Lose weight successfully with an exercise journal

If you want to lose weight or are just interested in getting in shape, a physical activity journal can be the key to success.

Like a personal journal, a journal is the one place where you can share all of your dreams and goals, while also creating a plan to make those aspirations a real part of your life.

I’m sure you already know that to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume. Keeping an exercise journal can be a fun way to assess your current eating and exercise habits and formulate a strategy for cutting calories while increasing your physical activity.

Start your fitness journal by recording your current weight and measurements, if you want you can even add a current photo of yourself. This is your starting point, so be sure to take the time to complete this important step. Months from now, when your body is changing, you will be able to look back and see how much you have accomplished. Once this foundation is established, it will provide you with the motivation you need to keep going.

Motivation, or the lack of it, can be the driving force behind your exercise program or the biggest obstacle in your weight loss efforts. As a personal trainer who specializes in women’s fitness, I’ve found that women who keep a fitness journal have a much better chance of success than those who don’t.

You see that an exercise journal holds you accountable for your weight loss plan. Once you’ve established your baseline and written down your goals, you’ll want to set aside some time each day to record everything you eat and drink. That means everything. You may even be surprised when you realize how much food you are consuming.

Once you start to come to grips with your food intake, you’ll be able to determine which foods to keep in your diet and which foods you need to replace with healthier substitutes. There is a certain connection that your brain will make when you put pen to paper and take responsibility for your own health. It’s easy to fool yourself into thinking you’re eating a somewhat healthy diet when you keep these thoughts locked in your mind.

In addition to recording your eating habits, you’ll want to write down your daily physical activities. Do you exercise regularly? For optimal women’s health, you will need to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day for 6 days a week. You can use your journal to determine your fitness level and gradually increase it for best results.

Challenge your exercise routine by setting goals each week. For example, you might set a goal to add more weights to your exercise program or take longer walks, swim more laps, take a spin class, or learn to play tennis. The secret is to write down anything that will keep you motivated to exercise regularly and eat healthy.

You can get the body you want, all it takes is a desire to succeed followed by a commitment to see it through. But the good thing is that you don’t have to do it alone. Accurately keeping your fitness journal will keep you focused on your goals and give you the motivation you need to excel.