A lean and healthy body is my destination.

Nutrition and exercise (sometimes medicines) are the engine that takes me there.

But if I am blindfolded, I'll never get there. Measuring is seeing where I'm going.

Tip 1: Do Not Fear The Scale

Whether it's body fat, blood glucose or my company's performance: if I don't measure it, I can't improve it. I don't fear the scale as a hostile tribunal that might condemn me for my sins of gluttony: reading the scale is simply seeing the road.

Tip 2: Frequency of Measurement

I measure daily. I keep logs. I measure in consistent conditions, first thing in the morning, before breakfast. Else, I can't compare.

Tip 3: Smooth the Measurements Before Trusting Them

Having measured daily for decades, I know the data is pretty noisy. Partly because my consumer scale is imperfect. Partly because my body parameters do oscillate. What really matters is the smoothed value, averaged over the past week or month. That really tells me what's happening, and whether I'm trending up or down.

Tip 4: Early Warnings Allow Micro-Corrections

Daily measurements let me spot unhealthy trends before I notice them in my vitality or in my mirror. Without measuring, I cannot tell a 2% difference in visceral fat, body mass or blood parameters. But, once I know that today I'm 2% worse than yesterday (for whatever reason), it's easy for me to skip a meal or to take a brisk walk instead of the bus to compensate. I can make small but significant corrections before the situation worsens, preventing bigger problems in the future.