10 Reasons to Track Your Fitness Progress

"Guys don't keep journals!" I've heard many men proclaim. Good news guys: a fitness journal is as manly as it gets. You're keeping track of your fitness progress in this journal, along with what you eat, the activity you do, and so much more. There are so many great reasons to track your fitness progress in a fitness journal, and here are just 10 of them:

1. Track your weightlifting -- Did you just increase the weight of your bench press last week? Rather than forgetting and losing another session of progress, your fitness journal helps you remember just how much you are lifting this week.
2. Stop yourself from cheating -- Yes, if you write down everything in your journal, you'll realize just how much you cheat on your diet with that bite of this or that. Prevent cheating and track everything that passes your lips.
3. Stick with the program -- If you're just training, it's easy to say "I'll do it tomorrow". Creating a program to follow ensures that you keep up with your efforts - no matter how tiresome they can be.
4. Challenge yourself -- So your max set is 300 pounds? Why not see if you can push 310 today?! So you ran 3 miles in 20 minutes last week? Why not try for 18 minutes today?! Make your past self today's biggest competitor!
5. Find out what your weaknesses are -- Cheated on your diet recently? What is it that you ate? I knew it, it was those darn hot wings you just can't stay away from! Your fitness journal will help you avoid those weak spots that get you every time.
6. Psych yourself out of mistakes -- Imagine if you saw a blank space in your journal where you should be seeing a workout, or you saw an unhealthy food in a space that should be blank. It's easier to stay away from mistakes if you have to see them every time you flip through the journal.
7. Expose yourself -- Sounds a bit creepy, right?! In this case, it means you're being accountable to anyone that reads your journal - spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, nosy friend, family, etc. The more accountable you are, the more responsible you'll be.
8. Remember your goals -- Trying to stuff yourself into that tiny bikini next summer, or wanting to get rid of those pounds before the wedding? Remind yourself of those goals, and you'll definitely have an easier time staying faithful to that workout/diet program.
9. Motivate yourself -- There's nothing more motivating than seeing that you accomplished a goal that you set for yourself, and your fitness journal will be proof that you did.
10. Heidi Klum told you to -- Nuff said!

Use an app on your phone, a manly notebook, or even a glittery journal covered with unicorns and rainbows - just track that fitness progress!