Record Keeping Is Essential

Keeping a record of daily exercise is a major key to success. Use a sheet of binder paper for each month. Write down what you do for exercise. One can look back and see progress and be encouraged. Use a binder for your exercise log.You can also keep a monthly total of the number of times you exercised. Keep looking for ways to improve and do better than your previous month.

GeraghtyDurango

I definitely agree.  I think this goes hand-in-hand with keeping a log of meals/calories and weight, too.

If a person has access to a spreadsheet and knows how to run one (easy to learn), then record keeping of one's exercise (calories and weights, too) is very easy and beneficial.  One doesn't need a spreadsheet, of course--a hard copy log is just as good, but it is easier for me to read my spreadsheet a couple of months later.

Keeping dates, durations, kinds, etc. is very helpful and worthwhile.

As Tony Horton says in the P90X DVDs, "how do you know what to do if you don't know what you did?" :)

It's very true: if you don't know how many reps of any exercise you did last week and with how much weight, you don't know how much to push yourself beyond that boundary.

Yep, I have a log type book where I keep track of each workout.  For weight lifting the exercises, weights, sets, reps, rest periods and how I felt.  Or I will write down how long I spent using the Wii or doing other aerobic type cardio.   I also write down the stats from my HRM.

I also keep a spreadsheet on the computer of my workouts for the week.  I also keep track of weight, BMI and measurements.  Lots of info on there. 

I use the journal feature on CC for this.  I have enough paper in my house; I don't need any more.  So, being able to do it electronically is nice.

i do both-

i have in electronically in the food log, and on a spreadsheet which just logs my running ( so i can see my progress) and then i have a pocket notebook which i write my total carories for the day, and exercise for the day. that way the information is all in one place so that i can see if i'm ovreating/undereating one week to the next.

i have a tiny notebook that goes to the gym with me that i track all of my activities in: time spent on which cardio activity and weight/rep/time spent on each strength training exercise.  then i log my everything here at CC at the end of the day. 

and after sort of falling off the "diet" wagon for a little while, i added a calorie deficit calendar to the last few pages of my notebook.  having a in-my-face reference of whether or not i'm reaching my weekly deficit goals has really helped motivate me.