Back to Fit TipsBack to Home

Fit Tips

TAKING THE FIRST STEP : KEEPING AN EXERCISE DIARY

By now most of us know that getting regular exercise is essential to maintaining a healthy body and preventing many diseases. Yet we are the most physically inactive generation that has ever lived. The real key is staying with the program and incorporating regular activity into your lifestyle. Health and fitness experts have found that keeping track of your exercise activity will let you chart your progress and motivate you to continue an exercise regime.

Here are some tips on keeping an exercise diary:

  1. KEEP IT SIMPLE
  2. KEEP IT SHORT
  3. KEEP IT PRACTICAL
  4. KEEP IT PERSONAL
  5. KEEP IT GOING

Following those key points, I began my own exercise diary. To "KEEP IT SIMPLE" I use FitSync. I've tried notebooks but found that it's very time consuming to flip back through the pages to review what I've done. FitSync's charts are neatly organized and I can tell at a glance from the upward trend line that I'm improving! I found it's really easy to track my weight too. This time the little downward trend line makes me happy and keeps me going.

As far as "KEEP IT SHORT" goes, you can write as much as you feel like about the exercise you have done that day. FitSync's Journal makes it really easy for me to jot down whatever I want. You might include how you felt, weather conditions, who was with you, etc. The main thing is that you do this daily. Just knowing you have to write about your activity daily, motivates you to do something… There are only so many "REST" days you want to include in your diary! Someone else might just want to say simply: "30-minute walk!"

To "KEEP IT PRACTICAL," review the diary and your fitness levels periodically. Are you meeting your fitness and health goals? You may need to make adjustments in your activities or fitness program. If you have been exercising regularly and making adjustments as needed, you should be seeing positive changes in your health and fitness profile, such as weight changes, increased energy levels, and improvements in functional fitness. This can be very motivating!

To "KEEP IT PERSONAL," include your feelings, insight, health, mood, or anything that might relate to your outlook about the activity. Research has shown that people tend to stay with exercises they enjoy more than those they don't.

To "KEEP IT GOING," make it a habit. Remember this is YOUR exercise diary. You can maintain it any way you want. You might want to expand it to include your record of the food you eat. As time goes on, you can look back and analyze what is working for you, make adjustments, fine-tune your program and have a record of some incredible memories.

The consumer health information on FitSync.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen.