Data, data, data. Boy, do I love me some nice data.
Data collection important, but to be clear, data isn’t everything.
In today’s modern era, we have an abundance of tools that automatically tracks these data. Iphones track step counts with accelerometers, FitBits, Apple Watches, and Garmins detect heart rate, and nutrition apps scan bar codes giving us instant calories counts and nutritional information.
We have it made in the shade.
(Of course, you can track these same data with caveman tools: pen, paper, counting distance, using a stethoscope, and reading food labels yourself).
But, I have the data!
Having access to the data is not the issue.
We need to actually review these data. On a regular basis, with purpose.
Sitting on a mountain of data, or owning a folder of gigantic spreadsheet of enormous file sizes does not matter until you spend little time reviewing said data.
You can have all the data in the world, but if you do not strategically respond to the data in a meaningful way, you might as well throw your gadgets away and drag and drop your file folders to the digital dumpster
You + Data + Review = Self-monitoring
Collecting and monitoring data on your health and fitness outcomes, behaviors, and goals is the key here.
This behavioral event that I am referring to is called self-monitoring. Self-monitoring is a behavioral strategy in which you are an observer of your behavior. You record both the occurrences and nonoccurrence of behavior (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007).
Did you complete a specific number of steps? Exercise minutes? Or eat a desired calorie count?
Why Monitor Data At All?
Taking time to review these data is critical and ALL BehaviorFit clients self-monitor some piece of data that are relevant to their goals.
Here are 4 reasons why you should monitor your health and fitness data.
#1 You become an observer of your behavior
A behavioral approach to health and fitness relies on objective measurement. We have tools at our fingertips that let us observe our behavior in real-time. We see step counts and exercise minutes right away. Unless you open that app or jot down your weekly targets, you are not observing your own behavior. Loosely speaking, you become more aware of how little you are moving, or how many calories you are consuming.
#2 You can detect changes when they occur
As you get into the routine of daily monitoring, you will detect changes in your data – changes in your behavior. Often times, you can remember what led you to meet your goal that day before. Or, in some cases, not meeting your goal. For example, complying with quarantine rules may increase or decrease particular fitness goals. Was I successful when I was or home, or when I was on vacation?
#3 You can detect how much of change
The numbers don’t lie. By routinely tracking your health and fitness behavior, you will easily see day-to-day or even week-to-week changes in your behavior. In weekly meetings, my clients and I observe the ebb and flow of weekly data allowing us to pinpoint key behaviors that bring us closer to their goals. Observing noticeable differences in the data stream gives us insight into how much behavior we need to change or maintain.
#4 You are more likely to identify which environmental events are related to your health and fitness success
Why did our average step count increase this week? We know that correlation does not equal causation, but we can have a strong inkling as to which environmental variables play a role in helping us meet our fitness goals. For some people, the pandemic shutdown gave them more time to work on their health and fitness, resulting in higher exercise minutes and step counts. For others, the opportunity and environmental supports (e.g., gyms, workout equipment) were no longer available resulting in more nonoccurrences of their desired fitness behaviors.
Self-monitoring is a process.
You may not need to self-monitor forever, but it is a key behavioral ingredient in managing health and fitness behavior change. Consistency is key and the same goes for this process too. A regular self-monitoring process highlights what’s working, what needs to changes, and what can remain the same.
REFERENCE
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2007). Applied behavior analysis (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
