Using personal technology to track biometrics can revolutionize our long-term health, and it's never been so widely accessible.

As a physician, my patients' ability to track health markers themselves provides valuable information that helps me manage their treatment. But what's even cooler is that tracking these biometrics allows them to take charge of their health and influence their own health outcomes more than ever before.

I take advantage of this myself too.

As a tech nerd and primary care physician, these are 5 of the tools I use to track my own biometrics. They're widely available and often cost less than a single month of health insurance premiums.

Using them has helped me lower my risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Now, let's dive in.

Smart scale

I use a smart scale to regularly track my weight and estimate my body fat percentage. This allows me to see trends over time and intervene before any potential weight gain.

I prefer the Eufy brand - it's affordable and easy to use. Other popular options include Withings and other companies.

Activity tracker

It’s well known that a sedentary lifestyle and lack of regular exercise contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Using my wearable fitness tracker (in my case, my Apple Watch), I can make sure I hit a minimum amount of activity on a daily basis. It keeps me motivated to stay active by giving me a daily goal to achieve.

A lot of people love using wearables by Fitbit, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Garmin, and others.

Smart blood pressure monitor

High blood pressure (hypertension) leads to cardiovascular disease, the #1 cause of death in the world.

For most people, checking and tracking blood pressure is the best way to know if and when it gets too high and intervene before it causes major organ damage.

Personally, I use the Withings BPM Connect, but the Omron Evolv and a bunch of other ones are popular. (Pro tip: ValidateBP.org has a list of validated cuffs, a few of which can connect to your smartphone.)

Sleep tracker

Sleep is the cornerstone of health, so making sure we get enough, and that it's good quality, is crucial.

Although we might generally know if we got enough sleep by how we feel the next day, it’s often eye-opening to see trends in sleep duration over time, and my Apple Watch’s estimate of sleep stages.

The Oura ring and Withings Sleep Tracking Mat are a couple of other popular sleep-tracking devices.

Medication tracking app

The meds and supplements that go into our bodies can profoundly affect our health, from lowering damaging high blood pressure or excessive blood sugar to increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease or other conditions.

Medisafe is an app that keeps reminding you to take your medicine until you take it, and keeps a log of your intake over time. I find it more effective than the Apple Health app which is easier to dismiss and let you forget to take your medicine.

Bonus: it can also track other things like your mood.

I hope tech can help you achieve better health while making it fun, just like it did for me.

Good luck on your path to better health! Enjoy the journey!