Crushing Your Fitness and Health Goals Take Commitment

Do you have Fitness and wellness goals? Although it might not be the first tool to come in mind, a productivity Planner can help you achieve them. There are so many planners out there, it can be a bit overwhelming to find the right one, especially if you’re new to them. If you are looking for an all-around planner that will help you commit to achieving your fitness, health, wellness, and productivity goals there is one clear winner.

Please note this post contains affiliate links. There is no difference in price if you decide to purchase, but note that I will receive a commission.

The planner that can do it all: Panda Planner

As a person who could never see themself using a daily planner, I had minimal expectations. I decided to give a planner a try, since I felt writing down goals might help motivate me to stick to my fitness and health goals, along with increasing my overall productivity. If you are unsure if a planner will help you, this article from Active provides reasons why a fitness journal is helpful. Although it takes some getting used to, using a productivity planner has definitely helped.

The Panda Planner is one of the most popular and well-reviewed productivity planners. No, it is not totally dedicated to fitness and nutrition. If you are looking for that you can look up something like the Saltwrap daily fitness planner, which has pages for workouts down to the rep and weight level and detailed nutrition logging. Personally, I find those types of planners too rigid. I am looking for the freedom to manage my goals as I go, and help with keeping an organized and positive mindset to meet them.

Panda Planner is my choice of the most comprehensive planner for the everyday person. It will help you organize your schedule so you can be more productive and support your mental health so you can meet your fitness goals. It has kept me on track and optimistic I can meet my fitness and productivity goals by the end of my first planner. Note that the classic version is good for 3-6 months depending on your usage and is usually $20-25 (depending on where you buy it).

The Panda Planner classic version is available through the Panda Planner official website or through Amazon. The backstory of why and how it was created is also worth a read. The founder had many physical and mental challenges, including anxiety and depression, and turned to science to create this planner to help address those ailments as well as to be more productive.

Here are some tricks for using the Panda Planner (can also be applied to similar planners, or a calendar) to help you achieve your fitness and wellness goals.

It’s Easy to Use a Productivity Planner (Or Calendar) to Achieve Your Health and Fitness Goals

Start each day with a fitness intention and affirmation

Writing your goals down helps you commit to them. If you are not due for a rest day, make a dedicated effort to schedule a specific time for your workout. In the Panda Planner there is a daily box dedicated to your fitness intent. If you are using another planner or calendar, take the time in the morning to jot down what workout you plan to do for the day.

Your mental health is as important as your physical health. Without being mentally satisfied, you won’t be in the right mindset to achieve your physical goals. Although it might seem strange at first, writing down what you are grateful for each morning will help ground you. The Panda Planner has room for three reasons to be grateful, although I have seen other planners with room for more. Writing down a positive affirmation (also a daily box to fill out in the Panda Planner) will set you on the right foot to take on the day.

Balance your daily schedule to make time for fitness

Prioritizing your daily schedule is where a productivity planner excels over more health or nutrition-oriented planners. We all have priorities in the day whether it be work, school, kids, errands, side projects, or daily tasks like doing laundry or cleaning. Being able to prioritize what you need to get done in a day in order to meet your fitness goal is important.

Track your priorities and see if any of them can overlap with a workout. Looking for time to see a friend? Why not take a workout class together (could even be digital)? If you have an afternoon work break, why not sneak a yoga class in? Writing out your daily schedule by hand will help you understand the opportune time you can dedicate to your workout.

Set weekly fitness goals that you feel are achievable

Sunday is a great day to reflect on the prior week and plan for the coming week. The Panda Planner has prompts including how you’ll improve, what you are looking forward to, habits you are focusing on developing, top goals for the week, and major projects. You can specify your fitness goal in any of these prompts. A week is also a very achievable time frame for you to stay on track.

If you are a runner, weekly mileage is a common goal. If you have your own fitness plan, you can detail out the number of strength, cardio, or low impact sessions you would like to do that week. Although weight loss is not the best measurement to understand how fit you are, you can add that as well for tracking purposes.

Build a healthy habit and track it monthly

It can take time to instill good habits. The monthly section of the Panda Planner (or a monthly calendar) can help with this. An active habit can be anything from a step or calorie goal to going outside for a long walk. It should be something that is achievable to do every day but take some effort to get there.

Although not directly related to being active, there is another very important habit that can support your fitness goals. Getting enough sleep is the perfect monthly goal to track. You will not be able to meet your fitness goals without enough sleep, so make getting at least 7-9 hours (depending on your body) a priority.

Partner a productivity planner with other tools

A productivity planner will not solve everything. If you are looking to partner your fitness goals with nutrition (two often interlinked goals) try a digital nutrition logging journal, such as My Fitness Pal. This will help you understand the calories and nutrients you are taking in every day. The handwritten journal can help support you in planning out your meal times, as well as assisting with meal prep.

Another good tool to use is a fitness tracker, whether it be a smartwatch or smartphone. Notice your step goals and any other metrics you track (such as calories burned, minutes active, etc.) in a day. By understanding these averages you can then help goal yourself to increase them each month in your planner.

Here are some other links to help support your fitness goals:

• Fun Home Workout Youtube Videos
• Home Workout Apps and Classes (with Free Options)
• 3 Best Apps that Pay You to Walk

I recommend giving the Panda Planner a shot. If you are on the fence, feel free to read the countless positive reviews on Amazon. Let me know your thoughts on using a productivity planner to meet your fitness goals. Do you think it would help you, or do you use one now?

The post How To Use A Productivity Planner To Achieve Your Fitness Goals appeared first on Bliss from Balance.