Keeping a journal on all things related to exercise can help you reach even your loftiest fitness goals
What are the two most important things you should bring to your workout? If you said your iPod and a bottle of water, you’re all wet. The right answer? A pad and a pencil. Just as you use a checkbook to keep your finances in order, keeping a journal of your progress in the gym is a surefire way to keep your body in shape. But you have to track more than just how many sets and reps you do. From making sure you vary your exercises from week to week to being cognizant of your mental state to logging what you eat, a journal could be as important to your physical health as a routine checkup with your physician.
Here, we’ve jotted down the best ways to record where you’ve gone – and where you plan to go.
GET ORGANIZED
The exercise portion of a good journal should list more than just the routines you do; it should also log your goals for that day, what you actually achieved and comments on how you can do better. The number of sets, reps and weight you used should be noted, yes, but don’t ignore other details, including mental factors, that play a vital role in your success. Did you find you were losing your focus? Would a little more rest between sets or faster reps have made a difference? In other words, ask yourself how you were feeling, not just how much you were lifting.
“It’s good to record whether it’s going to be a low- or high-intensity day, as well,” says Kendra Kessel, a Los Angeles-based personal trainer. “You don’t want to go back to your notes
Karla Adams, a trainer in Riverside, California, recommends putting a full week of exercises on one page to get a comprehensive grasp of your schedule. “Pay attention to whether one day seems to be tougher than another,” she says. “Maybe you’re so tired by the weekend that you can’t give your best effort. That may be a time for exercises that don’t require as much energy.”
The journal goes well beyond the gym – it should extend into the kitchen, too. Allow space to log what you’ve eaten, the meal’s nutri-tional content and how full you feel afterward. Pose such questions as: “Can I eat 100 calories less a day and still feel just as ener-getic?” or “How about a slight reduction in carbs?” A journal also provides a chance to combine exercise and nutritional information by seeing how soon before or after a workoutyou’ve been eating and how that affects your fitness levels.
Finally, look at the other aspects of your life, including your sleeping patterns. “This is the one thing people overlook the most,” Kessel says. “The body repairs muscle during sleep and yet people don’t make sure to get a good 7-9 hours a night. If you’re questioning why you’re not doing as well in the gym, looking at a sleep column in your journal could give you the answer.”
In addition, writing down your feelings about and stresses of your day isn’t just for those who see a psychiatrist, but rather for anyone who wants to psych themselves up for better workouts. But don’t just state the problem; include possible solutions, from getting out with friends an extra night a week to setting time aside every day to read a book or meditate to help you relax and take your mind off work or other stressful situations.
COMMITMENT IS KEY
Kelli Calabrese, a Texas-based trainer and co-author of Feminine, Firm & Fit (Great Atlantic Publishing Group, 2004), which contains a 12-week sample journal, says you need to commit at least three weeks to journaling to see results.
“Too many times people will quit after a few days, or they’ll skip the days when they have ice cream because they don’t want to see it written down and feel guilty,” she says. “But the whole point is to see your lifestyle over time – it’s not like one day would kill the journal, anyway. It’s also good to have a start and endpoint for the journal so you don’t feel you’re a slave to it. It could be a journal for looking great for an upcoming vacation or training for an athletic event. After you’ve accomplished something, it’s good to take a little break.”
Hold on to your old journals – they can give you insight whenever you find yourself struggling for results, Calabrese says. “Journals are your personal success story in writing. You’d be surprised by how much inspiration they can give you.”
While you want your journal to tell you what to shoot for, you shouldn’t allow it to limit your potential for that training day. Kessel says: “I tell my clients they can have a goal of three sets of 12 reps because they did 11 reps the last time, but not to hold themselves back. Sometimes if you visualize doing only 12, you may talk yourself out of doing, say, 14. If you have a day when you’re full of energy, you never know what you can accomplish.”
You also don’t want the journal to make going to the gym seem overwhelming. “Just as forcing yourself to go to the gym six times a week may get you to stop going at all, so can having to write every last thing down in your journal,” Kessel notes. “If it becomes a bother, just write down the exercises you
