I've decided to take The Quantified Self ideas a little more seriously

So I have toyed with the ideas generated by the Quantified Self Movement for awhile now and am looking at stepping up my personal participation. Basically the concept is to collect data on yourself and then to use that data to "hack" yourself to better health and by extension your longevity. That's my goal at least.

Here is Gary Wolf on the subject:

 

The big thing is to decide on what data is important to you and then find a way to track that data and then find a way to make sense of it.

Recently I had a cholesterol test done and the results were off the charts! I know if I had taken the results to my doctor the immediate recommendation would have been to get onto a statin. Fortunately I ran across this fantastic book The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will and in a matter of a few weeks I was able to bring my cholesterol down to normal levels. This did require me to however, track what I was eating, especially my sugar intake. The whole experience got me thinking a little more seriously about the philosophy behind the Quantified Self movement.

At work everyone received a Fitbit which is intended to help with our health and fitness goals for the year. So I am already tracking my steps, stair climbing etc. (Btw check out this info re walking a minimum of 10,000 steps a day) and have decided to add a few more trackers to my data collection. The other tool which I am pretty excited about is MyNetDiary as it allows me to accurately track what I am eating, my vitamin intake etc. The iPhone app is awesome. If the rumours are true I can't wait for Apple to release Healthbook

If you are interested in getting yourself setup. I found this post pretty helpful.
The Beginner's Guide to Quantified Self (Plus, a List of the Best Personal Data Tools Out There)

I agree with this comment regarding our recent ability to track our data, in doing so we are:

"taking control of something conventional wisdom has told us is not ours to understand: our health. Why are we fat? What makes us feel sluggish? What causes our disease? How can I improve? Today, we ask our doctors. Tomorrow, we will ask our data."

If you are tracking your personal health data what tools are you using?