How I Use Daysteps as a Diet and Fitness Planner

As we move into 2010, many of us have lost our wellness momentum over the holidays (five pounds gained here). Fortunately, my Daysteps planner is flexible enough to help me get back in the groove. Here’s how I’m using my planner daily to help me lose those five pounds and get back into healthy habits:

Food Journal
I’ve had success with Weight Watchers in the past, primarily because of the food journals. So, I’m using the weekly morning/afternoon/evening sections to write down what I eat each day (I could also use it to plan meals for the week, but food journaling works better for me).

Food Groups & Water
I personally do better when eating more lean protein and vegetables and fewer grain-based foods. I won’t do it on my own, however, so am using the Nutrition Tracker to mark off my proteins and vegetable servings as I eat throughout the day. Same thing with water; I check the circles (one for each cup) each time I drink a liquid.

Planning Workouts
Early in 2009 I worked out with weights twice a week, cardiovascular twice a week, and bowling once a week. I want to get back into those habits in 2010, plus a few minutes of light weights on one of the cardio days.

The Fitness Tracker (on the same page with the Nutrition Tracker) works for the days I use a trainer or am doing a single type of cardio. I want to plan in more detail on other days, though, so am using the list format on the Clear Your Head page to plan exercises the days I do weight training on my own.

Recording Healthy Successes
In general, it seems we beat ourselves up for not being perfect and ignore what we did right. So, I am going to try to use the Fill Your Heart page to help me loosen my pants. Jotting down the things I do right (drink eight glasses of green tea on a certain day, complete the week with at least 30 minutes of exercise each day, go the whole day with no sweets, etc.) will keep me motivated to continue improving.

Here’s to a healthier and happier 2010!

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