Do you ever wonder why one week you can blast through your workouts like Xena, and another week you feel like you're trudging through quick sand? How about those beautiful weeks when staying on track with healthy eating is a breeze, while others you turn into a grizzly bear, ready to kill the person who stands between you and that cheesy nacho piled with re-fried beans!?
Journaling has given me invaluable information about myself!
As I solider through the beginning of my 40's, I have taken it upon myself to learn as much as I can about my body and all of its ticks. Watching a closely related female in my family go through many disheartening health issues, including menopause in the worst possible way, made me ultra aware that if I didn't start really looking at my life choices and the way I took care of myself, I was going to be in for a bumpy ride...(and so was everyone else around me). It was because of this that I began a "personal" journal. In addition to my workout journal and blog, I keep my personal journal that no one else but me sees....until now.
Here is a peak at some of things I track , and then I will share with you what I have learned and how I have applied it to my goals. The page above shows a pms week. The hand written numbers are the days of my cycle. The red dots indicate the start of a new cycle. Here is what this page shows:
Day 23. mood: Good
Energy: GoodAppetite:CARBS!!
Day24: Mood: Tense
Energy:Struggling
Appetite: CARBS and JUNK PLEASE!!
Day 25: Mood: Very Tense, Leave me alone!
Energy: LowAppetite: CARBS AND JUNK PLEASE!!
Day 26: Mood: Good
Energy: Good
Appetite: CARBS!
Day 27: Mood: Good
Energy:Good
Appetite: Good (back to healthy)
Day 1: Mood: Relaxed (started new cycle)
Energy: Relaxed
Appetite: Good
Day 2: Mood: Good
Energy:Good
Appetite: Good
In this journal I daily track my menstrual cycles (including pms symptoms of cramps, sore boobs, head aches, ex.), illnesses, moods, energy levels, appetite, doctor appointments, and all related stuff. On the side I make notes about the week. On this page I wrote, "1 week a month I burn out and rebel against tracking, journaling, ext. This was that week. I ate bad, didn't track or journal...BLAH! Being snowed in didn't help!"
In keeping such a journal, I know when I'm prone to eat poorly and therefore I pack pms friendly foods for lunch like soft tacos, open face sandwiches...things with more carbs and bread (all still healthy of course) instead of the typical salads. This helps with cravings and decreases the amount of splurging I do during pms (and I DO splurge! =)~
In addition, I have learned a great deal about myself and why I feel the way I do, when I do.This is also how I discovered my Hypothyroidism, which may have still been a mystery if I wasn't this tuned in.
This may sound excessive to some, but I have gained a great deal from this knowledge. I've learned to be accepting when I'm not at my best in the gym, what numbers on the scale really mean...or don't mean, what my appetite is telling me I need, and how to work with all the different quirks. Most importantly, this knowledge has freed me from feeling predispositioned (is that a word?) to a destiny of health problems as I age. I drive this bus, not my genetic make up.
I continue to learn and share because I know if I face certain challenges, so do some of you. I would love to hear how you are challenged by your body, medical issues, genetic make up and what you do to over come and/or be forgiving of some of these challenges.
For me, my journal provides a tool to trouble shoot areas of difficulty and improve. I plan to continue journaling since I know in the years to come, I will endure many changes as I age. I hope to inspired others to track, if only for a couple of months and see what new things you learn about yourself.
