I have been working on this project for myself because I like to have a plan and make lists so that I can feel like I am making progress. Especially when it comes to eating healthy, or working out! I think it is very easy for me to get discouraged when I don’t lose 5 pounds after eating one salad or working out once… haha just kidding. I wanted to create a way to REALLY keep track of my fitness goals, meal plans, exercise ideas, progress, and thoughts and feelings associated with the process.
I’ve had several people tell me that I should sell this bundle of printables but I just didn’t feel comfortable doing that because 1) I made it for myself and not to turn a profit, 2) I am no fitness guru, I just felt like these prints would be helpful for myself & others may benefit from them in their health and wellness journey as well. So enjoy them because I am offering them for FREE, you can download the 12 page PDF right here. The prints are sized at 8×10.
So I put them in the order that I organized my binder, but feel free to arrange them however you would like, or don’t print ones you don’t want, or print multiples of some… whatever works for you, your lifestyle, goals, etc.
I started this binder a long time ago and it has kind of evolved into what it is now. It wasn’t always so cutesy… it started with me just writing lists on notebook paper in different categories. As I ran into new problems, such as talking to my Doctor and her telling me I needed to be on a Keto diet, I added new categories and sections. I do feel like I have covered quite a bit, but if you have any suggestion for me, let me know!
So here are some of the things you will need to put this binder together:
- Binder (I got mine for $2.40 at Wal Mart)
- Clear page protectors (you can get these at Wal Mart, Dollar Store, any craft store)
- Paper & a printer (or send to a print shop)
- Clear packing tape, contact paper (optional but you can get either at Dollar Store), & double-sided sticky tape
So here is a guide to what I included in the printable bundle & their uses:
COVER PAGE
This is kind of self-explanatory, the first page is just a cover page for the binder & is simply titled “Fitness”.
MISSION STATEMENT
I think it is important this page is at the very beginning, first page of the binder so that you can see it right when you open it and know WHY you are doing this.
TABS & EXERCISE TRACKER
This print is obviously meant to help you to organize your binder a little easier and turn to the section you want to quicker. You don’t need to print all the prints on cardstock but I would recommend printing this one on cardstock just so that the tabs and exercise tracker can be thicker and stronger. Then you can either use contact paper, or clear tape to cover both of them. For the tabs, fold them in half and put double stick tape on both sides then tape them down on each main category tapering down. I included 2 spare tabs if you guys have ideas for your own section, you could write in them in gold gel pen if you want to keep the look cohesive with the others ;). The exercise tracker was just something a little extra I wanted to throw in as a way to keep track of each day you worked out that week. It’s a 4×6 print and once you cover it in contact paper (or tape) you can use a dry erase marker to make marks on it that are erasable! I like to re-purpose old flat magnets that just sit on your fridge you got for free, and I actually LOVE those little list notepads with a magnet on the back so when I use up all the notes I keep the magnets for little projects like these & double-side tape it to the print. If you don’t have a magnet, just use your double stick tape to tape it to the fridge for easy tracking.
MEAL PLAN
I realize everybody’s eating habits/likes/dislikes are all different so you can go online, Pinterest, wherever and find tons of recipes, meal plans, etc. that you can print out and put in clear pages (or 3 hole punch). I also put a little section of loose 3 hole punch notebook paper so you can write down recipes, meal plans, whatever. I put a printable of the Keto Diet, what it is, how it works etc., and then I found a 14 day meal plan for my personal binder.
EXERCISE
This section is similar to Meal Plan where it’s really up to you with what kind of information you would like to include. You can print out or write down different work outs to include in this section. There is also loose notebook paper to write on in this section.
PROGRESS
This section was really important to me and includes the most printables. I will give a breakdown of each printable to share how I envisioned them being used:
Goals: I felt this one should go first to remind you of your goals, I put a section for short term goals, long term goals & a reward section. You need to remember to reward your accomplishments beyond just the transformation, though that is the ultimate reward. But when you get to a milestone, treat yo self!
Healthy Guidelines: I took information for this print from an article entitled “How Much Should I Weigh For My Height & Age” by Medical News Today. You can also go to that link to check your BMI. The chart includes where you should be in terms of your height and shows Normal, Overweight, Obese & Extreme Obesity. There is a small area on the top right hand side for you to put your own information. There is one below to keep track of your BMI if you’d like. Again, these are a few guidelines according to an online website, I am NOT a nutritionist, trainer, anything like that so obviously focus on being healthy and don’t label yourself according to what is “normal”; You know your body better than anyone. I personally wanted some kind of guideline to see where I should be weigh-wise. I know some people think BMI is crap, and I don’t know a ton about that either. So again, I was just curious to see what the guidelines are and where I am on that scale to guide me in my fitness journey.
Inch by Inch: This print has columns for measuring how your progress is going according to body measurements. There is a column for: date, shirt size, pant size, arms, waist & thighs. I need prints like this to be able to see WHEN the progress is being made and WHERE. If you measure often, just print out multiple prints of these to keep in your binder.
Non-Scale Victories: This is a print I added as an afterthought, I think it’s important to not only focus on “physical” progress, but also mental, emotional etc. You could put things like, “Someone told me I looked thinner today and it made my day,”, “I looked in the mirror and was proud at what I saw.”, “I fit into an old pair of pants today…” You get the idea!
Habits: I originally had a soda log in my old binder that I kept track of dates I would begin with my “soda free” period of time. I could be proud that I didn’t drink soda for 1 whole month. I wasn’t going to put it in but I had several people tell me they thought it was a good idea. I felt like this print could be used for several different areas in life that you can keep track of, which is why I left it without a title. For instance, if you want to write in: Soda Log, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Keto Diet, Atkins Diet… etc. Go ahead and write it in yourself. If you want to improve in several of these areas, print out multiple copies of this print!
JOURNAL
I recently added this section to my own binder after I spoke to my doctor and she told me all of these things going on with my body. But now, I have health issues that I wanted a special place to keep track of them rather than just my plain old journal where it would get blended in to all my other thoughts. I started a “fitness journal” to keep track of the date I went to the doctor, advice and concerns that they had and my thoughts and feelings about it. So that is how it started. I like to include inspirational quotes, any negative or positive feelings I’m having towards my fitness and health journey. This journal is a very good place to keep track of it all.
This project was something that was very meaningful to me and I hope it can help someone else in their fitness journey. Health and fitness is so important and it is too easy to put on the back burner… “I’m too busy,” “I’m too tired,” or you get too overwhelmed not knowing where to start. Lists and making a game plan really help me to hold myself accountable and feel in control. I truly hope that this free fitness binder printable helps give you the motivation to keep going. Remember that change doesn’t happen overnight (even though we wish it did). I feel this is a good a time of year to recommit to your health.
I’ll now give some instructions on how to make the cardboard cacti because they were probably my most favorite decoration at this party! Medium thick cardboard is the best for this project, just draw your shape in pencil and cut out and then trace a second piece, unless you are doing some funky arms then I would suggest doing on the base shape and one the unique shape… so there isn’t a ton going on, if that makes sense. Then cut a slit in the top and a slit in the bottom to slide together and make 3-dimensional. You can use either tape or hot glue to secure the shape. Then paint with your choice of paint, you may need up to 2-3 coats of paint. Once dry, you can use some sharpie or white paint pen to make some cute lines or “prickles” on each one. And finally, to add some flowers get some pink, red, orange or whatever kind of color tissue paper you want and cut them into some squares, size is really up to you… then wrap the square around the end of a pencil and dip in some glue and repeat this step 3-4 times until you have the thickness or size of flower you want and dip one more time before attaching to your cacti (I did this on the small balloons too).
I think that just about covers it! If you have any questions about this party, where I got anything, how to put things together… just shoot me a message or leave a comment and let me know! Otherwise, thanks for reading and maybe this will inspire you to have a cactus party of your own!
Chana Dawn Designs 