One Application to Track Them All
The title is obviously a blatant rip-off of the Lord of the Rings, but it is appropo. Currently, I track my diet and workout routines in no less than three(!) different places: here on Bodybuilding.com; on my personal computer via a personalized copy of FitDay; and on Bicycling.com, where I track my biking and swimming routines. Obviously, keep three separate and disparate training logs is beginning to take its toll. I recently discovered that I hadn’t updated FitDay for three days, and so have lost a substantial portion of my macronutrient intake for the past week. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but because I’m in training for a triathlon, I want to track what foods help or hinder my performance.
So, I’ve decided to bite the bullet and enter my training routine and food entries into one comprehensive, all-encompassing log. I did a little research on the web and discovered an on-line site called "Training Peaks" that, I believe, will serve all my needs nicely. It allows me to track not only my weight lifting routines, but also my biking and swimming schedules. It has a component that will track my food intake (by time of day, no less) and a calendar that will allow me to set reminders for upcoming events or planned milestones. The basic model is free, so I’m going to try it for a month or two, and if it lives up to its promise, I will pay the modest monthly fee to upgrade to the Premium edition. This means that I will not be visiting Bodybuilding.com nearly as often as I have in the past, but something had to go. Life is short, and while I want to be a dedicated member of this site, I also want to simplify my life. I will continue to check in every now and again, but my days of logging in every day are over.
I may write the admin and suggest that they improve their training logs, but I’m not sanguine they will take my proposal seriously. This is, after all, a bodybuilding site, and not a general fitness site. They probably don’t want to lose their focus, and I can’t say that I can blame them. The powers that be have a very nice niche, and they don’t want to do anything to blur the distinction they’ve worked so hard to achieve. Still, it would be nice if they considered the suggestion.
Thoughts, comments and observations are welcomed and encouraged.
