don’t know, don’t worry, it’s never too late to start tracking these important metrics using a health tracker. 

As health and fitness education moves to the forefront of our lives, monitoring health and activity has become a much more common practice. Technology continues to develop and as the availability of various health tracking tools increases, the choices as to which to use can be overwhelming. Not to worry, we are here to help inform you on what you need to know.

Types Of Trackers

There are multiple health and activity trackers out there, such as the iWatch, Fitbit, Jawbone, Spark, and dozens of others. There are also various apps for your smartphone (for free or purchase) like Fooducate, Headspace, Lifesum, MyFitnessPal, and countless others. Each one has a slightly different set of features, and some work better than others. 

Tracking your health is the first step towards meeting your health and fitness goals. If you are just starting out, and don’t want to invest a lot of money in a tracking device then begin with one of the low cost tracking apps for your smartphone and then you can move up from there once you get a feel for tracking some of the basic health metrics such as step taken per day and miles walked per week. If your budget is more flexible then starting with a wearable tracking devices (prices range from about $30-$300 depending on the brand and features included) is a great way to get started tracking your health. 

Activity trackers have a wide variety of features. Some of these features include (but are not limited to):

●     Steps taken

●     Elevation gained/floors climbed

●     Distance walked

●     Calories used 

●     Standing time

●     Sleep tracking

●     Calorie tracking

●     Blood pressure monitoring

●     Pulse oximeters for measuring heart rate and oxygen saturation

●     Resting and active heart rate monitoring

●     Heart rhythm monitoring

●     Blood sugar monitoring

●     BMI/Body fat percentage monitoring

●     Audible alarms to remind users to stay active throughout the day.

How Activity Trackers Help You Stay On Track

This all sounds good but why track your health and fitness in the first place? Statistics show that most people who start fitness programs end up quitting soon after due to lack of motivation and accountability.  Tracking your health addresses both of these common pitfalls. When you use a health tracker consistently it’s a lot easier to stick with an exercise program and turn it into a habit. Imbedded in your smartphone or strapped to your wrist, you can access your health and activity at any time. Rather than feeling like a chore, a health and fitness tracker allows your fitness routine to be measurable and to feel more like a game or fun activity. 

For more information on tracking your heart rate check out our article on heart rate tracking and cardio exercise

These devices and apps store your data and make it easier to gauge your progress over time. These tracking devices also help you stay motivated by allowing you to share your journey with others going through similar challenges on their fitness journeys. Regardless of which activity tracker you decide to start off with (device, app, or a combination of the two), just pick one and stick with it. This will ensure consistency and help you reach your health and fitness goals with a much higher likelihood of achieving your goals.

Want to learn even more? Go to TheHealthMD.com and download Dr. Mark Chavez’s ebook “The 5 Habits of Highly Healthy People”