The function of a planner extends past note-taking and keeping track of your daily, weekly, or monthly schedule and to-do lists. There are multiple types of planners, each used used to manage and keep track of different aspects of your life; school, work, finances, personal/family responsibilities and more. Your health and wellness, another important sphere of your life, can also be managed with the help of a respective planner.
If you're just getting started on your health and wellness journey, are well through it, or are looking for an overhaul, keeping a tangible record of your workouts, diet, mental and emotional health, and changing moods allows you to stick and follow through your plans and goals better. With an overview and record on hand, you will be able to track your progress or setbacks, and plot the appropriate next step more efficiently. Starting a log of your health and wellness journey also motivates you to take proactive steps towards your achieving your goals by keeping yourself accountable.
Thinking about taking charge of your physical, emotional, and mental health, and overall wellness can seem daunting or intimidating, especially if you're just starting out. If so, starting your own health and fitness planner will allow you to personalize, customize, and tailor-fit it to your own journey. You get to decide the pace, your short-term and long-term end goals, and also work and adjust according to your schedule.
What is a health and wellness planner?
A health and wellness planner equips you with the tools and space to tie your goals to plans, as well as the actions that will follow through. It functions as a tangible record of your personal health and fitness journey that gives you an overview of what you have and want to achieve health-wise. Some things a health and wellness planner allows you to do include :
- Plan your health and fitness goals
- Plan milestone checkpoints
- Plan and track your workouts
- Keep a log of your meals and calorie intake
- Record your water intake
- Record your weight, height and other metrics
- Track your sleep patterns
- Record daily moods
- Plan rest days
- Collect progress photos
- Add healthy meal recipes
- Write inspirational and motivational quotes
5 reasons why you should start health and wellness planner
1. Accountability
If you have a personal trainer or a friend alongside you on this journey, they could help keep you accountable to your wellness goals or milestones. Embarking on this on your own, or starting to feel unmotivated some time into this journey can stir some anxiety and take effect on your overall progress. Being able to check-off completed workouts, having eaten a healthy meal, or logging in your mood for they day can spur you to continue this streak and motivate you to work towards checking off more boxes. You are kept personally accountable for your progress and the active steps you are taking towards this goal of yours this way.
2. To figure out what works and doesn't for you
Keeping a health and wellness planner ensures that you have an overview of all the proactive steps you are taking on this journey. You are able to track your workouts, meals, water intake, metrics, moods and others tangibly. This way, you can also track your progress and check if you've hit milestones that you have set for yourself. You will be able to discern if your plans are taking effect on your body and overall wellness in a positive way or not, and make the necessary adjustments along the way if need be.
3. One less thing to think about
If you have a lot on your plate and on your mind, it might be a mental burden to have to remember your workout schedule, healthy recipes, your water consumption and so on. Using a wellness planner can help with this mental task and have what you need to do and have already done laid out for you for your easy reference.
4. Keeps you reminded of your goals
A health and wellness planner not only allows you to plan your workouts and meals for the next day or week beforehand, but it allows you to plot more long-term goals and visualize a bigger picture. You will be reminded of what you are working towards consistently, while being able to check-off milestones to make sure you're on the right track.
5. An act of self-care
Starting a health and wellness planner is a sign of being intentional with your well-being and prioritizing yourself. You are choosing to make a commitment to this journey of betterment on the physical, emotional and mental fronts.
How To Start Your Very Own Health and Fitness Planner
If you're not sure as to how to get a health and fitness planner started, here are steps you can take to get the ball rolling.
1. Identify and clarify your health and fitness goals
To start off, you can take some time to think about about your short-term and long-term health and fitness goals. Getting a clear picture of what you want to achieve will help with planning the journey and plotting the necessary milestones thereafter.
Pen down some overarching, long-term goals, and plot a timeframe for this journey as well. From there, these larger goals can be broken down into smaller, achievable goals and milestones that would ensure that you are on the right track. You can then use your planner to check-off these milestones, keeping you motivated and looking forward.
2. Lay out existing commitments and where you are right now
From your current responsibilities, work, school, and family commitments, lay out what you have going on for yourself at this point to get a good sense of how much time and energy you have to expend on this aspect of your life. Take some time to pen down some vital metrics that you will have to look into as well, such as your height, weight, BMI and current physical abilities. You can also look into your current eating habits, sleep patterns, energy levels, and moods to get an even more all-rounded understanding of what you are working with.
3. Work backwards
Now that you have plotted your goals, understood your starting point, plotted a time-frame, and gained a good understanding of what you have to work with, you can lay out a plan over the next few weeks or months that is personalized to yourself in order to meet your goals. Work backwards from your larger, end-goal, and plan the steps that will ensure you hit your goals. Your planner will function as a tool that consolidates all of this information and keeps you on track. You have a comprehensive reference for your start point, midway-points, and ideal end point with this tool of yours.
Writing down these things will help get the ball rolling from a clear note, and help you stay accountable to your goals. It allows you to stay honest with yourself about whether you’re sticking to a health and fitness plan, and allows you to keep track of what works for you and what doesn’t. Recording this journey in your very own planner will be evidence that you are working towards something and that you have made an intentional commitment to your health and wellness.