Logging Exercise Workouts Gives Mental and Physical Inspiration

By MARLENE HABIB-- Canadian Free Press

Lorie Ayukawa’s exercise charts are as important to her in achieving fitness goals as her training methods and equipment.

“I always did keep a training diary way back when,” the personal trainer, who has been an exercise devotee for more than 20 years, says about being a stickler about logging workouts.

Ayukawa is a solid example of how charting fitness routines, progress and mental and physical feelings can result in a lifelong and fulfilling devotion to exercise.

The most successful tracking strategies hinge on writing down how fast or far an exerciser has run or cycled or how much weight has been lifted, for instance, as well as feelings before, during and after a training session.

Ayukawa chronicles everything from solid data-- such as the time and duration of her runs — to how she slept the night before and then felt during the cardiovascular training session. She also works out with weights, starting each new workout by referring back to her chart from her previous session.

“For beginners, a diary can help them reinforce the exercise habit,” says Ayukawa, who trains exercisers at the Eclipse fitness club or in their own homes.

Logging workouts can help more experienced exercisers get out of a rut, avoid boredom or stagnation, and achieve optimum performance.

Ayukawa says she and other trainers detail their clients’ routines and accomplishments to give them “a snapshot” of their progress, as well as provide them with an exercise guideline when a trainer isn’t present.

Individuals who can’t afford a personal trainer can have charts developed for them at their gyms. There are also personal-training CD-ROMs that include fitness logs, and exercise journals available in bookstores.

Chicago talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey, for instance, teamed up with her personal trainer, Bob Greene, to write A Journal of Daily Renewal (Hyperion, $11.95). The 200-page log, a companion to Oprah’s fat-again-to-thinner-again Make the Connection book ($25.95) of 1996, includes space for recording daily goals, general feelings about food, exercise and life, why and when food is eaten and exercise performance.

Fitness writer Suzanne Schlosberg spoke to Olympic athletes to put together The Ultimate Workout Log: An Exercise Diary and Fitness Guide (Thomas Allen and Son, 155 pages). It’s set to be released in its second edition in January (retailing for $8.95) in time for New Years’ resolutions goal-setting.

Schlosberg, an avid amateur biker who’s based in California, also details how keeping a workout log helped her conquer a hill she calls “the Mother” over two months of training. “It was a great feeling to get out my red pen and write in my log: “Conquered the Mother,’’ she writes.

“There’s no shortage of people who diligently keep a cheque book, an appointment book, an address book, and a scrapbook,” adds Schlosberg. “I don’t happen to be one of them. So trust me when I tell you that keeping an exercise log works.”

Setting goals is one of the most important steps in using a log as an inspirational tool. Goals can range from achieving a certain distance, to focusing on a certain time or completing a number of sessions.

Other goals, such as improving cardiovascular endurance, strength, flexibility and body fat levels, are best set after getting a fitness assessment which is offered by most gyms, says Schlosberg, adding that such tests give a starting point from which to measure progress.

But she also stresses: “Not all goals involve numbers. You might aim to eat less fat, climb more hills on your bike, or just enjoy your workouts more. Be sure to make your goals realistic and schedule in some easy days and weeks.”

Some tips for keeping an exercise diary:

§ If your goals are physical, such as losing weight, improving your body-mass index, gaining strength, endurance or flexibility, it’s recommended that you have an initial fitness assessment to establish a baseline from which you can begin to chart your progress.

§ Not all goals are based on improving looks or performance. Don’t hesitate to build a workout log around improving mental well-being and personal health.

§ It helps to establish both long-term and short-term goals. You can benefit from feeling inspired or motivated in the moment when fulfilling short-term targets while engaged in an activity ~ such as swimming an extra lap or two or jogging an extra five minutes.

§ Even if you don’t exercise every day, it’s a good idea to write in your log on a daily basis, and then do an assessment at the end of each week. This also helps distinguish between days of rest and days of illness or injury.

§ Sometimes it’s helpful to use numbers -- for instance rating workouts on a scale of one to five in terms of intensity – instead of just logging distance or time.

§ If you’re monitoring your food intake, make notes about what you’ve eaten. But don’t be obsessive about it.

§ Record feelings and external factors – such as feeling angry, working in new pair of running shoes, had a tough day at work, exercised at a time of day that’s not normal for you. This helps when assessing the effectiveness of your training and your success in achieving goals.

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