The typical Brit now monitors four aspects of their daily lives, from sleep and fibre consumption to the number of glasses of water they drink. A survey of 2,000 adults revealed that 70% feel a sense of accomplishment from meeting goals and maintaining streaks, which motivates them to keep improving.
Generational differences in tracking habits
Gen Z and Millennials tracked the most aspects of their lives, an average of five, compared to Boomers, who tracked fewer than three on average. Steps, workouts and sleep were the metrics most tracked daily, but people are now monitoring newer measures such as body battery, respiration rate, fibre and even dopamine management.
The research was commissioned by Naked Smoothies, which is hosting their Naked Fi-BAR pop-up, London's first fibre bar, on Saturday 24th October, handing out free drinks and prizes while educating the public on fibre.
Expert insight on health data
GP Dr Emily Jackman said: "It's really encouraging to see younger generations taking such an interest in their health and wellbeing. Rather than relying on guesswork, they're using data to better understand their habits and make informed decisions about their lifestyle, which can be useful in helping recognise where small improvements can make a meaningful difference."
"Fibre is a great example of this – it's something we've seen getting a lot more attention recently, yet most of us still aren't eating enough of it. The good news is that increasing your fibre doesn't need to be completely changing your diet – it can start with some simple additions to the foods you're eating, like adding more fruit and veg. Drinks that contain fibre can contribute too as part of a varied, balanced diet. It's about finding small, realistic changes that fit into everyday life and add up after time."
Rise in tracking over recent years
The study also revealed a significant rise in tracking over recent years. This includes a 72% surge in the number of people monitoring daily step counts, a 108% increase in sleep tracking, a 65% rise in water intake tracking and a 44% boost in fibre intake tracking. In fact, the only metric people are recording less of now compared to five years ago is weight, which saw a three% decrease.
Overall, the primary motivations for monitoring aspects of their lives were enhancing health (48%), managing weight (30%) and tracking progress (30%). Meanwhile, 43% have altered aspects of their lifestyle as a result of tracking their data, including walking more (51%), drinking more water (49%) and exercising more (45%).
Average habits and dietary focus
According to the research, conducted via OnePoll, the average person walks 7,135 steps a day, sleeps six-and-a-half hours a night and drinks 1.2 litres of water. While people consume 21 grams of fibre and 58.5 grams of protein.
When it comes to diet, sugar (34%), protein (32%) and fibre (27%) are the nutrients people pay the most attention to. Liz Ashdown, spokesperson for Naked Smoothies and creator of the Fibre Machine drink, added: "These findings show just how invested people have become in understanding their health, with trends like fibremaxxing taking centre stage. More people recognise the benefits of fibre and are on the lookout for simple delicious ways to boost their daily intake particularly when we're all living such busy lives."
