An exercise log with regular entries can serve as a very useful tool in a fitness program. It will help you to set and keep track of realistic fitness goals.
Instructions
1. Use a blank piece of lined paper or download an exercise log from the Internet by searching the terms "exercise log" or "workout journal." You can find these for free, and they look different and have different entries. Find the one that appeals most to you.
2. Choose or make an exercise log that has at least the following columns: date, type of exercise, time spent exercising, intensity of exercise, notes.
3. Write the date in the first column of your exercise log. Check your exercise log to make sure you're working out at least four times per week. If you're not, then gradually work your way up to that.
4. Write the type of exercise next. This is where you indicate whether you lifted weights, walked in the neighborhood, did cardio on the elliptical machine or otherwise. If you choose a type of exercise you like, then you'll stick to it longer. Feel free to explore new activities and write them on your log. After some weeks or months have passed, go back and look at the types of exercises you did and see which ones you stuck with and which ones you dropped. Ask yourself what you liked about the ones you stuck with, and find other activities with the same characteristics.
5. Log the time you spent on your exercise. Write this down in minutes instead of hours because it's more likely that you won't be doing most activities for longer than 1 hour.
6. Log the intensity of your exercise. Simply write down if the exercise was easy, moderate or vigorous. If you can carry on a conversation while doing the exercise, then it's moderate. If you can't talk while you're doing the exercise, then it's vigorous.
7. Keep details about your exercise in the notes section of your log. This is where you can write anything you'll want to remember later such as the speed at which you walked on the treadmill or the settings you used on a weight machine.
Tags: your exercise, type exercise, doing exercise, doing exercise then, exercise notes, exercise then