Finding Your Own Baseline

I've been thinking about vineyards.

Two vineyards don't need to look the same to be doing well.

Different grapes grow in different places, under different conditions. One place may be warmer, another cooler. Their soil, rainfall, sunlight, and seasons differ.

Over time, each develops patterns of its own.

A particular season may shift those patterns. A hotter summer. More rain. An unusually cool spring.

But if nothing changes dramatically, that's good information too.

That's roughly how I think about finding a baseline with Health Mirror.

What tends to be you

Health Mirror can be a small reminder to look inward and pay attention.

Give it several ordinary days and you'll start to see what's familiar.

Today's reflection may look a lot like yesterday's.

Or it may not.

Either way, that's useful to know.

Over time, those reflections reveal your baseline.

And once you know what's familiar, it's easier to notice when something isn't.

There isn't a number to beat

This is also why a Health Mirror reflection shows a Balance Index rather than a “health score.”

A score makes us want to win.

Higher is better. Lower is worse. Mine is better than yours.

No, that's not what the Balance Index suggests.

And if something makes us wonder about our health, that's a conversation to have with our healthcare professionals.

Health Mirror has a quiet job: nudge us to stay connected with our bodies and notice what changes.

There is no target number to beat.

Your baseline belongs to you.

Take a reading. See what's there.

Notice what seems familiar and what doesn't.

Think about how the last few days have felt.

Then move on with the day.

There is already plenty in modern life asking us to look outward.

Health Mirror can be a small reason to look the other way for a moment.

Inward.

Just to notice.