Continuing January fitness drive into March
What is the best way to ensure that your enthusiasm to eat well and exercise more often in January continues into March?
The answer: record it, diarise it, log it...however you want to express it, make a record.
Step one: Chose your means of recording your workouts.
There are great books out there (I like "The Ultimate Workout Log" by Scholosberg, but if you want to record food too there is the "BodyMinder - Workout & Exercise Journal" by MemoryMinder Journals).
If you want iphone/pad apps, I have tried these & can recommend: Moves (you don't even have to write stuff down, it tracks your movement for you), MyNetDiary (food and exercise log), WalkJogRun & MapMyRide+. I understand that Zombies, Run! can be quite fun too.
Step two:
Set goals.
Ensure that they that are just a little beyond what you can do now, this makes them achievable. It could be as simple as 20 minutes of exercise or set a goal of 8,000 steps each day. Better still make it motivational by building steps toward a large goal at the end of the year. E.g. commit to swimming 300m twice a week in Jan, 500m in Feb so that you can do a 800m swim in March. Then build up to a 2km swim by Sept.
Be specific, list numbers and dates.
Step three:
Record your workouts.
Best done each time you finish them, or alternatively, weekly. Be as detailed as you like. It helps you to see your progress. You can record your measurements if weight loss is a goal, or otherwise, just record distance or time, weights, reps, how you felt.... depending on what you are doing.
When you look back through your workouts you might find it helps you:
be inspired to continue
to set benchmarks to progress from
identify how to improve your workouts. Often recording helps you to isolate what you might be doing well or wrong
Good luck. Keep going . Be motivated to work out in a fun way with people you enjoy spending time with. You will be motivating them too!
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