How Gamifying Your Fitness Plan and Using Data-Driven Health Tracking Can Improve Your Well-Being and Make Getting Healthy More Fun.
Discover how using simple tactics whilst taking a deep dive into your health data can help you track your health improvements whilst making improving your health fun and achievable.
Why Improving Your Health Feels Hard – and How to Make It Fun.
Improving our health. It’s something that many of us want to do.
But what is the best way to go about it?
When we first start thinking about improving our health we naturally turn to assessing our diet and exercise. To see what needs to be changed. To be honest we all know what needs to be improved in our diet and that we should do more exercise but often it doesn’t seem fun and we don’t know how to be sure we are making a difference in our health.
This is where these two concepts of gamifying your health and using data driven health tracking can make things more interesting.
Gamifying your health simply means to turn as much of the health changes you want to make into a game. This can be done by adding points or rewards to anything you have to do which leads to a reward at the end.
Data driven health tracking means using solid information about your health to guide your health regime and assess how well you are progressing.
Data-Driven Health Tracking – More Than Just a Number on the Scale
Using the term data driven health tracking might make this sound like something only for the real health geeks among us.
But I promise you it’s not. In fact I bet you have been doing this to some extent already.
If you have tracked your weight on the scales or measured your waist or thighs with a tape measure and compared it to previous measurements then that is data health tracking in it’s most simplest form.
The trouble with only using weight measurements is that if you are exercising your body composition can change – you can lose fat and gain muscle so the scales will say you are heavier which can make you feel like you are not getting healthier when in fact you are
Now you can take this to the next level by having data on much more than your weight.
Why Private Blood Tests & Health Screenings Are a Game-Changer
Private blood tests and health screenings mean that you can get data on how well your body is actually working. At Total Health West Berkshire, a private health clinic on the Newbury/Thatcham border, we offer private blood tests and health screenings to help you know how healthy you are.
Blood tests are a fundamental tool in preventative healthcare. They provide valuable insights into your overall health and help detect potential medical conditions before symptoms arise.
At Total Health we have a range of blood tests you can choose from to help:
- Early Disease Detection – Identify conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and thyroid disorders before they become serious.
- Monitor Organ Function – Track liver and kidney function to ensure optimal health.
- Check Nutrient Levels – Identify vitamin deficiencies (e.g., Vitamin D, iron) and optimise nutrition.
- Assess Hormonal Balance – Detect imbalances affecting metabolism, mood, and energy levels
Once you have this data it will give you highly personalised information about what aspects of your health you need to change.
It may be that your cholesterol is a little high so you could focus on creating a diet to help improve that.
Or maybe the blood tests could show that you are at risk of being pre diabetic so you should focus on having a diet and exercise plan to help reduce that risk.
This shows how having personalised data that goes deeper than your weight and waist measurements can help you tailor your new health plan to what your body really needs to be healthier.
Our blood tests at our Thatcham clinic are accurate and have a quick turnaround time and generally no waiting times. Best of all, if you can not find the blood test you want from our extensive list of tests we can ask our lab to customise a blood panel for you.
Top 5 Health Metrics You Can Track at Home
With wearable technology such as smart watches and rings it is easier than ever to get a lot of data about your day to day health. But if you don’t have one what can you easily check at home?
There are numerous points you can track at home but here are my top 5
1) Blood pressure – High blood pressure is often called the silent killer that can lead to serious health complications like strokes and heart attacks. Blood pressure monitors are easy to get hold off and regular blood pressure checks at home means you know what your normal is and will allow you to notice if your pressure is too high so that you take action.
2) Your BMI – although not a perfect measurement of a healthy weight it is a good basic guide as to whether your weight is at a healthy level. To calculate yours the NHS calculator is here.
3) Your waist to height measurement – excess fat around your tummy can be an indicator of an increased risk factor of some health conditions. You can calculate yours here.
4) The number of steps you do – we have all heard of doing 10,000 steps a day. In reality it does not matter if your step number is 10,000 or 6,000. Just knowing what you do on average and trying to increase it is a good place to start. More movement is good for your overall health.
5) Your fibre intake – possibly not as trendy as tracking your protein intake but most adults eat less that the 30grams of fibre a day that is recommended. Eating a good amount of fibre is associated with lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. It can be tricky to work out how much you are eating so here is a good guide.
Want More In-Depth Insights? Book a Private Health Screening
If you have a strong interest in taking responsibility for your health then private health screenings and blood tests are the way forward.
Private health screenings tend to be a very comprehensive way to gain a lot of data about your health and can help improve your well-being with a full health check-up.
Our health screenings at Total Health include ECG’s to give you a snapshot of your heart health, a comprehensive detailed blood test and include a consultation with a Private GP to advise you on how to improve your health.
You Have Collected Your Health Data—Now What?
To make the most of using data driven health tracking you now need to put a plan into action.
Now you can either go this alone using information you research yourself or you can have a little help on the way by having an appointment with one of our GPs, our Health Coach or Dietitian – they are well placed to help guide you on your journey with either a one off or series of appointments.
Let The Games Begin - Making Health Fun with Gamification – Turning Goals into Rewards
This is the part where we bring the gamification in.
It’s where we make getting healthier fun.
Because we all know that changing our diet and doing a bit more exercise can be difficult.
So we want to make it as fun as possible.
The idea is that whatever you have to do you try to make a game of it.
You can do this by adding points to each item you want to change.
- Do an extra 200 steps – get 5 points.
- Eat 20 grams of fibre in day – get 6 points.
- Reduction in your waist to height measurement – get 10 points.
What do points mean…..Prizes.
You can choose the prizes to be whatever you want them to be….and yes that can mean cake. A healthy diet means a balanced diet.
But it could also be a day out somewhere.
Time on your own to watch your favourite show or book.
A trip to your favourite coffee shop or place to go walking.
That thing you’ve wanted for ages.
It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it is something you want and that you actually give yourself the reward.
Pro tip is to not make the progress you need to make too big between rewards. Little achievable goals generally cause much more progress than one big goal that is so far away in the distance it seems impossible.
And if you don’t want to make up your own rewards system there are lots of apps out there that can do it for you.
How to Track Your Progress and Adjust Your Plan
The best thing about using data driven health is that you can measure your progress on more than one level. You are not just measuring your weight. If you have had a health screening or detailed blood test then you are measuring your cholesterol levels, your risk of diabetes and risk of heart disease. This gives you a better assessment of your overall health.
Once you have been following your new health plan for 3-4 months you can redo your blood test to track your progress and follow up with a GP, health coach or dietitian for advice on the next step.
This in clinic testing at our clinic in West Berkshire works brilliantly alongside the top 5 health data points you can track at home. It gives you a mix of health data you can track at home with expert and detailed data from our private health clinic and health experts to give you unique insight into your health. Empowering you to make positive changes to improve not only how you feel day to day but to help make you healthier for the future.
Take Control of Your Health Today – Book a Screening in Newbury & Thatcham
Understanding your health data through home data tracking and in clinic blood tests and health screening is essential for maintaining good health. Whether you’re looking for private blood tests in Newbury, a health MOT in Thatcham, or expert medical advice in Berkshire, taking a proactive approach ensures you stay on top of your well-being.
Ready to take the next step? Book your private health check today at Total Health West Berkshire in Newbury or Thatcham and start your journey toward a healthier future.
For more details:
Email us here
Call us on tel: 01635791301
