Tracking Health Goes Mainstream?

That’s what I thought when three friends of mine in the Louisville start-up scene approached me about posting pictures of the food we eat on a Group Posterous they set up, as a direct result of Tim Ferriss’ new book: The Four Hour Body. It’s also what I thought when I read this article about Ferriss’ book in Newsweek. What is the world coming to when regular people make seemingly radical changes by choosing to monitor their health in new ways?

After pondering that question, a new one arose: Are these changes all that radical? I mean, five million people are now checking into restaurants and bars on a regular basis with hopes of becoming an imaginary mayor… after all. I’m just taking snapshots of the food I consume.

TIM’S TEACHINGS

My big take away from Tim’s book is that it’s OK to modify. That seems like a simple one, but it has been a hard concept for me to grasp throughout life. It’s just easier to say, I can’t do that… than it is to take the time to figure out what I can and am willing to do to change. So I decided to give it a shot, on December 27, as a two week challenge. And the minor changes I made were to:

• Weigh myself every morning and keep a log
• Eat three eggs for breakfast every morning
• Reduce my daily dairy intake
• Eliminate fruit and fruit juice

Then this week, I made it social by sharing pictures of the food that makes a party in my tummy each meal. What I’ve noticed is that these minor behavioral changes have affected the numerous decisions I make about food on a daily basis. Or in short, the changes I’ve made, small as they have been, are starting to change me.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are mine, and are by no means intended to be taken as medical advice.

photo by sdbj