Jen Williamson said, "Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding," There's immense truth to this quote.
If you've been on social media, there's no way that you were bypassed by the journaling trend — your everyday activities, mental and physical health, manifestations, and so on.
Writing down your thoughts is truly
an inspiring way to keep pushing through life and moving forward with your goals. Scribbling on paper contributes to self-motivation and progress at your own pace.
If you're on your fitness journey, though, keeping a journal that focuses on your at-home workout routine can help you see through what really matters and achieve your fitness goals.
Keeping a fitness journal is an excellent way to maintain a meaningful mind-body connection. Wellness shapes our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. A balanced life can make us happy in all areas of life.
There are several types of wellness journals:
Yoga is a widely popular ancient practice that focuses on poses, deep breathing, and concentration. Through experience, it helps you balance your mind and body and achieve pace. Meanwhile, your yoga journal is a great way of keeping in touch with your mind.
Whether you're a beginner scrolling through YT tutorials or someone who's been practicing this method of meditation for years, keeping a yoga journal can help you plan, analyze, and become more creative in your fitness journey.
You can keep notes on different poses, pre and post-exercise feels, and generally keep records of successful routines that you'd like to stick to in the future.
Food journals are not just for your chosen nutritionist – it's for health-aware people who want to keep track of their diet, the amount of healthy and unhealthy carbs, hydration, and so on. It's also for analyzing the 'why's' in your eating patterns.
There are actually a lot of benefits that stem from keeping a food journal with you at all times.
For instance, if you're on your weight-loss journey, you can use your food journal to keep track of your progress. Slowly but surely, you'll see a difference that will positively affect your well-being. Naturally, writing down progress will motivate you to continue doing what you're doing.
Additionally, if you know your math and you're familiar with calculating your carbs and food portions, you can turn your food journal into a diet plan that can spread over a month, two, or six.
Write, erase, modify, and calculate food portions that will help you achieve your fitness goals.
You can also use your food journal to write down why you're sneaking out at midnight for a snack when you're not really that hungry or why you prefer to eat just sweets and not include any healthy fruit alternatives in your meal portions.
If you're dealing with binge eating, a food journal might help you get over some of the major obstacles that you're facing.
Binge eating is a serious eating disorder that forces an individual to consume large amounts of food, making them feel unable to stop eating them. According to research, the average age at which it occurs is 25.
Point taken — the sooner you start acknowledging and writing down your thoughts, the better.
And the best for last — keeping a wellness journal in your handbag or bedside table, or downloading a digital one, if you want, is essential. Wellness journals are not old-fashioned, and they're certainly not only in the form of colorful notebooks with stickers all over them.
Wellness journals are (digital) notebooks that help your body keep in touch with your mind. Since wellness is somewhat a broader term, it can be about anything and everything you're going through. The main purpose remains the same: achieving your fitness goals.
The benefits of keeping a wellness journal that documents your fitness journey are numerous, so let's just mention the most powerful ones that'll surely make an impact on you.
For starters, wellness journals can help you reduce stress. Maybe you're not ready to sit down with your therapist, or talk with your friends and family about your fitness plans, and that's fine. You can have a writing session with yourself. There are no limitations.
Even 15-20 minutes of daily journaling can help you reduce a large amount of emotional and physical stress that's built up in your body.
Another obvious benefit is that it keeps your memory sharp. We're living in a fast-forward world, and it's not uncommon to forget about even the smallest details – like taking our vitamins or drinking enough water. Well, journaling about these essentials will keep your memory sharp and help your immune system be at its peak.
Lastly, keeping a wellness journal will surely boost your mood. Whether it's scrolling through your daily achievements or going back to when you started writing down, you'll feel emotional happiness.
Your journal is your most precious private possession. Still, one might ask, "What are the rules of keeping a journal?"
There are no rules.
This is something that you're meant to do on your own terms, time, and will. Everyone is on their own individual fitness journey, and there are no one-size-fits-all guidelines on how, when, and what to write in your journal.
Once you determine your goals along the way, you should be able to easily figure out how much time you need to sit down and have a solo writing session. Refrain from online expectations and rules that someone might impose on you – it's your story, and your fitness goals are different from other people's.
Keeping a journal will never be out of fashion. For what it's worth, journaling is an essential tool that can help you keep tabs on your fitness goals. There are all sorts of journals, from food and yoga journals to widely-known wellness journals.
They're good for both your mental and physical health. Additionally, journaling actually contributes to keeping your memory sharp, boosting your mood, and giving insight into your day-by-day goals.
The best part – there are no rules. It's a private diary that documents your fitness journey.
Author bio: Sean Lynam is a fitness enthusiast and personal trainer by profession, and a freelance writer by passion. Sean writes and shares his knowledge for a range of fitness publications and nutrition brands.