Training Logs

By Kirby Adams

OK, how about a show of hands - how many of you resolved to get healthier in 2004?

That many, huh?

Good for you!  

One of the best ways to stick to your plan doesn't cost a thing; you just need to keep track of your progress using some kind of log.  It can be a three-ring notebook or something more elaborate like "The Strong Women's Journal" by Dr. Miriam Nelson.  You have probably already heard that dieters who write down what they eat throughout the day are better equipped to lose weight.  The same goes for training logs.  People who keep exercise logs tend to stay motivated because they can track their progress. 

I started keeping a training log years ago when I began training for the Boston Marathon.  I continued keeping a log while I trained for the Olympic Trials cycling competition.  These aren't terribly detailed logs but they have enough information that they help me to better understand myself.  Plus, it's a great feeling of accomplishment when you flip back through the pages and see how much you've done to get to your goal.  Training logs are also a wonderful way to relive a breathtaking bike ride through the Rockies or a long, hot run in the Texas Hill Country.  (Yeah, those are the areas where I was training way back when!)

"It's not just day-to-day that you measure when you keep a journal; you can also get a sense of the ebb and flow of your life," says Dr. Nelson.  Her journal is a 52-week planner to help you track your progress, stay motivated, and reach nutrition and fitness goals.  It's laid out so that you can start your 52 weeks of logging whenever you choose.  The weekly exercise page is separated into physical activity, which targets your heart and lungs, as well as flexibility and coordination.  It also lets you record - or not record and then you feel guilty - strength training.  The other side of the page lets you track your vegetables, proteins, dairy, whole grains and more. 

I found the journal very easy to follow and use.  As someone who feels like I've read way too many exercise and nutrition how-to books, I liked the short, but sensible, advice Dr. Nelson offers in the journal - not too much and all very sound. 

Dr. Nelson is an associate professor and director the John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University .  She is also the author of "Strong Women Stay Slim," "Strong Women Stay Young," "Strong Women," "Strong Bones," "Strong Women Eat Well" and "Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis."  Thank goodness we found something for the male readers who have made it this far into the article!  For more information on Dr. Nelson visit www.strongwomen.com, and for more information on her books check with your local bookstore.  The publisher of "The Strong Women's Journal" is Penguin, $19.95.

Kirby Adams is the noon anchor and consumer reporter for Kentuckiana's News Channel WHAS-11 and a sports and fitness buff. You can e-mail Kirby at kirby.adams@whas11.com. Kirby is also a member of Kentuckiana HealthFitness' Editorial Advisory Board.

If you know of a little "GEM" or a story you would like to share with our readers, drop me a note about it.

Kirby Adams
c/o WHAS-11 TV
P.O. Box 2588
Louisville , KY 40201