5 powerful health numbers to start tracking today
When you keep tabs on your habits you can take a big step toward better health.
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Some of your risk for disease is outside your control. But a good amount lies within your hands. For example, between 30 and 50 percent of cancer cases may be prevented by changing lifestyle habits and environmental factors over which you have some influence, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
To better manage disease risk and other aspects of your well-being, it may help to start keeping track of your personal health numbers and trends. “When people log what they're eating, they eat better. When they track their movement, they tend to move more,” says Keith Roach, MD, associate professor in clinical medicine in the division of general medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Try using a wearable activity tracker, a simple pedometer, or an online health tracker to take steps today toward better health. You can also track multiple dimensions of your health—including sleep, stress, alcohol consumption, diet, and exercise—using Sharecare (available for iOS and Android). Get started today.
Sources: World Health Organization. Preventing Cancer. Page accessed May 24 + 11
- World Health Organization. Preventing Cancer. Page accessed May 24, 2024.
- Harvard Medical School - Division of Sleep Medicine. Sleep and Mood. Page last reviewed October 1, 2021.
- Johns Hopkins Medicine. Do Sleep Trackers Really Work? Page accessed May 24, 2024.
- American Psychological Association. Stress in America™ 2021: Stress and Decision-Making During the Pandemic. 2021.
- National Cancer Institute. Perceived Stress Scale. Page accessed May 24, 2024.
- Martinez GJ, Grover T, Mattingly SM, et al. Alignment Between Heart Rate Variability From Fitness Trackers and Perceived Stress: Perspectives From a Large-Scale In Situ Longitudinal Study of Information Workers. JMIR Hum Factors. 2022 Aug 4;9(3):e33754.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deaths from Excessive Alcohol Use in the United States. Page last reviewed April 16, 2024.
- Cleveland Clinic. Diabetes. Page last reviewed February 17, 2023.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes. Page last reviewed July 2022.
- American Heart Association. Food Diary — Keep Track of What You Eat and Drink. Page last reviewed September 12, 2023.
- National Institute on Aging. Exercise and Physical Activity Tracking Tools. Page last reviewed March 3, 2021.
- University of Michigan Health. Type 2 Diabetes: Can You Cure It? Page last updated October 2, 2023.
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