How often do you really work out each week? Are you eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day? Do you feel better when you work out in the afternoon as opposed to first thing in the morning? If you have to search your brain for these answers, your fitness routine and diet probably aren't as effective as they could be.

Tracking the details of your workouts and eating patterns provides you with valuable information and feedback. More than anything, it keeps you honest. You may brag to your coffee shop buddies that you lift four times a week, but if your diary says otherwise, you know it's time to stop talking and get to the gym. A diary keeps you motivated, too, because you can flip back through the pages and see your improvements. If you reach your goals successfully, you've got a written step-by-step guide outlining how you got there. If you're stuck in a rut, you can usually find the problem with a careful reading of your log.

FIVE THINGS TO TRACK

1. Date and Day: This information helps you assess what you've done in a week. When you look back, you'll know whether you walked 10 or 20 miles this week and whether or not you tend to skip your Friday workouts. You may also learn that you tend to overeat on Monday evenings because you often skip Monday morning breakfasts.

2. Training: Jot down as much detail as possible about your workouts. Include parameters like the type of workout you did, how long you went for, your heart rate, how many strength training sets you did, how many reps per set, how much weight you used. It's also helpful to note things like the gear you used. If your right knee started hurting on the 20th -- the same day you started wearing your new walking shoes -- this will give you a clue as to why.

3. Eating Patterns: Write down as much detail as you can think of, including portion size, time you ate and even who you ate with. (Who knew that you eat more when you dine out with your mother?) Describing your emotions at the time you eat can be enlightening as well, especially if you tend to eat poorly when you're angry or bored.