Life Through #QuantifiedSelf Glasses

No…this is not about how Google Glass can impact healthcare although I do believe it can and will (something many are talking about). 

This is about how the QuantifiedSelf movement can change your view of the world.  Ever since I’ve been using the FitBit (see my review) and focusing on getting 10,000 plus steps per day, I’ve noticed a change in how I view the world. 

Here’s some examples:

1. We got 12″ of snow yesterday.  I was immediately thinking about how great of exercise it would be to shovel the snow.  I was excited to go out several times and shovel.
2. When I was flying today, I was thinking “hopefully we’ll get dropped off at a far gate so I can get in some extra steps.”
3. I’ve been excited to clean the house and get in the steps from cleaning.
4. I look forward to grocery shopping.
5. I park farther away in the parking lot.
6. I’m sometimes intentionally less productive at home to get a few extra sets of stairs in for the day.
7. When I’m cutting brownies, I’m calculating out how many brownies are supposed to be in the recipe and making sure I cut them to the right size.
8. When I eat something, I think about how many steps I’ll have to walk (or run) to burn off that food. 
9. When I pick meals at a restaurant, I’m always looking for their nutritional menu or going online before ordering.

It’s a totally different way of thinking about life when you look through these “quantified self glasses” to see the world through a “health lense” about calories, exercise, sleep, stress, and other dimensions.