Here is a checklist for assessing any tracking strategy you might be considering.
Of course, if you have any questions, please make sure to discuss them with your coach or provider.
- Be careful when comparing yourself to others. When it comes to your health, it’s best to evaluate your progress in relation to your own personal goals, not to someone else’s.
- Measure what matters, not what’s easy. We can all fall into the trap of tracking things that are easy, especially if the results carry an emotional reward (e.g., likes on social media are rarely helpful).
- Make sure your metric is actionable. There isn’t much point in tracking something you can’t change.
- Be wary of emotional triggering. While positive or negative emotional reactions are normal as you strive for goals, be sure to keep things in perspective. Don’t let your metric become a daily victory or defeat.
- Be objective. Limit general questions such as ‘How do I feel today?’ It’s better to be objective—for example, tracking the number of workouts you’ve completed in a week.
- Watch for incremental improvement. You will want to see gradual improvements in whatever metric you are tracking. If you don’t see changes, it’s hard to stay motivated.
- Shorten your measurement time frame. Measuring too frequently can become a burden. However, if you are only tracking a metric once in a while, it’s hard to stay motivated.
- Be consistent. These days, many devices will track for you, or at least send you a reminder—but you still need to check in and read your results.
- Consider a pivot. You might not select the right metric to measure off the bat. So, if the metric you’ve chosen isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to change to something else.
