Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail.” Considering his world-renowned achievements, we’re guessing he took this advice to heart. But while a solid plan is one thing, without execution, it is just a wish.
That’s why writing down a goal and the steps needed to make it happen is critical to success. Take a diet, for example. Planning to eat healthier sounds easy enough, right? But go to the grocery store hungry, without a list, and see what happens. Chances are the lure of sugary cereal, salty snacks, or sweet treats will derail your efforts. What about exercise? Going to the gym is always a good choice, but without a plan, what are you going to do there? Fitness and wellness journaling is an excellent way to stay on top of your goals. By tracking things like food, water, exercise, and even your mood, you can better understand what’s working, what isn’t, and most importantly, why.
Digital vs. Manual Journaling
While it may sound old school in today’s digital world, there’s something to be said for putting pen to paper. First, opening a blank journal or planner elicits similar feelings to opening a new notebook or box of crayons on the first day of school. All that endless possibility! Writing your plans and goals on paper makes them more tangible than adding data to one of the hundreds of apps on your phone or tablet. It gives them life! Manual journaling forces you to slow down and be in the moment, a skill many of us lack, thanks to all of our high-tech devices.
According to an article in Forbes Magazine, research indicates that people who write down their goals are 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to accomplish them. The author cites the “generation effect,” meaning that our brains are better at retaining information we generate rather than obtain from other sources.
Ways to Journal Effectively
There is no right or wrong way to journal your goals. However, if you want to give yourself the best shot at success, create a practice of daily journaling that allows you to go beyond simply making a “to-do” list. Here are a few tips to help you journal your fitness and wellness goals to help you stay on track:
1. Write down your “why”
The first step to success on a fitness or wellness journey is identifying your “why.” What is your motivation? Do you have a big event coming up and want to look your best? Are you trying to set a good example for your family? Are you training for an endurance event? Identify your reasons for wanting to achieve the goal so that whenever you feel unmotivated, you can remind yourself of what you want and why.
2. Identify your stumbling blocks
Writing down the things that can potentially trip you up can help you become more aware of your triggers and put a plan in place to manage them. For example, do you have a vacation coming up that will make it tough to stick to your exercise routine or a healthy diet? Is there a stressful situation that might cause you to lose sight of your vision? When you put these things on paper, it becomes easier to see the bigger picture and create a plan for handling life’s challenges rather than allowing them to cause you to stray from your path.
3. Keep count of your calories
You may think you eat healthy, but it isn’t until you see your daily food intake written out in black and white that you notice where there is room for improvement. You may not realize how often you grab a handful of M&M’s from your coworker’s candy dish or how many chips you eat while binge-watching Netflix. A food journal not only helps you track calories or macros, but it can help you see the external factors that may be influencing that poor food choice and help you find better ways of dealing.
4. Focus on fitness
When done correctly, fitness journaling can help you get the most from your workout. By logging which exercises you do, for how long, and with what equipment, you can accurately gauge when to increase your weights, reps, or intensity. It’s also good to track your exertion level after each workout and build your rest and recovery days based on your body’s needs. Record your feelings of accomplishment when you hit a new goal, your feelings of strength when you lift a heavier weight, or your feelings of confidence when you tackle a new exercise. This is a handy motivational tool to have at your fingertips for those days when you’d rather hit snooze than hit the gym.
5. Manage your mood
Oprah Winfrey famously kept a gratitude journal, listing five things she was grateful for each day. This daily gratitude practice can train your brain to focus on the positives in life. Of course, that doesn’t mean you won’t have bad days, but once you build a habit of daily mindfulness and gratitude, you might not focus on them quite so much.
One of the best overall effects of journaling can be summed up by the great author Joan Didion, who once said, “I don’t know what I think until I write it down.” When you journal for fitness, wellness, or any other goal, you unload everything swirling around in your head and put it to paper. This simple act helps you organize your thoughts. It can also give you a sense of calm amid chaos, improving your physical and mental state. Not sure where to start? Whether you write a few sentences or fill several pages, journaling is one of the easiest ways to achieve success in fitness, wellness, and life.
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