Keep Track for Ultimate Results!
By Rachel Cosgrove
Co-Author of Afterburn

Have you ever jumped in your car and just started driving without a plan of where to go or a map of what streets to get you there? Most likely every time you get in your car you know exactly where you are going and if not you have a map to tell you where to go. Once you’re on your way you continually check the streets and landmarks to make sure you are headed in the right direction.

If you have a destination you want to reach with your health and fitness you must have a roadmap or a plan and you must continually check in to make sure you are headed in the right direction otherwise you could be going the completely wrong direction and not know it. It is very important to set yourself small goals regularly, measure frequently, keep track and make changes as needed. Clients who keep track are always more successful!

The first thing you need to do is find a journal or book to write in everyday. I have used notebooks, pretty expensive journals, binders with notebook paper, printed pages with meal times…it doesn’t really matter what you write in but find something today. It should fit your personality. If going out and spending $20.00 on a pretty journal will encourage you to write in it then go for it or if getting on the computer on excel or word and making a fancy food journal is your thing do what ever works. Or just grab some notebook paper and stick it in a binder. The key is you need to have room to track what you put in your mouth, your workouts and room to write how you are feeling. Tracking these things will keep you accountable.

When someone asks me for help, the first thing I tell them is to keep track of what they are doing for 4 days and then I will look it over. Many times just having them keep track for this short period of time they will eat better, not miss a workout and will lose a pound over the 4 days. They will thank me before I have even done anything because I made them accountable. Keeping track is very powerful.

Having these records will enable you to make changes when you aren’t getting the results you want. You can easily look back and make changes to what you are doing. If you haven’t kept track it is hard to know if you were doing everything as planned and what changes to make, you end up guessing instead.

Follow these tips to keep track:
1. On the first page of your journal or the inside cover write down your goals. Be specific and give your self a timeline. Read your goal every single day. This will keep you focused.

2. Find a time of day that you will sit down and write what you ate that day or carry your journal with you and keep track all day. I prefer writing at the end of the day before I go to bed. Write down your supplements and how much water you drank. Then write a few sentences about how you are feeling, whether you feel motivated, tired, focused, etc. Writing everything down will keep you accountable and you will think twice before you eat something you know you shouldn’t.

2. Keep track of your workouts. If you have a trainer or fitness coach they should be doing this but if you’re on your own you should keep track of everything including how much weight you lifted, if you are recovering, etc. This is important to know if you are improving and getting stronger. You may also notice that you have adapted to a routine because it is getting easier or you haven’t been able to increase your weights or intensity at all.

3. Measure 2-4x a month and keep track of it in your journal. If you are consistantly losing then what you are doing is working. If you don’t lose or you gain one week check back in your records and see what happened…you probably missed a workout or ate a little more then you should, or skipped too many meals. Having these records will help you target the problem and make a change. If you look back in your records and you did everything as planned maybe it is time to change your workout or your menu.

4. Periodically read back in your journals for motivation. If you are losing your focus, look back to day one when you were super motivated and read what you wrote and get inspired again. You will lose focus as time goes on so it is important to be able to tap into that motivation you had when you first started your quest for a fit healthy body.

Keeping track is very powerful and will eliminate the guesswork. Your progress will speed up and you’ll be at your fitness goal in no time!

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