Looking to Achieve Your Fitness Goals This Summer? Start a Fitness Journal!

Summer has always been the time for people to start putting on their running shoes and working towards their fitness goals. And now, as more places are starting to open up, there's no time to waste.

That said, getting fit isn't exactly a walk in the park. It's so easy to lose steam or give into the temptation of taking a day off, especially after a long day at work.

But if you're truly determined to put your heart to it and get healthier, a fitness journal might just be the thing for you.

What is a fitness journal?

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A fitness journal is basically a place for you to keep track of all things fitness related, from your activity levels to the foods you eat, and even the amount of sleep you're getting.

To further elaborate, here are some benefits that might further interest you starting your own fitness journal.

4 Reasons to keep a fitness journal

1. Keeps track of your progress

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One of the best ways to motivate yourself to get fit is by tracking your progress! When you're able to see how much weight you've been losing, or how much more you've been able to lift, you'll be more motivated to keep going even when things get tough.

2. Schedules your workouts and keeps you accountable

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A fitness journal also doubles as a fitness schedule! By making weekly workout plans, you'll find that you'll be better able to resist the urge to just skip the workout and laze around. This is especially useful for those who work out at home or for those who are just starting to workout.

3. Helps you understand your body

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Fitness isn't just about working out and eating healthy; it's also about understanding what makes your body tick! When you track your progress in a fitness journal, you'll be able to notice what workouts work best for you, and what foods you should cut out from your diet.

4. Keeps your spirits up

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At the end of the day, fitness isn't about getting that hot bod or that waistline — it's about loving your body and becoming physically and mentally healthier! With a fitness journal, you can remind yourself about what truly matters in your fitness journey.

What goes into a fitness journal?

Now to get into the meat of things: what should you put in your fitness journal? Everyone's fitness journey is different, and thus there's simply no set rules on what your fitness journal should consist of!

Depending on what you prefer, you could either use a good ol' physical notebook or a digital journal app like Journey!

But if you truly have no idea where to begin, here are some general ideas you can draw on when creating your own fitness journal.

1. Track your activity and workout stats

The fitness journal ought to be a record of all the workouts and exercises that you've done. Here are some stats that you might want to look into tracking every day:

• Distance walked or ran
• What kinds of exercises (E.g. burpees, jumping jacks, planks etc.)
• Weights lifted
• Number of reps
• Total time exercised

These are just some examples of what you can record. These stats will change depending on your preferences and what types of workouts you're doing.

If jogging or speed-walking is your exercise of choice, Journey will be able to count the distance you've made, the number of steps and even your average pace! All you have to do is connect your Google Fit or Apple Health to your Journey account, and voila – you'll be able to extract your fitness data and see them in your Today page on Journey!

2. Record your food and water consumption

A key part of fitness is watching your diet – what you've eaten for the day and how much water you've drank. As mentioned earlier, keeping track of what you've eaten over a period of time can give you a better understanding of what foods your body reacts best to.

For example, some people may find that they bloat easily from carbohydrates like pastas and rice. Others may find that dairy causes their skin to break out. Eventually, you'll find the best combination of foods for you!

It's also important to remember that it's not about depriving yourself of food for the sake of cutting calories, or "punishing" yourself after a big meal. Celebrate your food and remember to maintain a healthy relationship with it.

With Journey, you can take pictures of the foods you eat and uploading them onto your journal entries! This is a great way to add some color and fun to your fitness journal, and you'll be able to easily review them using the media function.

3. Plan your workouts

As mentioned earlier, fitness journals are an excellent way for you to schedule your workouts and keep yourself accountable. Consider taking 30 minutes every Sunday to sit down and create an action plan!

Journey's calendar feature makes scheduling your workouts simple. Simply tap on your day of choice and create a new journal entry.

On that journal entry, you can easily create a checklist of the workouts that you have planned, and check them off one by one on the day of.

4. Add a mini vision board.

We've talked about vision boards before, and how they can be immensely helpful in keeping you motivated and focused on your goals. To brighten up your fitness journal, consider adding in a mini vision board!

Check out how you can create a vision board in Journey here!

5. Track your moods

At the end of the day, your fitness journey is meant for you. It's not to suit others' beauty standards, or to please a significant other – it's about becoming a better and healthier version of yourself. And that is why it's important to include a mood tracker in your fitness journal!

Thankfully, Journey comes with a mood tracker feature, you can always indicate your mood on each of your daily fitness journal entries.

You will also be able to see a pattern of your moods over a period of time in the form of a mood chart!

If you've noticed that, since starting your fitness journey, your mood over time has significantly improved – great! However, if your fitness journey is making you consistently miserable, then it's time to change things up. Find a workout or an exercise that you enjoy!

Embarking on a fitness journey is no easy feat, and we truly applaud you for having the perseverance and discipline to do so!

Download Journey now to aid you on your fitness journey.