By far the biggest mistake you can make in your fitness plan is not keeping a detailed fitness journal. Fitness journals are an effective way to monitor and manage your entire fitness program. The wealth of information you will gather by keeping a daily diet and exercise journal is extraordinary. You will be able to see specific areas which are beneficial as well as other areas which wreak havoc to your fitness plan. Your fitness journal will consist of three main components. You will keep a food journal, exercise journal and a personal journal.
Keeping a food journal allows you to keep track of everything you eat. That means EVERY food or liquid that enters your mouth. The key is being honest with yourself and really trying to be as detailed as possible recording your dietary intake. Food journals will display daily snapshots of your eating patterns, any cheating tendencies and all the empty calories which are hampering your progress. A food journal is an incredible tool to use to monitor and make adjustments to your dietary plan.
Your exercise journal allows you to keep track of your strength training and cardiovascular program. By keeping detailed records of your total number of sets, repetitions and weight used for each exercise, you can monitor specific changes in your strength levels. You can more accurately and effectively manage your strength training workouts to keep progressing week after week. Exercise journals are also important for keeping detailed records of your cardio workouts. Did you run 10 miles this week or did you ride the stationary bike for 30 minutes? How about the intensity level of your workouts? When you document your cardio exercises, you will be able to look back and see the correlation between your changes in your body weight and specific cardio exercises. This provides incredible feedback to gauge your plan and make adjustments.
Your personal journals keep track of your thoughts, feelings and emotions. You will be able to record your energy levels, any motivational issues and your overall emotional state. Are you burned out on your current fitness plan and need a change? Write down your feelings and think of different ways to improve your fitness plan. By making little changes in your cardio routine or diet plan, it will become more exciting and give you the extra push to keep going.
Always remember, what gets measured gets managed. If you write it down, you will have a much better chance to stick with your fitness plan, make adjustments and keep improving every week. Fitness journals are a significant part of your daily routine, providing the feedback you need to stay on track and reach your fitness goals!
