staying on track with my fitness pal

I love traveling but when I’m on the road, my usual exercise routine gets totally thrown off. Nothing about traveling makes exercising easy – my schedule is less predictable and surroundings vary which disrupts my morning workout routine and access to exercise equipment. Even finding roads or trails that are safe for running can be very hit or miss at times.

I did quite a bit of traveling over the holidays – Christmas in San Francisco, New Years in Seattle and now this fun little road trip! While traveling, I resolved to hit 40-45 minutes of exercise five days per week and have been using the My Fitness Pal app on my iPhone to log the number of minutes I sweat each day. This nifty little app has a few, easy-to-use features to help keep me on track.

Exercise Logging

As you can see, I’ve managed sweat for 40 minutes at least five days per week over the past two weeks – so far so good! Committing to logging my minutes each day has definitely helped keep me on track in the exercise department.

Weight Tracking

I also set another goal that this app helped me track.

Despite all of the Christmas cookies and holiday party feasting, the scale didn’t budge this holiday season – I largely attribute that to sticking to a solid exercise routine because I definitely had my fair share of deliciously rich foods over the past few weeks.

Food Logging

I try to fill my plate with wholesome, colorful foods and listen to my hunger cues rather than count calories – but tracking calories may certainly be beneficial for others depending on one’s weight loss or weight gain goals and current eating habits. My Fitness Pal can also tally up the nutritional value of the foods you’re eating – and with a huge database of foods, the app makes this daunting task about as easy as it can be.

I tried out the food logging feature over the past couple weeks and found it most convenient when dining out at popular restaurants since food items and portion sizes were easily searchable. I found it most difficult to use when preparing food at home since the nutritional content of meals varies greatly from recipe to recipe. Calories aside, food logging brings awareness to the quality and quantity of the foods we put in our bodies and that alone can help us make healthier choices.

One part of the food log feature that I do use regularly is the water tracker. I’ve resolved to be better about staying hydrated this year and this app has definitely helped me meet my water intake goals. It’s even kind of fun to log the cups of water I drink each day!

Oh, and if you’re a creature of habit or are trying to create new, healthy habits this year – you’ll love this. My Fitness Pal automatically keeps a running list of frequently eaten foods & workouts, which makes logging them as easy as checking a box with your finger.

Keeping a food & fitness log is a great way to make you more mindful of just what we’re eating and how much we’re moving. If you made a resolution to improve your health this year, check out My Fitness Pal and their free downloadable app for when you’re on the go!

Do you keep a food or fitness log? If so, do you notice any changes in your food choices and exercise habits? Have you ever used My Fitness Pal before?

Brand Statement
Crisp, delicious Welch’s Light not only tastes great, but also helps you stay on track. With only 45 calories per serving and no added sugar, you’ll be sure to sip smarter with Welch’s Light! Try both Concord Grape and White Grape flavors: made with our very own grapes and full of antioxidant Vitamin C.

Disclosure of Compensation
Compensation was provided by Welch’s via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Welch’s.

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