4 things you should be tracking

I am obsessed with tracking things from my weight to my bank account – I have spent years documenting and calculating. I am a big proponent of the idea of what is not tracked does not grow/progress or however you want to put it. I think its so satisfying to look back at the past and see how well/poorly you are doing whether it is trying to lose weight or paying off a debt it really does help put things in perspective. Sometimes these habits become unhealthy but in order to maintain a great relationship there needs to be a degree of acceptance and understanding of your present situation.

1. Finances

More and more people people especially millennials are being more conscious about being debt-free and becoming financially independent. As high student debt balances become more and more common I find that there has been a surge of young people trying to take hold of their finances which is a great thing.

To live in denial of your current financials is truly irresponsible and not productive. Step one is to begin practicing diligence in keeping note of where you are in your finances and where you want to be.

Personally, living debt free is not a mere fiscal desire it also comes with a degree of mental freedom and lightness. I think debt tolerance is very personal. Some people can tolerate a lot of it without any care in the world. Unfortunately this is not me. I have a very low debt tolerance. This is largely due to my upbringing and the fact that I am very risk averse.

I think there are some debts that are very difficult to avoid including student debt and a home mortgage. On the other hand, consumer debt is actually terrible, credit card interest rates are totally ridiculous and way too high.

I try to make it a habit it keep track of my spending, income and expenses each month. I know there are some people who check their bank accounts everyday. Although I have tried this without being successful in making it a habit, I do try to do this a few times a week. It also helps detect any improper charges to your accounts as you are constantly verifying the debit and credit transactions. The first step to saving for a goal or paying down a debt is to begin tracking your spending so you can know what to cut and how much. Without regularly checking your finances – you wont be able to come up with a solid plan of action.

2. Weight

This is pretty controversial and I was guilty of this behaviour in the past. I’ve had very unhealthy relationships with the scale, so much so that I would only weigh myself once a week or once every two weeks and the “lead up” to this moment was a lot. I would have to do mental exercises to prepare for this moment for fear of the result. I would then beat myself up and resent myself when a number appeared that I did not like.

I’ve been trying to be more accepting of my weight and learn to just be aware of where I should be and the fact that weight fluctuates. These days, I keep track of my weight almost daily and note it in my Fitbit App. I usually weigh myself in the morning. Since I started doing this, I’ve been able to notice how certain habits I have affect my weight. For example eating salty foods the night before causes my body to retain water the next morning and therefore my weight will maybe be a pound or more than usual.

3. Food

By food I really mean calories. I know this is also a controversial thought but this has really helped me lose weight. I think the more ideal thing to track would be marcos especially if you want to build muscle, change your body composition, etc. but that’s just a lot for me so the calories will suffice.

Admittedly, I have stopped doing this recently as I have been able to slowly over a few months lose weight and get to a more ideal weight for my body and height. In addition, this is truthfully a lot of work weighing and measuring portions. The good thing about doing this for a few months is that my serving estimation has really improved. This is a good thing because eventually your eyes and stomach become used to the calories and portions you were consuming when you were keeping track so you can continue living your life without all the weighing and measuring. Apps like MyFitnessPal make this is so easy – you can scan barcodes of different foods and there is a large inventory of pre-populated foods so it makes it simple to enter in your meals and calculate your daily caloric intake.

4. Activity

I got a Fitbit about 3 years ago and since, then I have worn it pretty much everyday. I use the Fitbit app to keep track of my daily weigh ins and more importantly my steps and exercises. A good way to begin living a more active lifestyle (especially now with the pandemic and more and more of us working from home) is to keep track of your steps. I try to get at least 10,000 steps a day. Walking is a great form of exercise and a great way to burn calories without stressing your body out. Most Fitbits also track activity which is great if you want to keep track of how many days a week you are working out and for how long.

I have continued to track my activity and steps and this coupled with tracking my calories has really allowed me to get control of my weight and maintain my health. Of course these Fitbits are not always 100% accurate but it is a good way to track your activity and the App is great tool to track your weight, etc.

If you are really into running, walking, biking and even rollerblading, there is an App called MapMyRun which is great for tracking specific exercises if you want to keep track of your progress in terms of distances and times. I’ve used this App for years and love that you are able to change the activity manually. The App uses GPS so I find it is more accurate than the Fitbit App which will often automatically classify activity.

These are all a few things you should really try tracking if you want to improve on certain areas of your life or just to have an elevated sense of self awareness. I highly recommend trying tracking some of this stuff and integrating these tracking habits to your everyday life.