Know Your Numbers: What to Track—and Why It Matters for Your Health
- Dr. Howard A. Friedman MD, founder of HHOM LLC
- May 30
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 12
5-30-2025
By Dr. Howard Friedman MD | Veteran | U.S. Army Medical Corps | Internal Medicine | HHOM LLC
A pulse, a beat, a number's tale,
A signal strong, or something frail.
We track to guard, not just to know—
To catch the signs before they grow.
A daily check, a mindful glance,
Can turn the tide, if given the chance...
----Dr. Howard Friedman MD
Why Track Your Health? A Physician’s and Veteran’s Perspective
As a physician with more than three decades in clinical medicine—and as a veteran who has lived under the weight of both stress and service—I’ve learned this: your health doesn't usually fail overnight. It fails gradually, quietly, invisibly—until it doesn’t.
That’s why health tracking isn’t a trend—it’s a lifeline. We don’t monitor just to collect data. We do it to notice the story before the plot twist, to change direction before decline sets in. This isn’t paranoia. It’s preparedness. It’s the kind of vigilance that keeps soldiers alive in combat—and patients alive in civilian life.
Whether you’re managing diabetes, recovering from exposure to environmental hazards, or simply trying to stay one step ahead of aging, here’s what you should track—and why it matters.
1. Blood Pressure – The Silent Killer
High blood pressure often shows no symptoms until it’s done its damage. Left unchecked, it contributes to stroke, kidney disease, heart attacks, and vascular dementia. For veterans, especially those with PTSD or poor sleep, the risk is even higher.
What to track: Systolic and diastolic readings
When to check: Daily or weekly (morning and evening preferred)
Why it matters: Early elevation is often reversible—later stages are not
“If you wait until you feel it, you’ve waited too long.”
2. Heart Rate & Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Your resting heart rate tells you about cardiovascular fitness. But HRV—heart rate variability—tells you about your stress response, resilience, and nervous system health. Low HRV is linked to chronic inflammation, PTSD, anxiety, and poor recovery.
What to track: Resting HR & HRV (available via smartwatches or chest straps)
Why it matters: It’s a daily check-in with your body’s internal stress barometer.
3. Blood Glucose and A1c – Tracking the Sugar Story
For diabetics, this is essential. But even non-diabetics can benefit from understanding how foods and stress affect their sugar response. Chronic glucose spikes drive inflammation, brain fog, energy crashes, and vascular damage.
What to track: Fasting glucose, post-meal glucose, and HbA1c every 3–6 months.
Red flags: Fasting >100 mg/dL consistently, post-meal >140 mg/dL
4. Weight and Waist – The Inflammatory Inches
Scale weight isn’t the whole story. Waist circumference is often a better predictor of metabolic risk—especially for heart disease, insulin resistance, and sleep apnea.
What to track: Waist circumference (goal: <40 inches men, <35 women)
Why it matters: Visceral fat releases inflammatory compounds linked to chronic disease.
5. Sleep Patterns – The Nightly Repair Zone
Sleep is where healing happens. When it’s impaired, everything suffers immune strength, blood pressure, mental clarity, glucose control.
Track: Sleep duration, disturbances, and snoring.
Tools: Wearables, sleep journals, or simply noting restfulness on waking.
Why it matters: Chronic sleep disruption raises cortisol and weakens every major system.
6. Mood and Stress Levels – Your Mind’s Daily Report Card
Mental health shows up in blood pressure, heart rate, sugar, inflammation—even pain levels. Veterans often underreport symptoms, so tracking gives a voice to what remains unspoken.
How to track: Rate your daily mood or stress from 1–10.
Why it matters: Patterns over time can predict physical breakdowns.
7. Movement and Activity – Medicine You Don’t Need a Prescription For
Motion is the antidote to stagnation. Physical activity improves everything: memory, metabolism, cardiovascular health, and mood.
Track: Daily steps, minutes of movement, resistance training.
Minimums: 150 mins/week moderate activity + 2 strength sessions.
Why it matters: Inactivity is now considered an independent risk factor for mortality.
8. Nutrition Habits – Clarity Through Consistency
You don’t need to obsess over every calorie. But tracking what you eat—even in photos—can reveal inflammation triggers, sugar overload, or nutrient gaps.
Track: Meals, snacks, hydration, and cravings.
Why it matters: Diet is one of the most modifiable risk factors you control.
9. Medications and Environmental Exposures
Especially for veterans: tracking reactions to medications or toxic exposures (burn pits, solvents, heavy metals) may uncover the root of elusive symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, or autoimmune flares.
Track: Onset of symptoms after new meds or exposures.
Why it matters: Documentation builds a clinical timeline—vital for both care and claims.
10. Key Lab Markers – The Internal Dashboard
While not daily, certain lab values are worth monitoring regularly:
Lipid Panel – Cholesterol, triglycerides
HbA1c – Average blood sugar over 3 months
TSH – Thyroid function
Creatinine/eGFR – Kidney function
Vitamin D – Bone and immune health
CRP or ESR – Inflammation markers
Ask your physician for copies. Compare them year to year. You’ll spot changes before they become conditions.
The HHOM Philosophy: You Don’t Track to Fear. You Track to Lead.
At HHOM LLC, we believe that health tracking is a modern form of self-respect. It’s not obsessive. It’s observant. It’s not neurotic. It’s intelligent.
In the military, we were trained to anticipate—to read the land, the sky, the signs. Civilian life deserves no less vigilance. Because the battle for your health is fought daily, and awareness is your most powerful weapon.
Closing Call to Action
If you don’t track, you don’t see.If you don’t see, you don’t act. If you don’t act, you react—too late.Let’s change that.
To learn more about lesser-known lab tests that can detect silent risks early, read The Forgotten Labs.”
Start with a simple notebook or use one of the many secure health apps out there. If you need guidance, or want a personalized health review, schedule a private consultation through Ask Dr. Howard. I review every case personally—no outsourcing, no template medicine.
Your numbers matter—because you matter.
—Dr. Howard Friedman MD
Board-Certified | Internal Medicine | Veteran | U.S. Army Medical Corps
Founder of Howard’s House of Medicine (HHOM LLC)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Why is it important to track your health, even when you feel fine?
A; Because prevention works best when it's proactive, not reactive. Many chronic conditions—like hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease—develop silently over time. By tracking key markers like blood pressure, glucose, and sleep quality, you can catch subtle shifts before they become serious. Think of it like checking your car's oil before the engine light comes on.
Q: “What health metrics should I be tracking regularly to monitor my overall well-being?”
A: It depends on the person, but generally, the essentials include:
Blood pressure
Resting heart rate
Glucose or A1C (if diabetic or prediabetic)
Weight and waist circumference
Sleep quality
Activity levels (steps, exercise)
Mood/stress levels
These markers offer a real-time snapshot of how your body’s systems are handling daily life. It’s not about chasing perfection—it’s about noticing trends that help guide better choices.
Q: Doesn’t tracking create stress or obsession for some people?
A: It can—if approached rigidly or without context. The goal isn’t to turn your life into a spreadsheet, but to build awareness. You don’t need to track everything, all the time. A healthy relationship with data means using it to empower, not imprison. The numbers are a compass, not a judgment.
Comments