When you get ready to exercise, what do you bring with you?
Some people may bring activity-specific gear. This could include hand wraps for weight training, or a yoga mat to practice their favorite poses and stretches.
Never forget your trusty water bottle. The same goes for your peak fitness playlist — many would say the rhythm of the music fuels the flow of the exercise. Sometimes the right song could make you up your progress from last week.
That’s where we come to the ideal item to easily improve exercise progress for anyone — a training log.
Some apps are designed for such a purpose. But if you prefer, even a small paper notebook can suffice. Keeping a record or journal of your exercises and progress is guaranteed to help you see results.
For example, those who want to lift heavier weights or run for longer periods need to know what goal they’re aiming for. Even a single extra rep of bench press, or 20 seconds shaved off your time running a mile, can be a substantial improvement from one workout to the next.
The best part? This log functions as a living testament to the fact that your routine is working. It’s undeniable evidence that you can improve exercise progress with consistency. Such proof may motivate you to continue training and pushing yourself to be even fitter than at the last workout.
If you look at your log and find you’ve plateaued, or that your progress is diminishing, it’s a sign you should maybe switch up your routine to make it more effective.
Log this in your workout journal — the Council for Retirement Security blog publishes health and fitness tips weekly. Pencil us in for a read, and let’s enjoy this journey to wellness together!