Logging....I know it can be a pain in the butt. I know it takes time. I know it's hard to remember what you did/ate that day....but, logging your nutrition and exercise is KEY to success. Of all of my clients (in-person and online) those who log have the best results!
If you're an online training client of mine you have a way to log this info and send it to me via TrainerForce. First of all, it's important for me to see this so I know how to coach you and how to progress your workouts. But it's not just for me....Looking back at your own logs provides for personal motivation, accountability, and goal setting. For example if you've been training for 3 weeks and aren't seeing appearance changes yet (which is hard to see just 3 weeks into a routine), you can look back at logs and see that you've gone up 20 lbs. in squats or you are able to run for 10 minutes longer than you did the first week. Writing down your food makes you think before you start shoveling stuff in. When you see on paper what you're putting in your body, it will help you to make better choices. Lastly, when you reflect back on your logs and see the progress you've made...you will have numbers to go by to make your goals. You will be able to make realistic and measurable goals. Rather than just saying "I want to get stronger."...you can say "I want to be able to do 20 pushups a month from now."....or "In 2 weeks I wan to have soda out of my diet."
So, yes even though it can be a pain to do, logging is more than worth it for you fitness success!
Hey Jen,
ReplyDeleteAs well as logging should one include a regular 'benchmark' of fitness level or measurement ?? I recall when I was training for triathlon, I had three benchmarks for the three events, 1500 m swim, 10 mile time trial on the bike, and 3 mile run. These were measured during training, not racing. Are there similar benchmarks for someone just trying to improve their fitness ??
Rich