How to Get Healthier Using a Journal – Journaling for Health

Journaling for Health

Do you want to become stronger, faster, or healthier? This can all be accomplished more successfully using a health diary or journal, a pen, and a plan! Learn how to keep a health journal, or even a healthy food journal, with these tips below.

How to Keep a Health Journal

(How to Journal for Health*)

First, if you don’t yet already own a journal, get one that specifically reflects your personality. It will help keep you motivated.

Next, think about how you want to become healthier. Do you want to lose weight or do you want to become more athletic? Do you want to eat healthier? Do you want to drink less alcohol, smoke less, etc.? Some of the ways you can title your journal are (My) Healthy Eating Journal, Healthy Living Journal, Healthy Lifestyle Journal, Healthy Life Journal, and How to Live Healthy Journal, etc.

Next, after determining precisely what it is you want write it in your diary (Example: “Lose 5 Pounds”),
choose an everyday goal or step that will help you succeed in achieving your main goal. Example: “Walk 1-2 miles everyday and eat more fruits and vegetables or eliminate nightly ice cream/ desserts”).

Everyday, write in your diary or journal about what you did to succeed in your goals for that day. Write out all your feelings, whether positive or negative. This helps you to sort through them and not get stuck or give up.

Also, write about whether you accomplished your goal, and write about other things you worked on to accomplish your goal. Example: “I walked one mile this morning and also jumped rope for 10 minutes while waiting to leave for my appointment.”

The simple act of writing your health goals down, makes it more likely that you will accomplish them. See also Writing Goals.

If your goal pertains to food, simply writing down what you are eating daily can be truly eye-opening and cause great changes in your eating habits.

So now that you have an idea on how to keep a health journal, make sure to try it. Use it for a better or much improved health.

*Tips:

• Make sure that what you do and write about every day to achieve your main goal is actually a step that will help you get closer to accomplishing your main goal. For example: If your goal is to run faster, do some research on how to become faster, and then make your everyday goal something that actually will help you run faster.
• Be specific with your goals. Example: If you wanted to lose weight, be sure to say how many pounds or inches you wish to lose or what size you want to become after a week’s or month’s time. In addition to how you are going to do it, also very helpful is to write down how much time you plan to do this in.
• Do not make goals unhealthy. Example: If you wanted to lose weight, do not make goals such as “Lose 10 pounds in only three days.” Do some research and find the healthiest (and most realistic) goals for you.

Adapted from How to Get Healthier Using a Diary.