At this point, I track a lot of data. I track how much I cycle; I track how much I walk; I track how much I run. I would like to track how much I eat, but I haven’t been able to find a method that doesn’t make me crazy. If someone can figure out how to estimate calories from a photograph of a meal, I think that would do it; I’d pay money for that!
I don’t keep good track of my dog training either. Too difficult. What was I training? What method did I use? How many repetitions? What changes did I make between repetitions? I do keep track of my agility Qs, though. They’re easy: yes or no? How much time? How many points? When? Where?
There’s a lesson here: if I can find a relatively easy way to track the data I want, I will keep track. I love having that information. I like to look back and see that six months ago I was struggling to run for two minutes–while this morning I ran for 3 miles straight with Rush. I like seeing that it take a few days of careful eating before I start to see the effects on the scale.
I do some manual record keeping. After trying to reconcile three different methods that keep track of my running, walking, and cycling, I’ve ended up with a sheet of paper on my desk where I write down any running or cycling that I do. It makes it easy to see when I last got on my bike or put on my running shoes. Because it’s always on my desk, it does get filled out–and it also serves as a quiet reminder to get out there and move.