“Let’s walk there so we can get our steps in.”
“Did you get the Oura ring? It’s the best!”
“This breakfast has 30 grams of protein and 20 grams of fiber—like and follow for more!”
TRACKING.
This week, I suddenly felt the urge to write about tracking. Why, you ask? Maybe it’s because it’s been this simmering conversation in the background for years that’s suddenly bubbling over. I feel like everywhere I look (in real life and online), tracking is infused into every element of our lives in an almost seamless, expected way. Like, of COURSE we’re tracking our macros and steps and water intake. Of COURSE we’re tracking open rates and click-through rates and likes and follows and conversions and engagement and ROIs. At this point, what aren’t we tracking?
And I do think tracking can be a helpful tool, whether it’s for health, personal life, or business. Data is information we can use to improve outcomes and behaviors. But at what point is tracking too much? Or rather, at what point do we start being discerning about what we track, what we need to “optimize,” and what is fine just…left alone?
What’s funny is that, with all this overwhelming below-the-surface discourse about tracking, I don’t actually know what any of my friends track! So I figured I’d start the trend here and just share what I’m doing and why. At the end of the day, it’s about intentionality…not just blindly tracking, but knowing what you’re tracking and WHY, and what your desired outcome is. Kk, here we go.
5 Kinda Weird Things I Track
Poop
Starting off strong! Lol. Okay, hear me out. Having healthy digestion, a happy gut, and healthy bowel movements is key to having a body that’s functioning properly. Being backed up not only feels gross and icky (and bloating), it’s also a signal that things aren’t working. And in the craziness of working and mom life, I don’t want to miss that signal, especially as someone who has struggled with this in the past. So, I use the app Plop (are we gagging yet?). It’s very fast and easy and just lets me know I’m on track. If I’m not and need to “get things moving,” I pay more attention to my water and fiber intake, go on a run, and/or have a cup of caffeinated coffee.
Books
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a big reader. And I find that tracking my books—ones I’m currently reading, want to read, and have already read—keeps me engaged and excited. I love Goodreads for all this (add me!). It keeps a dynamic bookshelf for you, lets you see what your friends are reading (and how they’re rating it), and gamifies reading with annual challenges, monthly badges, and more. It also serves up books you might like based on your preferences. Tracking is how I read 50 books a year, which genuinely improves my life (and my conversations) in every way.
Alcohol
We all know alcohol is bad for us. Like, very bad. Even one drink a day is associated with about a 7% increase in relative breast cancer risk. And it messes up so much else…from liver health to skin to sleep to increasing anxiety. (There’s tons out there about the dangers of alcohol if you want to go down that rabbit hole.) But somehow, KNOWING that (even though we are all smart!!) still doesn’t always change behavior. I used to drink more and still like to YOLO every once in a while (yes, I use it as a verb), but for the most part, I’m trying to really cut down on my alcohol consumption. I track it in Dry Days, which classifies each day as green (zero alcohol), yellow (1 drink), or red (2 or more drinks). Those visual cues really help me be mindful about when I choose to drink, and how much.
Period
This one isn’t really weird, I get it. But I think what’s weird is how long it took me to start tracking my period. For basically all of my 20s, I was on the pill (could really go off on a tangent about THAT, but let’s save that for another day), so it wasn’t really necessary. And for a fair amount of my 30s, I was either adjusting to life off the pill, pregnant, postpartum, etc. etc. So things were all over the place and hard to track. Now I’ve been more stable for years, and as perimenopause approaches (which I’m reminded of by every form of media, every second of every day), I want to stay on top of it. I use the Period Tracker app, but I think it’s easy to do in the Apple Health app too.
Steps
Okay, the least weird EVERR, but I do enjoy tracking my steps and think it helps me move more throughout the day. That’s one of the main reasons I got an Apple Watch (also to make sure I never miss another call from my daughter’s school, like the time she fell off the monkey bars in kindergarten and broke her wrist while I was on a Zoom call). My daily goal is 10,000 steps, and some days I’m closer to 8,000 and some I’m closer to 14,000. So I track daily, but also look at my weekly and even yearly averages.
5 Kinda Obvious Things I Don’t Track
Sleep
I do NOT track my sleep and never will. Why? Because I’m not a great sleeper. I wake up easily, sometimes I’m in my own head, and I’m inconsistent. I can’t sleep well on planes, definitely not on trains or in the car. I can’t sleep with any sort of sound or light. (Do you get the picture?) I do a lot to improve my sleep hygiene—aka great bedding, a cool environment, no TV in the bedroom, no phone in bed, an eye mask, sleep gummies, all the things. If I started tracking, the anxiety of KNOWING I WAS TRACKING would have the inverse effect and actually cause me to lose sleep. So…no.
Protein, Fiber, or Calories
It’s very IN right now to track protein and fiber. That’s basically my entire TikTok algorithm. And I am all about getting in protein and fiber. But I don’t have the desire or mental capacity to actually track them. I do the best I can at most meals (not all, though!) with smoothies, Greek yogurt, beef bowls, high-protein turkey lasagna, eggs with cottage cheese, fruits, and veggies. But I know that for me, it can be a slippery slope to becoming TOO obsessed with food. I dealt with disordered eating in high school, and don’t want that kind of thinking to ever rear its ugly head again, so I know it’s healthiest for me not to track.
Weight
Tracking my weight was something I did for many years—even during my 30s. I even tracked my weight during and after each pregnancy (which is a definite mindfuck!). And I think it’s easy to hyperfocus on that one number. I “came of age” (who says that?) in the 2000s, when Jessica Simpson in high-waisted jeans at the cookout was “fat,” and skeletal Nicole Richie was the epitome of chic. I had a “good” weight, and anything more than a pound or two over it was “bad.” And even if I stepped on the scale (first thing in the morning, before water, totally naked, always) and saw my “good” number, there was always this niggling fear that in a day or two, the number could shoot up. NOT FUN. These days, I just go by how my clothes fit. I also do much more strength training, which probably increases the number on the scale, but who cares. I haven’t weighed myself in a few years and am not planning to go back.
Workouts
I have a very different reason for not tracking my workouts than for not tracking my weight, food, or macros. With weight, food, and macros, I don’t track because they are potential triggers. With workouts, I don’t track because I’ve been working out for so long it’s just…not necessary. Almost like I can just check this one off the list! Most weeks, I work out at least 4 times: three Solidcore classes, one run, and often a Peloton ride or strength class (or two). I also get my steps in (see above). When I’m traveling, I don’t work out as much, but just get right back on track when I get home. No biggie.
Screen Time
Looking at the screen time on your phone can be SOBERING. You know those Sunday morning notifications that give you your average screen time for the week? YIKES. But those numbers count all screen time as equal, when in my mind, there’s a big difference between scrolling Instagram for an hour and listening to a podcast for an hour while hiking. Or having the Maps app open every time I drive because I’m directionally challenged. Or using my phone for dinner recipes and for keeping in touch with my friends, which I think is a good use of time. I also work and Substack from your phone! So while I do try to keep my phone time minimal in front of my kids, in general, I don’t obsessively screen time.
Okay, now I want to know…what are you tracking? Am I alone in these semi-weird things? Are there others I’m missing? Let me know in the comments!