You’re Ignoring One of the Most Important Forms of Data

We live in a world obsessed with measurable data. Calories. Macros. Sleep scores. Pace. Heart rate. Weight. HRV.

But one of the most important data points in your entire health and performance picture is often the one people dismiss first:

How you actually feel.

I've talked about this previously, but it continues to be something I work with my clients as most either don't have the connection to how they feel or tend to minimize it. Part of the challenge is the dramatic increase in the availability of just about any kind of data on our phones and watches, or at a deeper level with bloodwork and genetic testing. While these pieces are important, they only tell one part of the story and usually only at a particular point in time. So let's dive into the two areas you can start now to build a better picture of how you're performing.

The first area I'll mention is during your workouts which is a great way to boost the quality of your workouts, especially while lifting weights. The more in touch you can be with where you feel each rep you can target specific areas, better identify any form issues, and better understand when it is time to either increase the reps or weight. This same concept applies to any cardio workout too, paying attention to your breathing, how quickly you recover from any efforts, and how the rest of your body feels as you progress through the workout helps you better understand how your body is responding to the efforts. In both cases, how you feel should also drive your intensity of that particular workout. I'm not suggesting you cut all your workouts short, or power through them, but having a better gauge on when you should do one more rep, or perhaps drop the intensity will benefit greatly in the long run.

The other aspect that I suggest this kind of self check on how you feel is a way to bookend your day. Take a couple of minutes (maybe even less than that) in the morning when you wake up, and in the evening before you go to bed to assess how you're doing. A few things you might think about:

• energy level

• cognitive level

• any particular aches/pains

• general mood

• feel free to add more if you like

You can either make this an "informal" check-in with yourself, or you can add it to some sort of a journal process either written or electronic. If you're adding this to your routine, I suggest some sort of physical accountability to help reinforce the habit as well as provide a mechanism to compare.

The goal is not to replace hard data. The goal is to stop pretending that your lived experience does not count as data too.

Because if your numbers look good but your body, mind, and day-to-day function are telling a different story, that matters.

In many cases, how you feel is not a distraction from the data.

It is the missing piece.

Better decisions come from better data — and that includes the signals your body is already giving you.

When was the last time you tracked how you actually felt with the same consistency you track your numbers?