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The 10 Health Metrics I Track For My Health

Hey Friend,

This year marks 10 years since I started my health journey in 2015.

And to say it’s been a journey is an understatement.

I’ve lived through both extremes — the unhealthy side fueled by anxiety and depression, and the “ultra-healthy” side that was extreme but completely unsustainable.

Ten years later, I can confidently say I’ve made just about every mistake in the book. But those mistakes taught me what actually matters… and what doesn’t. Especially when it comes to sustainability.

One of the biggest lessons? If you want to know whether your lifestyle is truly making you healthier long term, you need to track the right metrics.

So in today’s Tuesday Deep Dive, I’m breaking down the 10 things I track closely for my own health—and the same things pay attention to with clients at Healthy & Whole.

These markers help me know if my daily lifestyle is setting me up for a long, energetic, functional life… or if I’m doing damage without realizing it.

Let’s dive in.

1. Weekly Average Weight

This one’s obvious—especially coming from someone who runs a sustainable weight loss program—but it’s also the one people care about most.

Yes, living at a healthy weight (within the BMI range) correlates strongly with better health and lower long-term risks. And yes, risks rise sharply the further you move up the BMI scale.

But how you track matters.

At Healthy & Whole, we recommend weighing yourself every morning after using the bathroom. That’s your most consistent reading.

However, never draw conclusions from day-to-day numbers. The average person fluctuates 1–4 pounds daily even if they’re doing everything right. That’s why we focus only on weekly averages, not daily swings.

It keeps emotions in check and helps us see the true trend.

As the saying goes: if you don’t track it, you can’t control it.

That’s why daily weigh-ins—averaged weekly—top the list.

2. Body Fat % + Lean Mass

After weight, I also track body fat % and lean mass daily.

I use the Withings Body Scale, which measures weight, BMI, body fat %, and lean mass, then syncs it all to my phone.

This matters because weight alone doesn’t tell you what kind of weight you’re gaining or losing.

• If I’m losing weight, I want it mostly from fat—not muscle.

• If I’m gaining, I want it mostly from muscle—not fat.

If I see lean mass dropping during weight loss, that’s my cue to increase protein and tighten up my strength training. If fat creeps up while gaining, I adjust food quality or calories.

What is pretty cool is that over the last 90 days, my data shows I’ve increased muscle while losing fat 💪🏻

This tells me that what I am doing is working, so I should keep it going.  

3. Resting Heart Rate

I wear an Apple Watch daily, which tracks my heart rate automatically.

Resting heart rate shows how efficient your heart is at rest. As fitness improves, resting heart rate goes down. As health declines, it goes up.

The best ways to lower it: move daily, strength train, and add 2–3 sessions of Zone 2 cardio each week.

As of last week, mine is back in the 40s since I started running again 🏃🏻‍♂️

Here’s a simple breakdown of resting heart rate ranges to see where you fall at the moment:

• Elite (40–50 bpm): Endurance athletes, highly efficient.

• Very Good (50–60 bpm): Strong cardiovascular health.

• Good (60–70 bpm): Healthy and fit adults.

• Average (70–80 bpm): Normal, but room to improve.

• Not Ideal (80–90 bpm): Higher risk.

• Concerning (90–100 bpm): High-normal; keep an eye on it.

• 100+ bpm: Needs medical evaluation.

Hydration, sickness, and stress can all cause daily swings, so watch the trend.

4. VO₂ Max

VO₂ Max measures how efficiently your body uses oxygen during exercise—especially anaerobic efforts like running or lifting.

It’s what allows athletes to go faster and farther with less exhaustion.

Training that improves VO₂ Max includes:

• Regular Zone 2 cardio

• Occasional Zone 4–5 high-intensity training

I ignored VO₂ Max until this year when I started running—and realized just how low mine was 😂. But as my runs got easier, my Apple Health VO₂ Max estimate rose, and I felt fitter every day.

Now? I’m a little obsessed with seeing it improve.

If you want to learn more about Zone 2 heart rate training, check out this past Feel Good Friday Edition where I share a study related to Zone 2 Cardio and how to calculate your Zone 2 heart rate range.

5. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)

With diabetes in my family history, I keep a close eye on my blood sugar regulation.

The best blood marker to pay attention to is Hemoglobin A1c, which reflects your average blood sugar over 90 days.

Ranges for Hemoglobin A1c:

• Normal: <5.7% (healthy)

• Prediabetes: 5.7–6.4% (increased risk, known as pre-diabetic range)

• Diabetes: 6.5%+ (full blown type 2 diabetes)

Mine runs between 5.1% and 5.3% consistently 👍

The good news? High A1c can almost always be improved with nutrition and exercise. We’ve had many clients move from full-blown type 2 diabetes back to normal ranges, sometimes coming off meds completely.

This one matters because high A1c also raises risks for heart disease, stroke, dementia, and more.

As with all of my blood markers I have this checked every 6 months by Function Health.

6. Triglycerides

Think of triglycerides as the “fat version” of blood sugar.

• Carbs raise blood sugar.

• Fats raise triglycerides.

Normally, your body uses or stores sugar and fat to keep them from getting to concentrated in the blood. But with poor diet and inactivity, both can spiral.

If blood sugar regulation is poor (as in pre-diabetes/diabetes), excess sugar gets converted into fat in the liver, which drives triglycerides up even more.

Paired with high LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) and low HDL (the "good" cholesterol), this sets the stage for arterial plaque buildup.

Under 150 is typically OK, but I like to get mine even lower.  As of my last check my triglycerides were 46 🏆

Since my father had heart disease and had full heart bypass surgery when I was very young, I take all of these metabolic markers very seriously. 

That’s why I test mine every 6 months and keep them under 100 mg/dL 

7. HDL (“Good” Cholesterol)

HDL is your bloodstream’s garbage truck—picking up excess cholesterol and carrying it back to the liver for removal.

You want this high, unlike LDL or triglycerides, which you want to keep low.

As of July, mine hit 80 🥳—a personal best.

Reference ranges to see where you fall:

• Low: Under 40 (men),  Under 50 (women)

• Average: 40–59

• Good: 60–80

• Elite: 80+

Things that can help to boost HDL Cholesterol: consistent exercise (including Zone 2 cardio), good nutrition, not smoking, and moderating alcohol consumption (among other things).

8. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is often called the “sunshine vitamin.”

Your body makes it when sunlight hits the skin, and it also comes from certain foods or supplements. It acts more like a hormone than a vitamin, playing a role in hundreds of processes in the body.

Since Vitamin D is used in so many processes in the body, Vitamin D deficiency is also correlated in countless different health issues ranging from heart disease and type 2 diabetes, to mood disorders like depression and anxiety, to poor immune function, to full blown auto immune conditions.

Generally speaking I feel best with my Vitamin D3 levels between 50 and 80, and I find I have to supplement around 5000IU of liquid Vitamin D3 with K2 on a daily basis (sometimes more) in order to maintain those levels.

Especially during the winter when I am not getting much sun.

I have this checked every 6 months, and as of my last blood draw at Function Health it was 56 and trending down so I am back to supplementing this consistently again.

9. Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3s (EPA, DHA, ALA) are essential anti-inflammatory fats that we only get from food and supplementation since our body doesn't produce them.

Hence why they are "essential".

The best way to describe Omega 3’s is that they are natures anti-inflammatory and they work in opposition to Omega 6 Fatty Acids which are more inflammatory.

Our body actually needs BOTH Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids but the problem is that many foods (especially unhealthy ones) are high in omega 6’s, and not in omega 3’s.

Much like Vitamin D, omega 3’s impact a LOT of different things in the body including:

• Heart health: Lower triglycerides, reduce inflammation, and support healthy blood vessels.
• Brain health: Critical for memory, mood, focus, and reducing risk of cognitive decline.
• Joint health: Help reduce stiffness and pain from arthritis.
• Eye health: DHA is a building block of the retina.
• Inflammation control: Balance out excess Omega-6 fats in the modern diet, lowering chronic inflammation risk.

So, being deficient can potentially cause a lot of problems and fixing a deficiency can improve a lot of things.

This is actually one I am still working on improving.

I’ve tested deficient the past two draws, so I’ve upped supplementation with Thorne’s Omega Superb (a fruity liquid fish oil I prefer over fish oil capsules—no gross fishy burps 🤮).

10. Biological Age

This one is just a fun one that I am now obsessed with 🤓

Calendar age is simply how many years you’ve lived.

Biological age reflects how fast your body is actually aging at the cellular level.

Two people can both be 60 by calendar age, but one may be biologically 40 and the other 70, depending on lifestyle. Diet, exercise, sleep, stress, and environment all speed up or slow down biological aging. You can’t change your calendar age, but you can reverse your biological age.

When I get my blood drawn by Function Health every 6 months, they analyze it all and then calculate my biological age in comparison to my calendar age.

According to Function Health my biological age is consistently going down, to 29.4 as of the last blood draw, compared to my calendar age of 41 🙌🏻

My goal is to have fun seeing just how low I can get my biological age and to keep it there as I age.

After all, want to be the youngest, most functional, and most energetic 80 year old I possibly can be 😂

Time To Start Tracking

No matter what the state of your health is today, if long term health and vitality is truly important to you, I recommend you start tracking these and slowly working to improve them.  

All you really need to track all of this is 3 things:

1. A scale that tracks your weight, body fat, and lean mass for you like the Withings Body Smart Scale.
2. Some kind of a fitness tracker / app that will track your heart rate data for you like an Apple Watch / Apple Health App.
3. And someone like Function Health to run these blood markers for you, ideally every 6 months.  

Once you start tracking and start making changes that get them moving in the right direction, it starts to become pretty exciting and can be another great motivator on your health journey.

- Matt

When you're ready, here's how I can help:

If you're looking to lose weight sustainably while building a flexible lifestyle that you enjoy, I can help.   Apply for coaching here in the Healthy & Whole Mentorship Program.  

Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.