What would I measure to stay healthy?
What would I measure?
A common topic in the studio is measurements - what should we track, how often, is it needed? I think like many areas of health there is a sensible amount and so much of it depends on your unique situation. As an example - we thought about getting a watch for my son, I am hesitant to get him one that tracks because then activity becomes just another thing to measure and the joy of movement might be deminished. I'm not sure what the right call is but I think it highlights the fact that their is no one perfect answer.
I took a stab at writing this before I did a deeper dive. I was interested to see how my memory on the topic held up. For the most I thought I did a decent job. I'll start with two good sources and then follow it with the list of potential measures. I've written the list in descending order from what i believe would be most important to least. To summarize, consider your family history, think outside of just physical health, measure enough, and not too much:)
Great resource - CHOOSING WISELY. Do I need a health check up AND one of my favourite science writers on the annual health check up.
Social factors
Social determinants of health. Measuring blood is sexy but social factors far outweigh in importance
Age and family history related exams. Often done after 40 or 50 but again individual histories will require unique timelines
Cancer
BP, HR
Rectal screens, etc
Mental health
Here to help annual mental health screen
Weight
Regular scale measurements
Cardiovascular fitness
Does my resting heart rate change over time
Annual or biannual blood pressure monitoring (depending on Family history)
Annual blood test for blood sugar, liver markers, lipid profile (cholesterol), cancer, family hx / pre-existing conditions
Dietetics: Specific minerals / vitamins
Not much needed here: potentially iron levels or vitamin D
maybe we will be able to assess at a more individual level in the years to come
Sleep
A sleep journal is actually the best thing for this. Look back on your watch data for time in and out of bed
I’m not sure how much use some of the other data on the watch is
If we don’t have insomnia or a recognized condition tracking can make it more stressful…and thus not helpful
Depending on family Hx a DEXA scan for bone density
Vision and auditory
Again depends on history
And more regular intervals as you age
Strength
Grip strength is a simple way to assess strength and has decent validity as a health predictor.
if you train with weights regularly and know you can deadlift and farmer carry a specific tests is probably redundant
