My #1 Tip for Sticking to a Workout Schedule

Of all the tips I’ve shared on how to stay committed to a workout schedule— whether on here or in person to friends—there’s one in particular that I swear by. It’s the one change that made my unstructured and infrequent exercise turn into a legitimate routine: logging workouts.

I’ve been logging workouts online for over 7 years now. I originally started doing it by writing them down in a notebook, but I was trying to add so many details (like making up new circuit workouts all the time), that I stopped because it took forever. (Fun fact: this is also why I started designing my own workouts to refer back to over and over.)

Since manually writing down my detailed workouts was not working, I asked my boyfriend (now husband) for advice on a way to keep track of my running schedule. He recommended a tool some of his previous track teammates had used (known as Log a Run).

Below is a screenshot of my running schedule towards the end of my marathon training back in December 2012, because 1. I think it’s beautiful and is making me nostalgic, and 2. it helps show the potential of logging a running and cross training schedule.

While I still use this tool, I’ve found that simply writing my daily workouts on a Google Calendar also works just fine for me. (I actually log my workouts in about 3 platforms, because I’m crazy I guess.)

If you look at my daily workout log, you’ll see I just add the basic type of exercise or the muscle groups I’ve focused on for a specific day. You may want more info than that, especially if you’re training for something, but I’ve found writing down the general theme of my workout to be good enough for me.

(Pretty sure I’ve logged deep cleaning the house before, too, because sometimes you just want credit for that hard work!)

The reason I’m such a believer in logging workouts is because it’s the only time I’ve ever been able to consistently keep up with a workout schedule of any kind. I’d usually stick to workouts for 2-3 weeks, then go several more without any type of exercise. Immediately after I started logging things, there was a huge shift in my commitment to exercise.

I didn’t even have to try very hard to make that shift. It just naturally happened because I was always looking at my progress. Logging workouts keeps me accountable and motivates me to just get it done.

There are several other ways to motivate yourself to workout, but this has been the one that’s helped me the most. While documenting your daily workouts may not be enough motivation at first to really get you out there and moving, it helps create the routine.

What made it work so well for me was the fact that I could see my progress with running distance and times. It made me excited to run again and see how far I could go. Depending on how much you record on your workout log, you can see progress in your exercises, whether it’s reps, miles, times, or even the number of days you workout in the week.

Seeing all my workouts on a calendar has been really satisfying, because I see all my hard work and dedication. It’s always been the one thing that’s kept me interested in getting my workout in for the day. The system isn’t foolproof by any means, but it has done wonders for me. I hope it helps you too!

The original version of this post was published August 21, 2012.