Note: I’ve had this notebook since 2012 and it might have changed slightly since I’ve owned it, but after looking at pictures on the internet it seems to be similar in style.
As the old saying goes, “What gets measured gets managed.” Throughout my years in the fitness industry and working as a personal trainer, I learned how important it was to track what matters most to know if you’re getting results.
Whether it’s weight loss, keeping track of your lifts, progressive overload, or competing for a sport, you’ll only know if you’re getting better by keeping a detailed account of the numbers that matter.
Overall, the Moleskine Wellness notebook is great for keeping track of long-term goals but I would get another one if you want to track your daily workouts and diet because there are only about 30 pages or so for each of those categories which I filled up pretty quick. If you’re thinking about getting this notebook, let’s dive into the specifics of it and what you need to know.
The pages in the Wellness Moleskine
Inside the Wellness Moleskine, there are six pre-designed categories and six blank categories for you to decide what you need.
The six pre-made categories are:
- Personal goals
- Exercise log
- Diet
- General health
- Games – sport
- Inspirations
In the back, I’ve used the blank areas for measuring body fat/body stats, foods I want to get, and stretches I need to do to keep my body aligned.
I started to use the exercise log to track my daily workouts, but quickly filled up that section in just a few months. For that reason, I moved my daily tracking to other notebooks because I really wanted to turn this notebook into one I could keep and refer back to for a long time.
With that in mind, I use the pages more for overall tracking and long-term planning more than daily use.
Pros and cons of the Wellness Moleskine
Pros:
- Holds up well
- Lots of space for all the things you want to track
- Can customize section
Cons:
- Not enough space for workouts for more than a few months (but that might be okay for you!)
- Pages are a little thin so there’s some bleedthrough
The make of the Wellness Moleskine
Note: The page thickness could have improved through the years since I’ve purchased it. Be sure to read current reviews before purchasing.
The binding has held up for years, thankfully! As for the page thickness, most pen inks can be seen on the opposite side. A fountain pen would certainly bleed through to the other side. I know this is a pretty common complaint about Moleskine notebooks in the past decade or so, but for some people the sections are worth it.
The elastic closure has also held up through all of these years, which is probably the most impressive part.
How I use the sections
As I mentioned, I don’t use this notebook for daily tracking of lifts. I do use it for more of a broad view of my fitness and stats over time, to see how I’m improving each year.
Here’s what I use each section for so you can get an idea of what I do if you want to draw some inspiration from it.
Personal goals:
This section is broken down by each week and month for an entire year. Instead of using each week, I have dedicated each page to an entire year with the things I’d like to accomplish with my health and wellness that year. Sometimes I use it to also track programs I’m doing throughout the year. That gives me a good overall look at what I’ve been doing so I can cross-reference that with my results to see what’s working or not working.
Exercise log:
As I said earlier, I filled this section up pretty quickly so I don’t use it much any longer.
Diet:
As someone with food allergies, I use this more to track my overall diet and what I’m doing during a current month instead of a daily diet tracker. That way, I can compare it to my results to see what I need to do and if I need to tweak anything.
General health:
I use this to track my food allergies, vitamins/supplements I’m taking, dentist and doctor appointments, and if there’s anything alarming I need to keep track of or bring up to my doctor.
Games – sports:
I use this section to track any sports I play or hikes I take. This is more for tracking memories to look back on.
Inspirations:
This is what I use for fitness inspirations: quotes that hit home, people who inspire me, great moments I want to remember (like hitting a PR, etc).
That’s pretty much how I use this journal. I’m personally a big fan of having notebooks dedicated to certain areas of my life, which is why I own a variety of the Moleskine Passion planners. The pages are thin, but if you’re willing to put up with it to keep track of your overall health and wellness, it’s a good trade-off.
Writers Lift Too 