ARE YOU ON “TRACK?”
This is not a blog about getting your eating or mindful actions on track. I have written about that before and you can read it here.
This blog is about how you are literally tracking your actions and progress. If you’re just going by a number on the scale you are probably not doing all that you can to ensure the lifestyle you are building is sustainable. So today let’s look at why tracking can be important and some ways to do it, including a free resource from the Keto Road Team!
So why is tracking more than just your weight important?
Seeing Progress
This one is plain and simple. Tracking allows us to see progression. Yes, it allows us to see shifts in weight and body fat, but tracking your food intake, sleep routine, important daily habits, exercise, and more can give you a truly holistic look at the progress you are making. Are you hitting PRs in the gym? Have you been hitting your macro targets? How has your sleep been? We can only review data if we have data. So identify what is important for you and get to tracking it! (More on how soon!)
Identify Correlations & Causations
Tracking your actions does indeed provide data that you can do something with!!! You can use your tracking to identify patterns that have impacts on your progress, identify items that might be contributing to stalls, and also find the reasons for particular outcomes you identify. Does having adequate sleep affect your weight loss and gym performance? Does proper hydration actually affect your energy and mood? The only way to know is by tracking!
Task Motivation
Building a daily habit of tracking can support your other habits. Seeing unchecked boxes on a spreadsheet or the rings open on your Apple Watch can remind you that you still have work to do. And that little boost might be the kick in the pants you need on days you don’t quite “feel like it."
Nutritional Accuracy
Let’s talk food specifically! Not only will tracking help with weight loss monitoring in general in regards to calories but from a ketogenic perspective you can ensure you’re hitting your targets to achieve the desired results. One lesson I think we can discover when keto and tracking is in regards to how our bodies react to different fat to protein ratios. Tracking allows you to experiment in a controlled fashion to find the right answer for you. Food tracking also helps us identify the impact of specific foods and patterns with food on our progress and general well being. For example, I know I will see a scale bump every time I eat overly processed sausages and cured meats. Like clockwork. Tracking helped me learn that! (If food tracking is intimidating, check out this blog I wrote recently to help you get into it!)
Break the “I’m Too Busy” Excuse
And one more thought is directed at those of you sitting there saying to yourselves, “Tracking sounds great but I simply don’t have the time!” The reality is that this is just an excuse because you can accomplish your tracking goals in literal minutes a day. You don’t have to use multiple resources but can find one that meets your needs, so your screen time tracking can be minimal. If you don’t have 5 minutes a day to put towards your health, we probably need to have a bigger discussion!
I am going to make the egotistical assumption that my arguments above have convinced you that tracking is a necessity and now you just need some ideas on how to do it. Luckily, I have some for you!
Apps
Okay, so when it comes to apps it is not exactly easy to just say, “Here’s the ones you need!” I think instead it is about you finding the ones with the features and functionalities that YOU WILL USE. It can be easy to get caught up in an app’s hype but if you won’t use it, it’s a waste. And there are 1000s of truly helpful apps out there now. Like MyFitnessPal can be a great catch all starting place. For nutrition, apps like Cronometer and MyMacros+ are solid. If you need direction on exercise FitBod is a great resource. But there are also apps to help you track sleep, hydration, fasting, daily tasks, etc. I say start with what you want to track and do some digging. Download 3-4 apps that appear to meet the need and try them out. It will be quickly obvious which ones you like and which you do not.
Written Journal
Are you feeling a bit old school when you look at apps? Why not start with a paper journal? The great thing is you can customize it perfectly to your needs! You’re not constrained by someone else’s conception of what you need to be tracking and looking at daily. There are of course journals out there that are pre-formatted too! Having a physical space to log your data and do some writing can be a great tool, again if you will use it. For years I wanted to journal but never did it. I bought dozens of blank journals that sat in a pile. For me, finding the original 5 Minute Journal was a godsend! It gave me a starting place. If you’re a wannabe journaler, check it out here!
Physical Ideas
This category is about implements that actually help you track things in the physical world, not virtually or even on paper. I mean items like water jugs with time marks on them, meal prep containers you set up, and even the exercise equipment you choose. The great thing these items do is provide a visual matrix of your daily and weekly progress. If your jug is empty, you hit your goal. If you empty your meal prep containers, your food is done. If you are a person who thrives on visual stimulus they can be a great option!
Social Platforms
Social media can be more than just a place to share memes and our random thoughts. You can use a platform like Instagram or Twitter to be an accountability tool. And I am not just talking about finding a circle of folk with common purpose, I am talking about how you use it! Ideas include posting your sleep schedule (ie. Your good morning!), meal pictures, gym check in’s, weekly goals and assessment posts. Like all things, you get out of it what you put in. The posts aren’t about other people really, they’re a way for you to hit your commitments to yourself in a way that takes it out of your own head. The key here is consistency… as with all things!
Other Online Tools
The “cloud” can be a great place to help with tracking. Whether it is a Google Document you use as a journal or a daily check list. Or a worksheet, like a Google Sheet, that you can access anywhere on your phone to ensure you’re doing your tracking. We use Google Sheets with our clients and are happy to share a FREE copy of a basic sheet with you today! You can take a look, make a copy, and then customize it for yourself. It’s not just a keto tool either! It will allow you to gather a lot of data in one location. Click the link below and check it out now!
Get Your Free Tracking Sheet Here! (No sign ups needed!)
So there you have it, my argument for why tracking can matter on a health and fitness journey! What do you think? Is this something you need to get started for yourself?
