Becoming A Better You

The Real Power of a Training Journal

You don't need to use ours, but you need to start using one

The Modern era we live in is filled with attention grabbing videos, Facebook posts seeking to evoke an emotional response, and images of war, strife and even riots in our own streets. This is a lot of change happening, and it is happening fast in our society due mainly to the application of the internet. We can all do something to better ourselves and journaling is a large part of it. The power of a training journal is something we all can use in our lives, and we need if now more than ever.

Many millennials have turned back to the lost art of journaling. There is something to be said for taking all the stresses of the day and putting them to paper to rationalize the madness. Many techniques exist:

Tony Robbins has a multitude of techniques as seen in "Tools of Titans" by Tim Ferris. First thing in the morning he wakes, takes a 60 second cold shower, and proceeds to move into his journaling process he calls "priming," then he records the following:

• 3 Things he is grateful for
• 3 Things he wants to accomplish
• 3 Things that, if they happened would make the day great

The process is something that takes five minutes out of our day, yet we lack the dedication to complete the process. I challenge you: for the next week, take the time to write down the three topics above each morning. I promise you the process will lead to better days, better moods, and the people around you will notice something is different about you.

Personal Accountability with a Training Journal

The facts are in: Millennial's are spending more time in the gym than the previous generations. The generation already puts an emphasis on fitness, according to research, with over 76% of Millennials saying they exercise at least once a week, compared to 70% of Generation X and 64% of Baby Boomers. Their wallets also point a willingness to spend on the industry, with over over $7 billion spent annually on health club memberships.

The “experience” generation is set to give the fitness industry a boost, as long as business is willing to keep up.

• Rachel Valerio IHRSA Author

The commonality here is that everyone stands to gain from tracking the way they take care of their bodies. Its hard to see what one actually accomplishes in the day to day grind if they do not have a mechanism to look back and see their progress. Tracking these variables is easy and you don't need fancy tools to do it. This is where the 80/20 rule applies. You will get 80% of the results from the doing most important 20% of the work. You just have to start.

What Should your Training Journal Have to Offer

Here is the breakdown of what top cognitive and physical training coaches view as being important with regards to overall Fitness, Health, and Wellness. Look at these variables tracked by elite military units, Fortune 500 companies, and professional athletes alike. See how a bit of self reflection can lead to a better, more productive you in no time.

Sleep

Straight out of the CDC's mouth, 1 in 3 Americans is not getting enough sleep. With the proper application of a training journal you can begin to follow your sleep patterns. Take into account total rest, restless periods, large meals before bed, how dark and cool is the room, and any sleep tools you may use. Our Athletes use Swanwick Blue Blocking Night glasses to block out any blue light that affects melatonin production. Many lights and screens inhibit the production of melatonin and affect our circadian rhythms. Another Great tool is the Oura Ring which can track all the different parts and levels of your sleep. The tracking of sleep in a training journal will allow your to improve it. You can't change what you don't monitor.

Fitness Programs in a Training Journal

Everyone loves starting a new fitness program. From Men's Health to Muscle and Fitness magazines, we all love the motivation that comes from taking ourselves to that next level physically. The problem is: three weeks in you keep with the program but you haven't seen many results and you keep asking yourself why. The most common reason is that you're not using any form of training journal to keep track of your weights, rep schemes, recovery periods, or cardio sessions. This article from Mens Health speaks of the importance of training journals and how one can do it the right way.

Athletes across the spectrum can be seen logging their workout information, how they performed, and the recovery they include to get their best results. Crossfit Athletes are a great example of this. Walk into any crossfit box on any day of the week and you will see individuals logging their workout performance information. You don't have to be an elite crossfit athlete but, it might be time for you to do the same.

Mobility

The Term Mobility came to light 7 years ago when Dr. Kelly Starrett and his company The Ready State, pushed out the amazing book "Becoming a Supple Leopard" to the marketplace. This book became the gold standard for learning how to perform basic physical therapy on yourself. He ended up revolutionizing the industry and helping millions of everyday people go about their day pain free. One of the most difficult parts of fixing a body is keeping track of the mobilizations that work and those which do not. Tracking these mobilizations in a training journal can help you find the movements that may just change your life.

Vitamins and Supplements

Vitamin and Supplement intake are often overlooked by the every day American. WE ALL forget to take our vitamins from time to time, it happens, however if we can write down which vitamins and supplements we are taking, we are more likely to do it again in the future. Top athletes and top business individuals are all taking vitamins and supplements in order to keep their minds and bodies sharp.This should be something you'll want to look into as well.

Multivitamins are a great tool to back up your body's defenses when you are not getting enough vitamins/ supplements from your food. Rainbow Light Multi-Vitamins are one of the cleanest multivitamins on the market and highly recommended by our athletes.

Supplements are a broad genre that encompass the vastness from protein and creatine to collagen and iron. These are all intakes that should be tracked if one wishes to push themselves to the next level. The toughest part is remembering to take them each day. We recommend first thing in the morning, build it into your routine, and ensure you write it down in your training journal to keep it in the forefront of your mind each day.

Overall Health and Wellness

Looking at the topic we need to realize there is not an exact number associated with rating your health and wellness. Wellness is often described simply as a feeling. So how do we measure it? The best way to do this is to keep it simple and track a few soft variables in a training journal that lead to a positive or negative trending pattern. From here we can see what changes we need to make. For example:

• How much energy did I have today?
• Did I drink enough water today?
• How would I rate my sleep quality?
• Did I conduct any mindfulness practices?
• Is the alcohol I drank last night affecting today?
• Did I eat a healthy diet this week?
• How stressed out do I feel?

Training Journals in your life

We have looked at a multitude of reasons why you should start a training journal. Your life will only get better from beginning to use one. The variables: sleep, fitness, health and wellness can all have a HUGE impact on you daily life. You don't need to be a top athlete or a Fortune 500 CEO to start the process. You just need a little time and the right information. I hope we have provided a good start for you. Feel Free to share this article if you found it helpful.