Tracking your activity

Keeping track of our physical activity can help us to see how we are going, and if we need to make any changes to help us stay active.

Some things to think about including when tracking your physical activity include:

Mode: Type of exercise/physical activity.
Date and time: When did you do it?
Duration: How long did you do the activity for?
Distance: How far did you go? (if applicable).
Intensity: How hard were you working? Did your breathing get heavy?
Mood: How did you feel before, during and after?
Social: Did you do the activity with someone? Do you prefer to be with someone or alone?

There are many ways to track your activity. How you decide to track your activity may depend on what activity you do and your own personal preferences. Some ways to track your activity are listed below.

Manual tracking

Use a journal or diary (paper or digital) to note down what you did (like walking, swimming, weights), how long or how much, and how you felt doing it.

Mark your calendar (paper or digital) to keep a record of the days you are active.

Take photos or videos to see your progress! A before-and-after photo or video of you doing an activity, like climbing stairs, can really show you how much you've improved over time. It can also show you the areas you may need to focus on to continue improving.

Apps and wearable devices

There are plenty of tools we can use to track our activity.

Phone apps like Map My Walk, Pacer Pedometer, My Fitness Pal, Strava, Google Fit, and Apple Health let you count steps, log workouts, set goals and see your progress. Most smartphones also have built-in step counters. Before downloading an app, it's important to consider any data/privacy concerns you may have. Read the terms and conditions for more information.

Wearable devices like pedometers or smartwatches (eg Fitbit, Garmin, Apple Watch) track steps - and often more! Some also monitor stairs climbed, heart rate, activity intensity and even sleep.

You can keep track of your data in the apps, or you can log it in your own calendar, journal or spreadsheet - whatever works best for you!

Goal-oriented tracking

Some people find it easier to track their physical activity based on their goals.

Personal bests – keep track of your top achievements like how far you have walked, how much weight you have lifted, or your fastest swim lap time. It's a great way to see changes over time.

Habit trackers – you can use apps such as Habitica or Streaks to mark off workout days and keep consistency (like a habit)! You can also mark days on your calendar/diary to help build consistency.

Set SMART goals – make your goals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-based (SMART). For example:

Long-term goal: Walk for 1 hour without stopping in 3 months
Short-term goal: Walk 15 minutes in 2 weeks, and increase to 30 minutes by 4 weeks.

Check in often and adjust if needed. Make sure you celebrate your wins along the way!