By Joy Essien, Contributing Editor, Lagos Metropolitan.
Keeping a health journal can be a great way to keep track of your progress and motivate yourself on your wellness journey. For starters, it gives you a structured way to keep a tab on changes in diet, exercise, and mental health.
By noting down daily activities and feelings, one can recognize patterns and make conscious health decisions.
Here’s how you can start your health journal, beginner-friendly style.
1. Choose the Right Format.
Choosing the right format for your health journal is imperative. You can either go for a classic notebook or use digital apps that provide customizable templates. Think of what would be the most convenient and accessible for you.
While some prefer writing by hand, as it connects them better with their thoughts, others find digital formats more useful for reminders and data analysis.
2. Set Clear Goals.
Before you start journaling, define clear goals related to your health journal. Be it losing weight, improving sleep quality, or reducing stress levels, having specific objectives will guide your entries. Break down larger goals into small milestones that can be achieved easily. This not only keeps you focused but also gives you motivation as you tick off each milestone.
3. Record Daily Activities.
Documenting your daily activities is crucial to knowing how they affect your overall well-being. Note down meals eaten, workouts done, hours of sleep you got, and any major event that may have affected your mood or energy levels.
The key is to be consistent; even the shortest entries can yield useful insights over time when you see patterns from collated data.
4. Reflect on Progress Regularly.
Set time weekly or monthly to go through past entries in your health journal. Reflecting on progress lets you celebrate achievements and find out what needs work without being judgemental of yourself. Use this reflection period as a chance for self awareness instead of only stressing on outcomes. Understanding what behaviors lead to success or setbacks takes you closer to sustainable change.
