Fitness Journal – Sleep – Part 4

So far we have talked about creating a fitness journal which keeps track of your eating and exercise. Some may leave it at that. You may look as those two areas as being the only important ones when it comes to fitness. But fitness extends beyond that. Overall good fitness can only be had when we take a good look at every area, including our sleep. Sleep is vital. I really don’t get impressed when people tell me how little sleep they get because they are so busy or they have this and that to do. I value my sleep. … Continue reading →

Evaluating the Past Month: January

It is the end of January and time to evaluate how I have done this past month. It’s a good time for all of us to do that. Did you meet any goals that you set? Did you incorporate any changes to your diet? Have you lost weight? Do you feel more energized? Reflect on the good things. Spend time really thinking about positive changes you have made. It can be very encouraging. The biggest victory I had was going the entire month without a sweet…no cookies, cake, ice cream or the like. I decided to implement one “big” change … Continue reading →

Journal Your Way to Fit Living

You will hear me say this often, that fitness is a lifestyle. I really do believe that fitness is about more than just exercising to tone up or lose weight. I believe fitness should encompass every aspect of our lives. Fitness is about fit living. Fit living is more than just squeezing in some exercise. It is about keeping our minds fit, eating healthy and yes, even getting enough rest. It is about living a balanced lifestyle. I am a really strong advocate for journals. I have kept many different types of journals over the years. What I find beneficial … Continue reading →

The Benefits of a Food Journal

I was recently reading about the benefits of a food journal. A food journal will give you a clear picture about your eating habits. Researchers believe that a food journal gives you a better chance at losing weight. Why? When it is all laid out before you, then you gain an understanding of what specific changes you need to make. I like journaling in general. Journaling is therapeutic for me. It is also a great way to note life’s up and down moments. I can see how a food journal would do the same. You might notice a pattern where … Continue reading →

Keeping a Workout Journal

When I first started a workout routine that included weightlifting and running (nearly 20 years ago) I kept a journal to keep track of what exercises I was supposed to do on a particular day. After a while my routine became second nature and I stopped journaling. Recently, though, I’ve been hearing more and more trainers recommend that athletes continue keeping a workout diary regardless of whether or not they have memorized a set routine. The reason: Keeping a journal helps you recognize improvements. For example, if you started a training program that includes running you would track the number … Continue reading →

Fitness Journal – Sleeplessness and Exercise

The more you sleep, the better you feel – that sounds reasonable, right? Sometimes though, you can sleep too much. If you are low on energy and you don’t eat well, chances are you sleep long hours and you sleep very hard. In today’s fitness journal, I want to share a story with you. Years ago, I had a friend who rarely if ever ate very well. Her diet often consisted of Dr. Pepper and fast food. On the rare occasions she ate ‘meals’ she did not eat vegetables or whole grain products. She was more inclined to eat steaks, … Continue reading →

Fitness Journal – Pain Management

Part of the goal of this fitness journal is to explore the ways you can document your own fitness. Sometimes we focus just on the workout, other times we focus on what motivated us and today, we’re going to focus on the obstacles in our path to getting where we want to be. Pain Management When we refer to pain management in fitness, we’re talking about our measured response to pain stimulus. I don’t mean we’re interested in causing injury to ourselves. In fact, in fitness pain is a necessary component that warns us if we’ve gone too far or … Continue reading →

Fitness Journal – Today’s Workout

Today is going to be all about circuit training. My stamina is not up for any long term 30 minute workouts that keep me doing the same thing over and over and over again. Instead, circuit training keeps you shaking it up and changing up what you’re doing. It’s also a great way to tone and burn calories at the same time. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the workout. It’s important to note that you should drink plenty of water before, during and after your workout. Hydration is a key to fitness success because it … Continue reading →

Fitness Journal – Stressing Your Pedometer

Good evening, sorry for the lateness of the hour, but I wanted to get this journal entry in before I went to bed. Today was another run to get things done both around the house and in the yard. I’m having oral surgery on Friday to extract the painful wisdom tooth and it’s next door neighbor that’s been infected for a while now. Personally, I can’t wait for the surgery, but in the meanwhile – I need to get things done so that I can rest afterwards. Pedometer Stress I’ve described using my pedometer before and we’ve talked many times … Continue reading →

Fitness Journal – Taking a Break From All Your Worries

I’ve talked about the need for a mental health day before. Days to de-stress and take a break are very important. They are important for your workout routine to have a down day to let your body recover properly. Remember, when you don’t give your muscles a chance to recover then you run the risk of overtraining and over doing it – this leads to injury, illness and fatigue. Your mind is a lot like your body, if you don’t give it some quality downtime, you’re going to be cranky, irritable and tired. My daughter went to spend the day … Continue reading →