Early in the year I was one who put my hand up to say I planned to lose weight this year, and I was determined. It was Summer, it was hot so I managed a bottle or two of water a day and I cut down on the junk food – and that was about it.
Then came the challenge to go a month without chocolate and I had one false start then managed a little over a month, after which time I decided that I would only eat chocolate sparingly – and that lasted about a week.
Throughout the year I have made a couple of half-hearted attempts, though always with the best of intentions, and failed miserably. I think I am probably worse off than I started but it would be too depressing to actually check that information… but in the interests of this post I guess I should be sure – wish me luck.
Okay, so I’m not worse off than I started the year but I’m no better off either, and I have been fact checking to see what info I have and how far back I can go. It seems that I can’t aim for my pre-baby weight – I will be there this week. Isn’t it funny how our memories can distort over time.
That’s enough background though, suffice it to say I’m bigger than I ever wanted to be and less than impressed about it, and have been for longer than I thought. All of that though is in the past. I have got me a little helper and it’s time to get serious.
I have been given the opportunity to review the Super Vitality Health and Fitness Journal and I am going to utilise it to help me get where I want to be.
The Super Vitality Health and Fitness Journal has something to offer everyone; whether you are an athlete in training for an event, a beginner trying to track their fitness or weightloss journey or anyone in between you are going to find this journal useful.
Let’s start with a little about the company! Super Vitality are an Australian owned and managed business whose vision is to assist individuals everywhere with the improvement of their health and fitness through products such as the Super Vitality Health & Fitness Journal, which is 100% Australian printed and produced.
The Super Vitality Health & Fitness Journal was created to help motivate people to achieve their personal best. During development of the journal coaches and psychologists were consulted to help develop a product that is highly effective and simple to use. The journal has been receiving rave reviews since its public release in 2008 and not only from fitness industry professionals but also from exercisers of all ages and fitness levels.
Fitness journals are not a new phenomena and they have proven useful but generally they focus mainly on the exercise and activity areas and the fitness folks at Super Vitality believe that the market needs a product that emphasises the importance of goal setting and exercise pre-planning.
We all know that setting goals is important and Super Vitality have taken that to a new level, instead of just recording the goal they have created a unique framework to help us really think about our goals and the steps we need to take to achieve them.
The website contains a step by step guide to using the different components and the journal comes complete with sample pages filled in for demonstrative purposes.
I am loving the journal, for so many reasons. And I’m down 2kgs in under 2 weeks.
It is a convenient A5 size so it is handy to carry with you and it’s grey cover makes it very neutral and appealing to females and males alike.
I love that you can use it with as much or as little detail as you like.
For the beginner easing in you can keep it reasonably basic. Activity, time and duration; and on the food side just a specific list of all that has passed your lips.
For those who want to delve that bit deeper there’s distance, calories, resistance and activity level; and you can break your foods right down into carbs, protein, fat and calories. And on every Exercise and Activities page there is a Physical Evaluation for hours slept, weight, energy level, fluid consumption and notes.
This is a perpetual diary so you can start it whenever you want and go for a year. The planner sections do have months and days but you just start where you are and work through.
For two weeks I have been filling in my exercise and activity pages. I have been honest, no cheating. And now I have sat to think about my goals and how to get there. I also did a basic physical evaluation, now I can track in centimetres as well as kilos.
There are multiple goal setting pages and physical evaluation pages so you can modify your plans as the need arrives. Your goals may be shorter term than a whole year so you could use it for separate time periods or just re-assess your goals as you track your progress.
Part of the reason I think a Health and Fitness Journal works – accountability. If you are using it then you commit to using it properly. That doesn’t mean you aren’t going to slip and have that chocolate on offer at work, or coffee with the girls but it does mean that you have to record it.
I know that works for me. Sometimes all I need to do is think about it; if I have that piece of cake I am going to have to put it in the journal and then I will see it everytime…so no, I’m going to exercise my self-control and say No, I won’t have a piece of cake.
The Weekly, Monthly and Yearly Planner helps you visualise short, medium and long term goals, and have them there where you can see them at a glance.
Then the Monthly Summary provides a clear and concise overview of your efforts and progress each month, and that will help you stay on track and plan for the month ahead.
Overall this little book has become my constant companion, never far from my side for a scribbled note and every morsel duly noted so I can look back and see where my will power is getting me.
The Super Vitality Health and Fitness Journal is available at selected fitness stores Australia wide, or you can buy online at: www.supervitality.com.au
Buy yours today for just $29.95 delivered.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!