Do you keep a journal? It can be a great tool for you to use in your fitness journey. Writing down what you eat, i.e.-a food journal, or writing about your challenges and successes is a validation of what you are doing and how you are feeling. It's a piece of evidence right in front of your eyes that you ARE making changes or not really making changes.
Journaling has a downside....it's time consuming. Just remembering to do it each day is just another thing to add to the list. We as a society already cram so much into each day's schedule. If your fitness journey is truly important to you, you just need to pencil in a few extra minutes each day to journal. It's for your eyes only, so who says it has to be elaborate? You could jot down a few words or abbreviations. You could write "good day" or "bad day" and why.
I guess the importance of journaling is that it reflects what is going on in your head. This is as important as what you are doing to or with your physical body each day. If you kick it hard at the gym and wonder why you never get results, you could be eating too many calories or drinking things you shouldn't and not even realize it. You may not notice that you mindlessly eat or clean your kid's plates off after each meal. These are the things you should write down.
How long should you journal? I suppose it's different for everyone. Try it for a month and see how it goes. Then, read back through it and educate yourself on your habits, your "tough time of day," your mental state and habits during times of stress. Look back through your journal and see how often you worked out and if you did the exact same thing all month.
The top things to journal about on a daily basis:
- Did you work out? What did you do and for how long?
- What did you eat and how much?
- How much sleep did you get?
- How much water did you drink? (It should be half your body weight in ounces!)
- What was your mood today?
- What can you celebrate or what do you need to work on?
Write your way into success.
