Keeping a fitness training log or blog

Benefits of tracking your exercise progress in a blog

Sometimes it's hard to find motivation when running for fun or training for a race. A training log or blog can therefore be a useful tool in tracking your progress and pushing you on to the next fitness challenge. Here are our top tips why it's good advice for any runner or exerciser to keep a training log of their progress as they start out on the road to training success.

No matter what sport or fitness activity you do, a log of your time spent working on your fitness can be well worthwhile. To an extent, the benefit of a training log depends on how serious the individual is about their fitness and progression. However, for many enthusiasts it’s the log itself that keeps them going and the daily entry becomes as much a part of the routine as the run itself.

Why keep a training log?

It acts as an update of your progress. You can include times, weather conditions (if appropriate) and heart rate (if you use a monitor), which can all help you learn and develop.
It acts as a motivator. By adding another entry you’re one step further towards your goal. Also, you know that you’ll feel bad in a few days time if you look back in the log and see a gap for no good reason. You may also receive comments and advice from other runners if your track your training online in a blog.
It can serve as a reminder if you achieved a good number of lengths of the pool or time on a run, and you want to try and repeat it with the same training programme.
It can also serve as a reminder of fitness sessions that didn’t work out and ones that should therefore be avoided in the future.
Written logbooks or online blogs are not for everyone but why not give it a go and see if your motivation and performance improves.

Click here to find out more about starting your own training blog.