The adage is true: You cannot manage what your don’t measure.  Measuring and monitoring diet and exercise is a key part of being able to reach your goals and improve your health and well-being.  Using tools to help measure, report and track what you eat and your activity, both exercise and rest, will help you evaluate and manage your progress.  Here are some ideas for tools you can use.

Keep in mind the best tool for you will be the one you actually use.  The latest and greatest doesn’t matter much the tool isn’t one that fits your needs and lifestyle.

• A diary – Whether in an electronic or analog format, a simple diary is an effective way to track what you eat, how you exercise as well as changes in your body, health and mood.  Consider where and how you want to input data to inform if you need a small notebook or a notes app that works on multiple platforms.

• MyFitnessPal – This app has been around for a number of years and continues to grow in popularity.  Primarily a diet tracking tool, MyFitnessPal works on a variety of platforms to help you set fitness and diet goals, maintain food and exercise diaries, track progress and have access to an active online community of members.

• Fitness Wearables – These devices can be simple one-measurement tools or a combined package of tools that may include pedometers, heart rate monitors, sleep trackers and calorie counters.  Popular brands include Garmin, Polar and Fitbit.  Other companies like Google and Android also offer smart watches that include fitness tracking features.  Many wearable fitness trackers combine to work with a multi-platform app and offer reporting tools, goal-setting features and cloud-based storage for your data.  These tools can be very helpful for comparing your perceptions about your activity and rate of exertion against what your body actually experiences.

• MapMyFitness – This app is primarily an exercise tracking tool designed to help you set goals, record your activity and exercise and measure your progress.  It also offers mapping tools to suggest routes for running/walking/biking, syncs with many fitness wearables, offers coaching and many other features, including a tool to help suggest when you might need a new pair of running shoes based on usage.

Need help getting started or re-started with a plan and routine for improving your health?  Simply Placed Professional Organizers help clients with goal-setting, behavior modification and accountability.  Contact us to learn more.