What Is Exercise Log?
An exercise log is one of the most important ways that can help keep you stay right on track while on the road to getting fit.
You can choose to write on a notebook or a computer, but make sure to personalize it and make it easily accessible so that you won’t forget to write entries and constantly remind you to stick to your exercise regimen.
Many people find it better to create their own exercise log on a notebook where they can add inspiring pictures and words.
This article will discuss about 10 things to maintain in an exercise log or journal in your weight loss journey:
An exercise log should consistently have the following 10 elements:
- The Date, Day, Weather and Time When You Had Your Workout :-
Being detailed about these will help you find out your ideal workout conditions.
At the end of the week, you can put a sticker on the days when you were most productive and an X mark on those when you had to drag your feet to exercise.
At the end of the month, you can take note of how your exercise regimen went and then plan your exercise regimen accordingly. For example, you’ve probably noticed that you prefer jogging during the early mornings than the late afternoons.
- The Location
- The Type Of Workout Equipment Used (a yoga mat or a tread mill, for example)
- Your Instructor (yourself, trainer, or video)
- Your Sets, Reps, and Weights –
This can help you find out how to change your strength exercise regimen and get the best out of it.
Always increase the number of sets, reps, or weight every time you’re exercising. For instance, if you did 10 sets per exercise in a week, try to do 15 the next week.
Notating this makes it easier for you to monitor if you’re getting better, especially if you’re doing many different types of workout.
- Intensity (easy, medium, hard) –
Knowing how intense you’ve been working out will help you check if you’re doing your best.
To do this, you can write down your Perceived Exertion (rate how you feel from a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 making you feel like you’re at the top of your game, and 10 feeling weak and tired) after working out.
If you want to be more objective about this, then you can check the percentage of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age) for a particular duration during the exercise.
If it doesn’t go beyond 7 on the PE scale or 60 to 85% on your MHR, then you need to dare yourself to do more.
Intensity is the most vital element when it comes to achieving your goal. That’s because as time passes by your body will adapt to the distance that you’re jogging or the weights that you’re lifting, making you burn less calories and hinders toning. In which case you’ll need to intensify your workout.
- Duration (length of time you exercised)
- Energy Index
Taking note of your Energy Index means you’re rating how you felt on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 as the most energetic and 1 as down in the dumps. You can also elaborate by writing down why you felt that way, such as you felt uncomfortable or tired.
If you are more likely to score yourself a 3 or less, then you’re most likely exercising too much or you’re bored with your regimen. If that’s the case, you’ll need to change your regimen. For example, you can try out Aikido and don’t limit yourself to one type of exercise (for instance you can do jump rope on a Monday and go swimming on Tuesday).
- Body Fat –
Jotting down your body fat will help determine how much fat is being replaced with muscle.
Seeing that you’re losing the body fat will show to you that you’re becoming more strong and healthy. This will help encourage you to continue your workout.
There are gyms that have a bio electrical impedance analysis scale which will calculate your body fat percentage. It works by checking how fast an electrical current passes through your body. Muscles are almost 70% water and fat doesn’t have any water, so if the current passes through faster, then you have more muscle than fat.
If you’re unable to use this scale, then you can measure the circumference of your waist around belly button area using a measuring tape. Losing the inches means you’re turning fat into muscle.
Body fat should only be checked once each month as it can take that long for you to notice the change.
- Your Goals –
You should constantly remind yourself about what your goals are to keep you focused and inspired.
Here’s an interesting fact that might help you: those who exercise for the sake of losing weight are more likely to get sidetracked or even stop their exercise regimen. However, those who exercise to keep fit as part of their lifestyle are those who are consistent.
Always update on these 10 things to maintain in an exercise log or journal in your weight loss journey.
