At first, the thought of something else on your plate to do doesn't sound so appetizing. However, keeping a food and fitness journal is a practical way to raise awareness to the fact that eating and exercise are closely connected. Even if you are quite diligent and pay close attention to what you eat and how you exercise, keeping a journal can become a testament to your success!
Share with a Professional
Health professionals we visit always welcome someone who is willing to take initiative. Most professionals in the business of helping others are quite use to looking at data about their client or patient. Data provides a timeline and record that helps the professional devise or improve a planned program. Therefore, it is important to be record with honesty and diligence. Here are a few of the Health professionals that probably wouldn't mind having a peek at your journal.
- Doctor
- Nutritionist/diet program specialist
- Personal fitness trainer/coach
- Psychologist or counselor
Creating a Food and Fitness Journal
There are few ways to start the process. You could buy a blank lined hardback journal book or you could make your own from scratch. Both ways require some preparation. Making it from scratch start with a full size standard sheet to write on. No sense writing small and then having to look back and wonder if it’s readable. Using a binder is best for the convenience of adding more pages.
Keeping it Simple
The log sheet should contain the following areas for data entry
- Date
- Time of day
- Event (food or fitness)
The date should be at the top for easy referencing and a daily time schedule starting with your approximate daily awakening time through bedtime. This not only helps keep track of when you ate something but also reveals how long it has been between meals. The event is either a food event or activity event. To make it easier, put a capital F (for fitness) next to the time of day you are exercising then write the name of the activity. This makes the exercise portion standout as you review several pages at a time. There is no need to add a label for a food event.
Sample Food/Fitness Journal
- Date: Monday Sept. 20, 2009
- F 6 AM - Yoga on TV
- 7 AM - 2 eggs, spinach, whole wheat toast, fruit juice, coffee
- 8 AM -
- F 9 AM - Jogging (neighborhood) 20 min., stretches, 10 push-ups, 1 minute ABS
Keeping it Close
Keep your journal with you. At home, leave it near the kitchen where it is easy to find and make an entry just before you eat. Writing an entry down in real time increases the discipline to continue making it a habit. Committing it to memory may work in a pinch when you’re not near your log. However, the sooner it is written, the sooner your mind is free to work on other tasks.
Clarity is Power
When we’re in a hurry, skipping an entry or writing too quickly will result in a less useful log. Remember, information is power. Once a month (or weekly), look back at your log. Share what you are doing with someone you trust.Valuable insight can be gained from keeping a food journal and will help with meal planning and quite possibly the motivation you to continue striving for a healthier you.
Follow these steps for gaining clarity and enduring value. Live Healthfully!
Quinn Collor - I enjoy writing about different topics. Research helps me define my approach leading to the essence of what I really want to say about a ...
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