BodyMinder Workout and Exercise Journal (A Fitness Diary) Reviews

• Very nearly the best..

  
  By A2MY1A0Q6E8RNP on 2003-02-10
  Now that Weider's Weight Training log is out of print, this may be the best choice. Very usable, but the meal record is only 4/6 there: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks. Most modern programs recommend 5 or 6 evenly spaced smaller meals rather than the out of date 3 wholesome meals a day. Similarly, the Exercise Record is only 4/5 there: room for only 4 sets. Many programs, such as low weight/high rep, require space for 5 sets. A vinyl pouch in the back would also be useful.
  Added 2/2005 - they've added a page with 3 vinyl pouches in newer versions!
  Added 12/2005 - Weider's new edition is now available on Amazon. But I've grown to like this one slightly better than that one over time. Note, you have to buy 4 of these to cover a year if you work out every day. Weider's is prenumbered for 52 weeks and is best used to fully log a whole year starting in January. They're the same height and width, but the BodyMinder is half as thick. Weider is one page per day with a Daily Planner where you can put meals, BodyMinder is two pages per day with every bell and whistle listed (click surprise me a couple of times in "look inside" and both pages will eventually show up). Both conveniently open to fold flat on ring bindings which will hold your pen, too. You might want to compare the two before buying - they're both very good.
  
  

• 2006 revised edition improvements

  
  By A1TET60NZOM8HK on 2006-06-12
  When looking on Amazon, the search inside feature shows an older edition. After purchasing, I found there have been some improvements.
  
  Notably, the dietary section now includes boxes for breakfast-snack-lunch-snack-dinner-snack. This fits nicely for people who are following a diet that requires them to eat 5-6 small meals per day instead of the old standard of 3 meals. To make room for this, the "Other Exercise" section has been shrunk a bit. Instead of having big check boxes for various activities such as gardening and yoga (which was a waste of space to people who didn't use them), there are now 5 blank lines where you can write in your own activities, whatever they may be.
  
  The cardio workout section has also been reformatted. The cross-country skier and jump rope have been removed, but there are three blank lines where people could add those back if they want.
  
  Anyway, I would say that this was already an excellent product, and it is nice to know that it improves with time. Here are some things I like as compared to other workout journals I looked at.
  - I like that it is both a workout and food diary AND gives plenty of space for both. It is important to pay attention to both in order to get and stay fit.
  - I like that it has a lot of lines for weight training exercises. Some others did not have near enough for my needs.
  - Some other journals I've looked at had much smaller spaces for writing in.
  - Some journals had pictures on the cover of fitness models. I don't want to carry something into the gym that looks like the cover of a lady's fitness magazine or a men's muscle magazine either. I prefer the conservative fake leather look of this journal.
  - The spiral binding allows it to lay flat for easy use.
  - I found the brief section of common food counts handy. Best of all, they left space where I could add my own foods.
  - The introductory material is helpful but brief. It tells you how to use the log. It doesn't tell you how to work out.
  - It has a good weekly planning section at the beginning and goals/progress section at the end.
  - The calendar in the back was handy for reference.
  
  I will definitely buy this one again when I have filled in all the days.
  
  

• Best workout log I've used!

  
  By A3N7TYH862D6D5 on 2004-04-22
  And I've used plenty...from spiral bound books to computer programs to PDA programs to my own log sheets. This has everything that I need/want and is flexible enough for me to log my gym workouts as well as my other exercise activies, such as martial arts, bicycling, etc.

  For those who are doing the Body for Life program, this workout log would be an excellent choice. I found when I was doing Body for Life that not all logs were set up in a way that worked well for that program. This one does.

  The features are great, but the log isen't loaded down with fluff or unnecessary stuff.

  Finally---the workout log I've been searching for!
  
  

• Excellent !

  
  By on 2002-07-09
  This book is an excellent tool for keeping track of what you eat and drink. It has plenty of room to write down all your meals plus snacks. It also has little boxes you check off everytime you drink a glass of water. Studies show that people who record everything they eat have a higher rate of success in losing weight than those who dont. It has worked for me!
  
  

• Comprehensive and Simple to Use

  
  By on 2003-04-11
  This journal is quite comprehensive in terms of types of exercise listed, which I appreciate as my work-out is varied. The strength training section is perfect for almost any program. It's also helpful and easy to keep track of your diet, and let's face it, the two go hand-in-hand. I also like the "extras" included in this diary, like the weekly planning schedule, progress pages and calendar.
  
  
• EXCELLENT JOURNAL!!!
  By A1KNSNJHWJ5DQ5 on 2003-02-21
  This journal is the BEST on the market! My boyfiend, a personal trainer, ordered one for each of his clients and they love it! The best gift to motivate clients! Very easy to use and well organized. Also try the DietMinder. You will be amazed at what you put ( and don't put!) in your mouth.
  
  
• best journal I have found
  By on 2003-11-02
  I love this journal. It has a place for everything from weights to supplements, cardio and water intake. I have found it to be the best around!
  
  
• The Most Comprehensive Workout Journal Ever!
  By A31UNU0Y1DUB1H on 2005-10-05
  The BodyMinder is the perfect workout journal. It is an organizing person's dream tracker. It encompasses every possible activity a person can do and allows you to track it. Here's some additional info you don't see in the description/pictures:
  Each day is 2 pages
  Tracks 8 different cardio activities and leaves 4 lines blank for you to fill your own in
  Tracks strength training, allows you to write down the muscle group you're working, the equipment, 4 sets, and you can rate the ease of that particular machine/action
  Tracks other exercises for the day including games/competitions and gardening/housework. The games/competitions are tracked separately in the back of the book and allows you to describe the game you played.
  Tracks your daily diet, how many glasses of water, vitamins
  After all that, it still gives you space to add comments, reminders, your trainer's name, your exercise buddy's name, what time you worked out during the day.
  Tracks weekly workout goals, diet goals, and body measurements.
  Also, you can record your gym's information and what you've spent on fitness expenses (also broken down into 4 expense groups)
  It is worth the money!!
  
  
  
• Convenient organizer
  By A24YKZWTGDPASU on 2006-02-26
  This journal is very conveniently designed for those that want to track their workouts, exercise, eating, drinking and nutrition. It's compact, easy to carry and almost makes it fun to workout just to log it in your journal. It's a 2 page per day layout with 1 page dedicated to your exercising and the other to your eating. The journal could last about 3 months if you completed an entry for every day. I got my first one as an audience gift on the Dr. Phil show and liked it enough to buy additional ones when I used it up.
  
  
• Too small
  By A2YBT3EP7RDG1S on 2006-03-22
  Actually ended up throwing this journal away. They have the right idea about daily accountability and thought the charts were well thought out. But found myself fighting the small format though and ended up throwing it out after a couple weeks of use.
  
  
• Best training log ever!
  By AIT287EPC8YD0 on 2006-07-14
  This training log is the absolute best I have ever purchased. In the past I have used Weider's Log, M&F Hers Log, and The Ultimate Workout Log. The Ultimate Workout Log was poorly bound with comb-binding and didn't hold up well. That is what led me to try Bodyminder's. It is bound well with nylon spiral binding. Nice thick faux-leather cover, a transparent pocket inside the back to store misc. papers (I tuck my pencil in there). Each day is a two-page spread with a myriad of choices. There is a great deal of room for recording each weight training exercise -14 rows and columns to record 4 sets, as well as columns to mark which muscle group and difficulty. There are a couple of spots for notes, reminders, supplements. All in all, it is the most thorough log I have ever owned. I love it!
  
  
• Excellent Exercise Diary
  By A2ZVTN9C6P69KS on 2005-09-21
  I have been on those exercise wrecks that so many of you get on, where you stay on it for two weeks then off for a couple weeks then on for a week then off and with this journal it helps me keep on track. I love that it is small and easy to store in your workout bag or where ever you like it, plus it has where you can note your vitmins and supplements that day, how much water you drink so you know if you need more that day, plus you can keep track of your progress in the back with all your measurements. It also has a strength training log which is great for remembering what weight you did and what pounds you used so you can progress up. It also has a place to keep dietary notes as what you ate that day so you can see what you did that day and maybe decrease what you eat so you can track your progress. It also has a chart of calories for different foods so you do have to go and look it up somewhere else. This has been the best book overall I have purchased and I have purchased quit a bit in the last many years. This is the best book by far!!!!!!!
  
  
• Great Log for Novice or Advanced Fitness Person
  By A4622J2IA15MN on 2007-01-02
  I've used a log for several years and I've recently switched to this one. I like it for several reasons. I've grown to like the simple black cover over the brightly colored covers of my other logs. This log has enough space to capture everything you could want from food, to goals, to cardio, to strength training. It doesn't have a separate space for mind/body like Pilates or Yoga but there's enough extra lines that you can add it where you see fit. It's so professionally done. There's a calendar in the back, food information in the front. There's space for competitions but that could be used for anything, including races or meets or anything. Two sheets opposite each other for each day, each log contains space for 13 weeks (91 days).
  
  If you enjoy keeping a log you will like this a lot, if you've never thought of keeping a log but think it might help (studies show it does) then try this one. The beauty of it is if you don't want to use something you don't have to but it's there to help you along the way if you do. Happy New Year and Happy New You!
  
  
• excellent resource
  By A1W7L3NR8SWZA6 on 2005-10-27
  This workout journal is great b/c it has room for all sorts of activities, has the dates blank, and has a small amt of space to write in what you eat during the day.
  
  
• Home-made Poor Quality Book
  By ATPIKXONV8KSB on 2006-02-20
  This book lacks perception and depth. It utilizes poor quality paper and has insufficient space to record all the 'exercise' names as well as the workout results. I am surprised that it ranks at such a high order!Oh well! for it was worth, I have learnt my lesson. Such books should only be purchased after reviewing it 'in person' in a 'store', because it is a kind of book that you would use to record your results and not the one which you would only read. Good luck to the publisher though!
  
  
  
  
• The *BEST* Workout Log!
  By AFDGZDLQTG4CP on 2007-01-21
  I have used several different workout logs, but this is by far the most complete. Many logs do not contain enough space for a variety of cardio, nor do they have enough rows/columns to fully record a serious workout regime. This log does! Spaces are available to record vitamins & supplements, daily nutrition, hydration, etc. It is a very good buy for the money - in fact, I feel it is worth every penny spent on it.
  
  
• could be better
  By A3D6N7TDV3BSVX on 2007-01-29
  There's only space for 4 sets of any one given exercise. Not real useful on days when you do 6 or more sets. But at least the boxes allow different weights and reps on an exercise.
  
  
• One of the best exercise logs around
  By A3UBCBATB4P2Y1 on 2007-03-03
  I've used another more expensive log book and this is by far one of the best. It is very comprehensive!
  
  I cannot think of any negatives because it has everything you need to be successful! It includes a Cardio Workout section with a checklist and a place to record minutes, pace, heart rate and calories burned. There is a section to write down you strength training information - weight, reps, and number of sets, a place to log "other exercise", and most importantly, a place to log your food and supplement intake.
  
  You are not locked into a date per page - as you exercise, you write in the date. This way you don't waste any pages.
  
  
• Excellent diet/fitness journal
  By A3G8NPRWVXXED9 on 2007-05-14
  This has everything you could ever want to track on a two-page spread. You fill in the dates yourself so pages are never wasted. And it has a very sturdy binding and a discreet black, durable cover. I particularly like the section for medications and vitamins. No other fitness journal I've seen can even compare.
  
  
• highly recommended
  By AZBOVF9MM8N7P on 2005-08-15
  This exercise journal is excellent! I use it daily to record my weight training, cardio and nutrition. It's convenient to throw in my gym bag and small enough that I can carry it around the gym to record everything. It's great that I can look back every couple of weeks to see how much I've improved in my cardio or weight training and to improve my eating habits. I highly recommend it if you are serious about recording your daily activities and nutritional intake.
  
  
• Awesome Fitness Diary
  By A10LZ0FN89G0AT on 2005-10-03
  If you like to keep track of your wieght, goals, food intake, exercise routine, etc. this is the journal for you. I wanted to lose about 10 pounds and since I have had this journal I was able to keep track of my exercise needs. I have now lost 13 pounds. This journal has been a wonderful companion at the gym. I would recommend this to anyone. Very easy to fill out and user friendly.
  
  
• Perfect tool for tracking workouts AND food
  By A2QZNAYCYNHDAS on 2006-02-19
  This is one of the few journals that are useful for tracking workouts AND food. You can also keep before/after pics, and track measurements over time. Highly recommended for anyone seriously fighting the battle of the bulge!
  
  
• Great Book for Working Out!!!
  By A20GK4JYKZ33AM on 2006-11-16
  I love this book. It is small so I don't feel weird carrying it in the gym. It is easy to follow and has plenty of room to write and record everything I need to!!
  
  
• Great way to keep track fitness goals!
  By A3GRKD5PUGEVFV on 2007-01-17
  I have been using my bodyminder journal for a few weeks now and find it a great help in tracking my diet and exercise. It is so easy to use that I have no excuses. I also really like the area at the end of the journal that allows you to track related expenses and keep addresses. The zip pouch also allows you to keep receipts. Overall, I find this to be an excellent product!
  
  
• Great Journal
  By A2KKUQOIIP62GZ on 2007-06-11
  Prior to getting this journal, I had been useing 2 sperate journals for food and excerise. This combines both. I was doing a running exercise from a amgazine and it even has a plastic holder in the back for the work out.
  
  On my personal Training day's I just hand it to my trailer to complete. She like it to and recomend it to her clients.
  
  
  
  
• Great Workout/Nutrition Journal
  By A1TA8VI0AJEMKM on 2007-07-26
  I have bought 3 so far. They are great for tracking all your daily fitness and nutrition. I put my workouts in the night before I go to the gym and then take my journal with me the next morning.
  
  
• Great workout and food diary
  By ALM5213S390TX on 2008-01-11
  Have used many and generally use an online training log for my running but who the heck wants to type every weight/set in for weight training? And, I often do WW so this way, I can keep a general idea of my food and track the points later.
  
  This is really great - well thought out, convenient and spiral bound. I"m glad I found it.
  
  
• How did I ever live with out it
  By A2SBQZ8IPOH24X on 2001-10-21
  This book is great it has everything that you need I love It and I can't see working out without it Ever again it keeps me honest and I just love the layout it has something for everybody.
  
  
• Well Suited for a Journal
  By A28FFAJDI0KZL5 on 2006-08-04
  The book is perfect if you'd like to track your gains and progress. Highly recommended.
  
  
• A good help
  By A2NWLKNWJ5K0VA on 2007-01-04
  Every serious exercise buff (serious about getting trim, getting healthy or getting buff) knows that an accurate record is essential for not only charting your growth, but analyzing what is working and what's not working. An accurate journal is good motivation and encouragement -- and that's what this helps you do. The BodyMinder Journal is well laid out with enough opportunity for you to chart your cardio, or strength-training progress. It's compact enough that it fits in your gym bag, and the binder is large enough you can hide a pen or pencil inside the binder. It's well worth the price.
  
  

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