Do you have a system for tracking your food and workouts? If you haven’t already started, tracking your goals would make a great addition to your healthy New Year’s Resolutions. Whether you’re into the tech-savvy apps or better with a pen and paper, it’s easy to find a system that works for you and to begin reaping the benefits of tracking.
Image
Why tracking helps you reach your goals:
Increased accountability. It may seem like you’re making healthy decisions and working out as often as possible, but if you’re not keeping track of what you’re eating and how many calories you’re burning, you may be cheating yourself without realizing it. Keeping a food log and a workout log allows you to see what works for you and what doesn’t, and gives you a more honest approach to fitness and weight loss. It’s much easier to remember to make healthy decisions all day when you stay honest and put it in black and white.
Determining patterns. Are you more likely to enjoy your workout in the morning or in the evening? Keeping a workout log that includes the time of day that you worked out and how you felt during and after your workout, may help you realize what better works for you. It might be easier to set the alarm for an hour earlier when you know you have a pattern of feeling better all day after a morning workout.
Measuring progress. The scale is only one way to measure health and fitness progress. Keep track of how many reps you are able to complete, how long you ran on the treadmill, or how you felt after yoga class and look back after one month to get a real sense of what progress you’re making. If you continue making sustained progress on strength and endurance, the scale will catch up.
How to do track for health:
Find an app or a small notebook and get started. Your tracking system doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, just something that works for you and is easy to stick with. Be sure your system of choice is something you can have handy all day so you don’t forget about the snack you snuck at work in the afternoon.
Experiment with details. Don’t just note that you worked out, note the details, too. Keep a log of exactly what you did at FitClub, including the number of reps, the amount of weight you used and how you felt during and at the end of your workout. Did you have any pain or soreness during or after your workout? Did you feel more energized throughout the day? Did you sleep better? These details will be important when you look back next month to reflect on healthy patterns that work for you.
Stay consistent. Healthy living requires consistency, and so does tracking. After a month, you’ll want to look back on your notes and see your achievements and progress. Stay honest and consistent and let the progress motivate you to keep going.
Do you track your workouts or food? What works for you?
