[chassis]

3PedalJake Yes I agree with the comments about the healthcare system. It’s not set up for cost effective *and* medically effective health improvement. It’s organized around critical care and the rest is very inefficient and of questionable effectiveness in my view.

[UncleWede]

chassis How receptive is Quest to you just scheduling your own tests? I haven't tried, but even when I went in for my normal HA1c before a scheduled Dr. visit, if the Dr. didn't order, they didn't want to draw any blood.

[vreihen16]

Our local Quest location offers self-prescribed testing in their online appointment portal. I never tried it to see if it was limited to drug screenings and simple stuff, or if they would do stuff like INR and creatinine.

The bigger concern to me would be if my health insurance would pay for the lab work without my doctor ordering it. Fortunately, my primary care doctor will gladly add additional lab tests to my order if I ask.....

[chassis]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

chassis How receptive is Quest to you just scheduling your own tests? I haven't tried, but even when I went in for my normal HA1c before a scheduled Dr. visit, if the Dr. didn't order, they didn't want to draw any blood.

Easy. Any test listed on their website is no problem. If you need/want a test that is not listed, I have no experience with that. Also look at Jason Health, they issue lab orders online and the sample collection can be done by Quest. Jason Health was referred to my by a physician during a phone consult.

It’s been a while since I looked, but I thought Jason Health offered a wider menu of tests that can be ordered by the consumer.

HSA can be used to pay for Quest work. Self pay via credit card also an option. Don’t know about insurance.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by geytusokva

I wouldn`t rely on a portable ECG device. After all, this procedure is done in clinics under the supervision of a doctor for a reason.

No issues whatsoever. The ECG trace can be sent to a cardiologist online using the app and a physician determination delivered within 20 minutes on a holiday Sunday. Awesome service in terms of response time and cost. I strongly recommend the Kardia mobile ECG device without hesitation.

[chassis]

To the top for a new year!

What apps and trackers is everyone using?

Apps: I use Kardia and Fitbit to log ECG, weight, BP, body temp, sleep, exercise sessions and heart rate/cardio fitness.

Devices: I have an Omron BP cuff, digital thermometer, digital scale, Kardia 6-lead ECG device, and a wrist-worn Fitbit.

The BP cuff and scale are not "smart" and not connected to any of the apps, so I manually enter data into the Kardia and Fitbit apps which I all my "trackers".

I like to see trends over time and I like to stay in a target range for weight and cardio score (VO2max).

What is everyone using these days? Apps, devices, trackers, goal setting? Let's hear about it!

[M_Six]

Apple Watch/Apple Health for most metrics, including sleep. For outdoor riding I use a Wahoo Elemnt Roam v1 paired with Assioma power pedals and a Polar Verity Sense HR armband.

For indoor riding I have a Wahoo trainer and use Fulgaz for videos. I have a Concept 2 rower that I use with a rowing program called EXR. Still standing on a dumb scale. My weight has been consistent (+/- 2lbs) for well over a year, so there's not much to track there.

I use Strava to keep track of it all.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Apple Watch/Apple Health for most metrics, including sleep. For outdoor riding I use a Wahoo Elemnt Roam v1 paired with Assioma power pedals and a Polar Verity Sense HR armband.

For indoor riding I have a Wahoo trainer and use Fulgaz for videos. I have a Concept 2 rower that I use with a rowing program called EXR. Still standing on a dumb scale. My weight has been consistent (+/- 2lbs) for well over a year, so there's not much to track there.

I use Strava to keep track of it all.

Nice setup! Thanks for the Wahoo reminder. This past summer I got Wahoo speed and distance sensors for outdoor cycling, love them!

[chassis]

In the "data" category of this thread, in 2024 I got a DXA scan, which I have wanted to do for a long time. The reason is to simply quantify my body composition in relation to my digital scale and tape measurements. I did this test as part of a comprehensive physical exam. On a stand-alone basis the DXA takes approx 10 minutes, so in theory it could be a 30 minute time investment from check-in to walking out of the facility.

I also got a calcium CT scan, pretty impressive test. The online digital test report showed video of my heart beating, with contrast running through it. Love the tech! Less than one hour from check-in to walking out of the facility. I did this test on a stand-alone visit.

[UncleWede]

Fitbit on arm and in app, although I forget to synch until I stop getting ESPN updates on my wrist. I check how poorly I am sleeping, and track my time at the gym
Runkeeper for if/when I move faster than a normal walking pace, aka running
Libre 3 CGM/app for blood sugar. Still hasn't made great strides in reducing A1c levels, but at least I know when I'm going off track, and what's going on overnight. I bounce off the bottom a lot between midnight-3am. Alert when I go real low is good.

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by chassis

In the "data" category of this thread, in 2024 I got a DXA scan, which I have wanted to do for a long time. The reason is to simply quantify my body composition in relation to my digital scale and tape measurements. I did this test as part of a comprehensive physical exam. On a stand-alone basis the DXA takes approx 10 minutes, so in theory it could be a 30 minute time investment from check-in to walking out of the facility.

I also got a calcium CT scan, pretty impressive test. The online digital test report showed video of my heart beating, with contrast running through it. Love the tech! Less than one hour from check-in to walking out of the facility. I did this test on a stand-alone visit.

On this vein, we recently got a Dial H30 body composition analyzer. I had been looking for a "smart scale" for a while and never bought one because I didn't think they were accurate.

Our son got tested as part of a sports workout program on an InBody 580 machine, which is like $15k professional level.

https://inbodyusa.com/products/inbody580/

The amount of detail was pretty remarkable. After three tests showing results that correlated with what we were seeing in his change in phisque, I bought the consumer version

https://inbodyusa.com/products/dial-h30/

it shows fewer parameters but I had him measure on this vs. the pro machine and the results were pretty close. Close enough that I believe it will help me track body fat, etc. with decent enough accuracy to see if diet and exercise changes are working.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

On this vein, we recently got a Dial H30 body composition analyzer. I had been looking for a "smart scale" for a while and never bought one because I didn't think they were accurate.

Our son got tested as part of a sports workout program on an InBody 580 machine, which is like $15k professional level.

https://inbodyusa.com/products/inbody580/

The amount of detail was pretty remarkable. After three tests showing results that correlated with what we were seeing in his change in phisque, I bought the consumer version

https://inbodyusa.com/products/dial-h30/

it shows fewer parameters but I had him measure on this vs. the pro machine and the results were pretty close. Close enough that I believe it will help me track body fat, etc. with decent enough accuracy to see if diet and exercise changes are working.

Interesting device. I agree that correlating with gold standards is a good way to understand how less-accurate measurements can be used as approximations. I have a non-smart scale that "measures" body fat using impedance. It is considerably higher than my DXA scan. I have used tape measurements over the years, and these are surprisingly close to the DXA scan.

Next time I see a hand held body fat impedance device, at a gym for example, I will give it a try. It has been a while since I used one.

There was a U.S. Navy body composition calculation that used 9 tape measurements plus weight and height to calculate composition. Now it seems the U.S. Navy is using a much reduced set of measurements. I can't find the old USN method. If anyone has a link to this it would be appreciated.

[UncleWede]

Gold vs. commercial: I had a blood draw a few weeks ago. At the time of draw, I put a note in my CGM app, so I could go back and compare. Lab reported glucose at 98, CGM had me at 108. Good enough for Wede work!

[iX nOOky]

I have a Garmin Epix Pro 51mm sapphire watch, and it comes with an ECG app. It basically uses the sensor on the underside of the watch, and by holding the titanium dial with your thumb and pointer finger it is able to perform a rudimentary test.

It also has the pulse oximeter, which I have off except it does a test at night while sleeping. I use the Garmin app exclusively, it does everything I need. It also syncs with the coaching software my coach uses, as well as Myfitnesspal which I am using right now to help burn off the holiday cookies.

We have a smart scale that measures as much as they can from the sensors on the pad and using bare feet. I don't use that software as I'm only interested in my weight, resting hr, and type of calories I'm taking in.

I'm thinking of doing a test also to see what foods cause my body to react negatively, can't remember the name of it right now

[chassis]

According to Fitbit my cardio score increased to 53-57 today. Pretty happy about that. It is claimed that this score is one's VO2max.

Swimming 2000yds per week this season has been more helpful than I expected.

My overnight resting heart rate last night got down to 48, a new low for me. Low RHR = good. My brother the marathon runner, 2 years younger than me, has a RHR in the low 40s, similar to my son.

[chassis]

Update for 2026.

I recently got a Garmin Forerunner 965 to replace the Fitbit Versa 4. The Fitbit was good for 5 years, and it was time for a change. I wanted more swimming-oriented data than the Fitbit could offer. And I don't care for Google's user account management approach with the Fitbit.

Here is my current health and fitness measurement device suite:

Garmin Forerunner 965: SpO2, VO2max, sleep, heart rate, workout tracking (time, distance, pace, etc.)
Omron blood pressure cuff: blood pressure, pulse
Electronic scale: body weight
KardiaMobile 6L: EKG
Wahoo bicycle devices: distance traveled, speed and cadence

All of these work well and give useful information. Information is knowledge, and knowledge is power!

What upgrades or changes has everyone made to their health or fitness data workflow?

[M_Six]

Just bought a cadence sensor for my grocery-getter bike. The bike's own software will show cadence and power, but it's subscription based (of course) and doesn't play well with Strava or Apple Health. And I've been using Foodnoms to track calories and other nutrients.

[MyZ4Coupe]

I have a Fenix 5X watch that I really like but it drives me nuts that it can't record my HR while swimming... thinking about upgrading to a 7X which has the newer HR sensor that works in the pool but just cant seem to pull the trigger. Looked at the 8X's as well but the prices are crazy.

Also recently bought a Garmin S2 scale so I could have that data in the one app. I have an Eros scale as well and I actually like it better as far as the app and data tracking is concerned. I have been weighing myself on both and comparing.

[chassis]

How often do you weigh yourself @MyZ4Coupe? I weigh every other month, and have done so for several years. I have weighed more frequently in the past.

[MyZ4Coupe]

Typically 2 or 3 times a week... which is probably too much but I seem to be able to put weight I've lost back on rather quickly so it helps me keep an eye on things and adjust more quickly.

I probably need to get in the habit of logging food and tracking macros but everytime I start I end up not following through. Too lazy I guess lol

[chassis]

Journalling lots of food items and intake helped me get a feeling for how many calories I eat. I kept a food diary and built a spreadsheet of things I normally eat. I still measure and scale calorie-dense food like pasta (dry weight before cooking) and cereal (volume/cup measure), because these foods are easy to eat more than intended.

Grabbing a handful of spaghetti out of the box means more calories than I need. Shake a bunch of cereal into the bowl means more calories than I need. Full disclosure I eat a fairly high carb diet. Having said that, I eat all food groups, every day.

I have been on a six meal per day plan for more than 10 years and it works for me. This is the opposite of intermittent fasting.

On the other side of coin, I have a rough idea of caloric expenditure based on my level of activity. Fitbit, now Garmin, helps with that.

Scale weight is a net result feedback point combining all input and output factors.

I have maintained weight for more than 10 years, and in the past 2 years have dropped some weight based on a big increase in cardio activity.

It takes time to reach the knowing/feeling point with food, exercise activity and weight.