The importance of data

I love data.  Whether it's collecting information for a large purchase or researching a project...data will help you make informed decisions.  Just as important, data points are a record of history which enables trending over periods of time.

When it comes to my exercise routines, I collect data in two equally important ways.  First, I manually record my daily exercises into a small journal.  Secondly, I always wear a smart watch (I use Apple Watch & absolutely love it) and record actvities as I do them.  

I'll explain in a little bit why I use both methods, but the important thing is to just start...no matter what your baseline is.  I touched on this a little bit in my first blog post, but this blog isn't meant for those striving to be professional athletes or body builders.  This is meant to help normal people feel better about themselves.  When I first started getting back into exercise, I literally couldn't do one pull-up.  My baseline was zero.  Instead of giving up I just tried to gradually improve (and hey, with zero as your baseline you only have upside!).  That's why data is important.  It gives you something to strive for and allows you to look back at all you've accomplished.

Now back to the two data collection methods and some summary points on why each is important:

Manual Journal Entry

• It sets a baseline for exercise routines.  I find myself always wanting to at least equal what my previous result was & over time pushes me to set new personal records.
• Instils discipline.  Every day I hold myself accountable to record my entries
• It feels amazing to look back and see progress 
• Easy way to record details of strength training (weight, reps, sets, etc).  For example, a smart watch can record your calorie burn & heart rate (discussed below) while doing the bench press, but it doesn't know how much weight you lifted or how many sets or reps you did.  That's the true value add in the manual journal entry.
• Useful to note any injuries you may be suffering through
• Having a physical journal makes it very easy to flip through the pages to review the data (hmmm...maybe I should develop an app that mimics the ease of use of a manual journal with the automation benefits of an app...)

Apple Watch (or other smart watch, I assume there are similar capabilities)

• Simplicity.  Automatically tracks calories burned & heart rate (this is an amazing feature...it's really allowed me to understand how much stress I'm under during exercise and how to push my limits)
• Goal Setting.  Every day I try to meet my calories burned goal (ie close that move ring!).  My record btw was 122 days burning at least 800 calories...I simply forgot to check one night and came up 40 calories short.  UGH!!
• Fun awards.  Lots of 'accomplishments' and other notifications for meeting monthly challenges or personal records
• Long list of activities to choose from when exercising (running, strength training, boxing, etc.) 
• Tons of stored data in the 'Activity' & 'Health' app

Hopefully, that gives some perspective on why I think data is vital to anyone's routine.  To be honest, it just makes things easier (goal setting, feeling a sense of accomplishment, knowing one bad day doesn't define you, etc.).  Just try it...I bet it will help you.

One of these days I'm going to record my manual entries in a spreadsheet to graphically show some of the progress I've had, which I will in turn share.  Should be pretty interesting.  I really wish I had started the manual entry process sooner, November 19, 2019 was the first day of my manual entries but I had started well before that.

Going from memory (which is why you should write things down!), I'd say my true starting point for raised push ups was probably somewhere around 10-20 per set, 2-4 chin ups per set (0 pull-ups)...just to give perspective from a true starting point to today (vs. my first entries to today).  I'll end things here with a quick sample.     

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