Changing your habits is no small feat. First things first, you have to set a clear, actionable goal. Then you must stay consistent and follow through with your expectations. Before you know it you’re basking in success. That makes it sound foolishly easy, but if you stay focused anything is possible. 

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” said Neil Armstrong when he commanded the first humans to land on the moon in 1969. While changing your diet or adding an exercise hardly compares to a monumental moment in history, it proves that every journey starts with a single step. 

In the fitness profession, trainers help clients realize their goals. This requires clients to undergo serious lifestyle changes. Instead of scaring people away with zero sugar, no carbs, and 500 crunches a day, you have to start small.

Small change examples include: reducing large soda to small soda, minimizing carbs from daily to three times per week, or adding in two more glasses of water a day. Eventually people get hooked on the impact these small changes make — then it’s a ripple effect. The coolest part is that they are their own source of motivation. You slowly build up your clients, resulting in sustainable habits for life. 

They’re healthy because they’re happy, and they’re happy because they’re healthy.

What do we need to get there? Accountability is a key ingredient to making it happen. You need tools that reinforce behavior. Journaling is a potent resource for gaining not only awareness and perspective, but also documenting hard work and progress. It is an ancient tradition that dates back to 10th century Japan and all the same benefits can be accessed today. Increasing evidence reveals that journaling has a positive impact on your physical well being, including mental clarity, stress management and immunity boosting.

The challenge then is to apply this into your daily life. While it can be cathartic to handwrite a daily journal, it is also very impractical. Technology brings efficiency to this equation by providing one in digital form… the Online Journal.

Let’s apply this back to the fitness industry. An online journal can be easily accessed by both trainers and customers to track progress, spot patterns, and provide insights to create lasting change.

Before you know it, baby steps turn into an ultra marathon run. You’ve created habits and documented the process. That is something to rave about!