The Importance Of Keeping A Fitness Journal

Fitness becomes a constant struggle when you don’t have a specific goal. And without keeping a fitness journal, it’s easy to lose sight of your goals. Whether you want to recover from an injury, build muscle strength, break a marathon record, lose weight, practise mindfulness, etc., A fitness journal helps you see the progress you are making on a daily basis. 

A fitness journal is more than just an entry in a notebook. It becomes your friend who is a good listener without any judgement. It also becomes your mentor who keeps you focused on your fitness goals. For me, a fitness journal is like a GPS and a speedometer in a car, giving my goals the right direction and speed.

Disclaimer: All content in this post is for general health information only. Please consult a specialist physician before trying any new exercise, diet, or health advice. There are no affiliate links attached to this post.

Here’s how keeping a fitness journal helps you progress in a much better way.

A fitness journal identifies your goals

The only way to become fit is to face your fears and insecurities. It means identifying your problem areas and then working on your goals. For example, when trying to lose weight, there could be external or internal factors responsible. The reasons could be varied, like depression, unhealthy eating habits, a sedentary lifestyle, etc. It is usually any one underlying habit that is causing weight gain. But if we focus on trying everything without knowing the reason for weight gain, then there are more chances of failure. 

A fitness journal keeps track of your daily habits and lifestyle and helps you identify the areas of your life that require improvement. 

A fitness journal keeps accountability for your actions

Good health is a result of positive habits like keeping a fitness journal. If you are planning to live a healthy life by losing an addiction, then you need a fitness journal. You are accountable for your actions. You may not have noticed how often you give yourself reasons to drink or smoke. Once you start writing in your fitness journal about your habits in detail, you will realise that a few habits are taking over your life. There are easier ways to get over a certain habit, and it all starts with reflecting on ways to improve. 
A fitness journal works like a mirror, showing you the habits that are cluttering your life. Most of the time, it is an unhealthy habit that is proving to be a burden on your finances. 

A fitness journal improves mental health

There are negative and positive thoughts that crowd our minds daily. In a challenging situation, sometimes it’s easier to find a solution. And other times, we fail. A sudden loss of a beloved person may lead us to question life and its meaning. Or frustration and anger lead us to make bad decisions. All this and more can be tackled when we analyse things in detail. 

Keeping a fitness journal about procrastination habits or overthinking about a situation can help regulate actions. You may be surprised, but a simple activity like sleeping for eight hours and waking up early makes a lot of difference to your mental health. Adding activities like gardening and travel to your daily schedule will make you feel less isolated. These are self-care tips that reduce stress and improve brain functioning. 

A fitness journal is a constant motivator

Deciding to become fit is a journey that requires constant motivation. You cannot do the same exercise or eat the same food every day. Boredom and laziness may pull you back. The changes in your health cannot happen instantly. It requires hard work and lots of patience. 

Writing and checking your fitness journal keeps you motivated. It acts like a coach who guides an athlete in the right direction. Even when you make only one percent of improvement, it still counts. 

A fitness journal is a self assessment tool

Just like the storage space in a mobile gets full with apps that slows it down. Likewise, when we feed our mind and body with unnecessary things, it saps our energy. We need to assess smartly what exercises are beneficial for us according to our age and health condition. 

A fitness journal can help your doctor examine any underlying weaknesses and prescribe better ways to deal with them. 

How to create a fitness journal?

The things that you should include in your fitness journal depend on your health goals. Below, I have mentioned a few common things that you should definitely record in your fitness journal. 

Date, week, month, year
Depending on your busy lifestyle and fitness goal, you may choose to keep a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly record.

Morning/afternoon/evening
Recording the time of your fitness activity may not be feasible. But do record the time of day you exercised. 

Type of exercises
Record the type of exercise you are doing because each exercise will give a different result. Fitness enthusiasts love to add variations of different exercises on different days. For example, Monday and Thursday will be strength training days; Tuesday and Sunday will be rest days; Wednesday and Friday will be cardio workout days; Saturday will be light yoga stretches, etc. 

Weight/distance/duration/pace/reps/steps
Each journal entry should start with your current health condition. And end with the number of counts or reps you have successfully done for the day. 

Meals
Food has a direct impact on your health. Keep a record of the number of meals and snacks you have in a day. You can start by reducing your snacks and then replacing them with a healthy snack. 

Water intake
Water plays a very important role in reducing weight. It also keeps your mind active. Keep it basic and simple, without any added flavours. Water also flushes out toxins and keeps your digestive system healthy. Aim to drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water each day.

Total sleep hours
Like I said before, sleep is the most basic but most important habit that can keep you healthy. When your mind is fully rested, you wake up refreshed. You can focus well on your work without getting frustrated. You also enjoy your workouts more. 

Mood
You can inspire or exhaust yourself by thinking. Taking care of yourself and recording your mood will improve your relationships with the people around you. 

Final Thoughts
Fitness of body and mind is easy to maintain. It is a positive habit that will help you succeed professionally. It helps regulate your emotions and addictions. It is a simple method of self-care that will improve your overall quality of life.

References
Coaching Tip: The Importance of Journaling, Written by Becca Borawski, Last updated on June 21, 2011.
https://breakingmuscle.com/coaching-tip-the-importance-of-journaling/#:~:text=By%20writing%20down%20your%20workouts,now%20have%20an%20easy%20reference.