10 Reasons to Keep a Fitness Journal

I used to think that keeping a Fitness Journal was a waste of time, but I started keeping one in early August when I started my weight loss program.  I have been very successful in losing pounds and inches and I give partial credit to my Fitness Journal.  Let's look at the reasons that it is a good idea to keep a journal:

1. Keeps you accountable.  If you record what you eat (be honest and list everything) you will be less likely to eat that chocolate donut or cookie.  Those things look wicked in a Fitness Journal.
2. Shows you your habits - You may see that you are most tempted to overeat or cheat on your program in the evening while watching TV or when you have had a bad day at work.  You may see an overeating pattern emerging.
3. Makes your goals seem more real - It has been said that it is a dream until you write it down and then it's a goal.  Set a weight loss and fitness goal for yourself and write it down in your journal.  This makes you accountable to yourself.
4. Helps you to see what works - You can see, for example, that you lost more weight on the days after you ate more protein or you were slow losing pounds if you skipped your treadmill all week.
5. Helps you to see what doesn't work - When it is in writing, maybe eating too many carbs is what caused the scales to stop moving.
6. Shows you are serious about fitness - When you keep a journal of all your foods, weights, activity and measurements, you prove to yourself that you are taking your program seriously.
7. Helps you to keep track of your food - If you are counting calories or carbs, writing it down helps you to stay within your target range.  I write down a whole day's food in my electronic journal every morning to make sure I stay within my target calorie range for the day.  It's a good feeling knowing what I am going to eat for the day.
8. Helps you to keep track of workouts - Maybe you are going to walk 3 days per week and do Zumba a couple of times.  Your journal helps keep you on target and motivated.
9. Helps you track your progress - It's great to see your weight and measurements go down.  It shows you that all your hard work is paying off.
10. Helps you track your motivation - This is a big one.  Unless you stay motivated, you may just skip the workout or go ahead and eat that piece of chocolate pie in the refrigerator.  You must have your journal handy so you can look at it often.  When you see your progress, you just don't want to spoil it.

Keeping a journal is actually fun, once you get started.  It can be as public or as private as you want it to be.  I even take pictures of myself (front and side views) once a month and tape them on my journal pages.  My progress that I can see in my photos helps keep me motivated to keep going.  Your journal can be a notebook pad or even a fancy leather bound journal - as long as you write it down, you will gain strength from it!