Why I'm Starting A Fitness Journal (And Why You Should Too)

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Could a fitness journal help me achieve my fitness goal?

All my health and fitness efforts from the start of this year (2018) have been, (and are) for one specific goal –

To have a decent physique by the time I reach my 50th Birthday.

Or at least the best physique I could wish for, for my body type, in the time I’ve got.

That’s not a cop-out, I’m just being realistic.

Now, if that’s not a good enough fitness goal, then I don’t know what is!

Sounds a tad ambitious I grant you.. but why not?

Over the last few years I’ve let my fitness levels drop, and my physique has..well..expanded!

It’s mainly my belly fat that’s the issue, but also the man-boobs have crept in.

Not a good look!

I’ve got another 7 months and 22 days before my 50th.

So I’ve got time to put it right.

However, like so many other people, I’ve been (sort of) trying to improve my health and fitness for what seems like forever.

Due to having a nice life, and no real health concerns, I seem to be slowly losing the battle for my ‘better body‘.

How Will It Be Different This Time?

Is this decision just another rush of blood to the head?

Is it a mid-life crisis?

Quite possibly!

Since I’ve started my weekly and monthly challenges, I’ve had a real boost of self belief.

If I can keep these fitness challenges going, then I’ve got every chance.

My Fitness Journal

To help me achieve my fitness goal, I’m also going to start a daily fitness Journal.

Well actually I started yesterday.

Documenting certain aspects of your life has helped millions of people overcome and succeed in numerous challenges.

Such as..

Weight Loss
Mindfulness
Meditation
Walking
Running
Reading
Writing
Studying

etc.

You just need to google any of these activities followed by the word ‘journal’ and you’ll see how effective it can be.

A fitness journal will also hold me ‘more accountable‘.

On my 50th Birthday I intend to publish my fitness journal (along with photos) for all to ~~laugh at~~ see.

Not only am I writing about my health and fitness activities on this blog, I will also record every detail of my daily fitness routine, in my journal.

Using An Online Journal

I quite enjoy writing out lists, tasks etc. using a pen and paper.

But this system has never stuck for long enough when it comes to keeping a diary.

In the past I have started physical diaries, only to give up.

I think it may have been because a diary sounds like a lot of writing.

You also need to take a physical diary with you, if you go away.

It just never worked for me.

A fitness journal is very specific and will only need a few bullet points or a couple of sentences to record what I’ve done.

Being able to do this online is even better.

If I go away I can either use my tablet or phone to record my activities.

Penzu – My Online Fitness Journal Platform

After researching a few websites that offer online platforms to host your journal, I decided to use Penzu.

Penzu is incredibly easy to use, it looks great, is nice and clean with a minimal feel, and is free!

It also has an App for my android phone, so I can access it anytime, anywhere.

I may decide to upgrade in the future, because the Pro version gives you more features, and the ability to export your entire journal as a pdf file.

At the moment it’s only $19.99 a year.

Update: Literally a day later they had a 50% off deal. Coincidence?!

Anyway, I now have Penzu Pro which allows me to do a lot more.

The two major advantages of updating to the Pro version are:

You can download/export your entire journal into a pdf format.
You can create as many journals as you like – as apposed to a limit of just one with the free version.

Here are some of the benefits of the Penzu Pro online journal:

✓ Create multiple journals
✓ Customize your backgrounds, pad styles, and entry fonts
✓ Export your journals as a pdf to your PC, MAC or cloud
✓ Submit entries via email
✓ Schedule custom reminders
✓ Tag your entries for better organization
✓ Change the date of each entry to any date in the past

For just ten bucks, I reckon this is a pretty good deal, especially because I’m thinking about creating more online journals.