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I Kept a Fitness Journal For a Week…

April 13, 2018

Let me start by saying, I thought this would be time consuming or that I would forget, but keeping a fitness journal for the week actually helped me stay more accountable than I have been in a while in regards to my overall health. It also helps that when you work for a fitness company, you have access to the equipment they make, so I had no excuses not to work out!

While I kept my fitness journal this week, I primarily wanted to focus on my eating and getting a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day. Also, I’m sure my fitness journal is very simple in comparison to others that are out there, but this was my first time keeping track of my food and workouts too.

This is how my week of keeping a fitness journal went:

Day 1: Monday

Meals:

  • Breakfast: One berry granola bar
  • Lunch: Spinach salad with feta cheese and homemade vinaigrette dressing
  • Dinner: Homemade pepperoni pizza and a side salad

Workout:

  • 15 minutes cardio on the TRUE C900 treadmill: 2 minutes walking at 4 percent incline to warm-up, 11 minutes steady run at 2 percent incline, 2 minutes walking to cool-down at 2 percent incline
  • 15 minutes of strength exercises: This varies depending on the day. I just try to mix it up and use 5 to 10 pound weights depending on what movements I am doing. Today, I focused on my arms and abs.

Day 2: Tuesday

Meals:

  • Breakfast: One apple cinnamon granola bar
  • Lunch: Spinach salad with feta cheese and homemade vinaigrette dressing
  • Dinner: Cheeseburger with locally raised beef and macaroni and cheese

Workout:

  • 15 minutes of cardio on the TRUE C900 treadmill: Repeated Monday’s workout.
  • 15 minutes of strength: 3 reps of 10 push-ups, 2 reps of 10 lunges, 2 reps of 10 squats. I did more leg exercises today and while it wasn’t much, I added a 10 pound weight for each exercise and always raised my arms with every rep.

Day 3: Wednesday

Meals:

  • Breakfast: chocolate protein bar and coffee
  • Lunch: One cup of leftover macaroni and cheese with my spinach salad creation, but today I added croutons
  • Dinner: This was my cheat night because I went out to dinner with my grandma. I ordered a bacon burger and fries, with water and lemon as my drink. To be honest, the burger was amazing and I enjoyed it completely guilt-free.

Workout:

No workout today.

Unfortunately, I realized that no workout, plus having a cheat meal probably was not the best decision.

Day 4: Thursday

Meals:

  • Breakfast: One apple cinnamon granola bar
  • Lunch: Subway Fresh Fit 6 inch Turkey Sandwich
  • Dinner: Grilled chicken, side salad with broccoli and asparagus

Workout:

  • 1.5 mile run on my road I live on.

Today was my favorite day of the week because the weather was so nice. I changed up my work out by running outside and went further than I have before and dinner was grilled at home and was very healthy and filling.

Day 5: Friday

Meals:

  • Breakfast: chocolate protein bar and coffee
  • Lunch: Spinach salad, added some leftover grilled chicken from last night
  • Dinner: Homemade quesadillas filled with a bunch of veggies

Workout:

  • 1.5 mile run

What I Took Away

I know my fitness journal was very simple and not too detailed, but it was very helpful for me. I did weigh myself at the beginning of the week and again at the end and ended up losing around 4 pounds which I was very pleased with! Another thing I did for the entire week was drink water with lemon, constantly! I did not allow myself and soda or alcohol and really limited my sugar intake. By doing that, I noticed a huge boost to my energy and mood and by the end of the week my body felt cleansed and awake!

For those who are interested in keeping their own fitness journal, remember it doesn’t have to be in-depth. I thought of mine as a tool to stay accountable as I try to eat healthier and exercise daily. I also liked going back through my journal over the weekend as a reminder to start fresh again the next week and continue to push myself farther and outside of my comfort zone.

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