Assessing Weekly Activity Levels

Now that I have some idea of my physical and psychological status it is time to check out my behavior. Over the next week I will be monitoring my activity level. This not only includes my structured exercise sessions but my general physical activity throughout the day. It is very easy to think (because you may lack energy or feel fatigued) that you are "working" hard but in reality the tiredness may be from sitting in front of a computer all day after your morning workout or not getting enough sleep. My assignment then, is to break my day into six sections (8am-12noon, 12noon-4pm, 4pm-12, 12midnight-4am, 4am-8am) and log in my general activity level for that time frame. I can then get an idea of the number of minutes throughout my day that I am truly active. If I am happy with the level of activity, great! But, if I find I am sitting on my rear most of the time I may need to make some adjustment to my daily routine. This assignment will also provide me with information about my daily caloric expenditure that I will use later when evaluating my weight management. To make the assignment easy, I will develop a cryptic shorthand (like doing text messaging) that I can use to keep my log simple. If I had a hand-held device, I would use it but since I don't I am using a inexpensive spiral memo pad that can fit in my pocket, purse, gym bag. These come handy for evaluation and monitoring purposes, so be sure to have them around when you need them. I will be posting my weekly review of progress on my Gabcast channel, don't miss it!