Fitness Journals : Digital or Paper

Physically writing things down with pen and paper is a fleeting method for keeping track of things in this highly digital age. Yet, you might be able to take your fitness efforts to the next level by hanging on to this “old school” method.

If you’re trying to improve your diet, one of the first things your trainer will suggest is to create a food log– logging everything you eat in a day, when, and the way that meal made you feel/what you were feeling when you chose that particular food item. This same method can be applied to physical activity in a fitness journal or workout log — whatever you want to call it.

Maintaining a fitness journal can be one of the most impactful things you can do for your own training. But the log should include more than just your time spent in the gym — it should be as detailed as possible. Include repetitions, sets, rest breaks, and equipment settings. This will help make set up for your next session super easy. You can also track things like weight and body fat percentage with charts and before/after pictures as you work towards your larger goals.

The best part? You can do all of this ahead of time, so your plan is all laid out as soon as you get there, removing any sort of guesswork and wasted time.

Plus, a log is more than just a record of how you have done in the past — it’s how to get to the future. A journal is perfect for marking and celebrating smaller, but certainly no less significant, milestones in your fitness journey, detailing your progress and motivating you to keep working!

Including your "rate of perceived exertion," or RPE, a ranking between 1 and 10 of how difficult your workout felt on a given day allows you to judge when you’re over or under training. Use this scale to determine when it’s time to up the weights or take a rest day.

Of course, you might also want to include other specifics of how you felt during the workout. Were you experiencing any abnormal pain or tightness? Were you hungover? Did you eat too much beforehand? This gives a more holistic view of your performance.

Now that you know how and what you should be tracking, let’s figure out the medium with which you’ll take notes.

While pen and paper works for some, an app on your phone might be easier for others — so it basically boils down to which method you're more committed. Some apps that can help you track your fitness progress include: MyFitnessPal, Run Keeper, Fitbit, or Apple Fitness+.

As for physical journals, Stronger Fitness has a lengthy lists of aesthetically-pleasing journals and logs you can peruse.  

Of course, a plain ol’ notebook from the drugstore will also do the trick, too.

Happy tracking!