Keeping a fitness journal

Get ready to embark on the fitness wagon. Pay no attention to the times you may have fallen off. The journey to your goals is about to commence and journalling will help you to remain on track.

Creating a fitness journal:
•Helps you set goals, visualize them and make a concise agenda on how to achieve them
•Makes you accountable for your actions
•Reveals truths about habits you may not be consciously aware of
•Persistently reminds you of your aspiration

So don't procrastinate, pick up a pen and some paper and start a record of the steps you're taking to a healthy living.

Step 1: Create short-term and long-term goals and write them in your journal

Long-term goals are ambitions you are working towards. Look to the future and ask yourself: What major accomplishment am I striving for? It could be to go from a size 14 to a size 8 or to incorporate a healthier lifestyle. Make these goals visual daily -- post pictures and words of encouragement to remind you of what you're striving for.

Short-term goals are the baby steps on the ladder to success. These measurable targets will lead you to achieve long-term goals. A short-term goal can be to lose five pounds in one month and perform three action steps: "I will work out three times a week, cut out four snacks a week, and read about wellness techniques."

Once you achieve short-term goals and are about to set the next ones, give yourself incentive to stay on track by implementing a reward system. Make the reward appropriate, for instance-after losing five pounds treat yourself to a massage or relaxing foot bath instead of a piece of chocolate cake.

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Step 2: Create your areas for success
What does a great journal involve? That's really up to you. Everyone has their own exercise, nutrition, and sleep requirements. It's important to honestly assess your lifestyle and make note of the areas that can use improvement.

The following are suggested topics to include in your fitness diary.

•Nutrition-- Record what you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, as well as beverages. Make note of unhealthy choices and plan for healthier ones. (Pack a healthy lunch instead of ordering fast food.)
•Water intake-- Make a water checklist and schedule to drink up throughout the day.
•Workouts-- Write the type of exercise, duration, and intensity of each session.
•Sleep-- Make note of the time you go to bed and when you rise. Then write about how you feel when you wake up.
•Holistic/Wellness-- Learn the relaxing art of meditation with help from a book, video, or tape on guided meditation. Record efforts to heal your mind and bring peace into your day.

Step 3: Take the good, take the bad, and adapt
Use your journal to identify the areas you need to work on. For example, if you continually feel tired when you wake, analyze sleep patterns. Maybe you need to exercise more, maybe you need to exercise less, maybe you're not eating enough, you're dehydrated or you're not eating the right foods that provide energy.

The key to keeping an effective journal is having it accessible to you and to be consistent. Do not skip the bad days. Analyze the circumstances surrounding those failures to avoid repeating them.

Michele Drake is a Toronto-based fitness consultant. She is certified with a long list of associations including the Canadian Personal Trainers Network, CanFitPro and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. She is also the founder and creator of a pre and postnatal fitness regime Healthy Me, Healthy You.

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