Conscious Competence

During a lunch discussion with my mother she shared that she had recently heard one of the best arguments for keeping a food & exercise journal. Since I attempt to keep a regular log of my food intake and physical activities and was just resuming this discipline after a couple weeks of neglect, I was interested to hear a persuading reason that would motivate me to continue.

What would you think about about boarding a plane and having the pilot announce that on this flight he had opted not to do his routine check of the instruments and had decided that he wouldn't use the guiding instruments at all? Would you feel confident that you would arrive at your destination, never mind safely or on time?

How would you be able to manage a regular work day without the aid of your watch, clocks, day timer schedule or any other tracking devices that assist you with time management? How likely would you be to remember your appointments and arrive precisely on time for them?

My mom recalled several other examples that were made along this premise. I was intrigued because even though I subscribe to the success of tracking my nutritional and exercise choices, I've always born a sense of shame for needing to do so. I guess it was because there are so many people who are naturally thin and don't need to watch the amounts of food they eat or ensure that they burn enough calories to maintain a healthy weight.

Experiencing a measure of competence using this method of tracking, I have experienced the curiosity and dismay of people who view this behaviour as somewhat obsessive compulsive. There is an underlying expectation that this is not part of normal existence and that one shouldn't need to plot their course when it comes to this part of your life. Yet it is perfectly acceptable, even expected, to do so in other areas.

How likely are you to let a brain surgeon fly by the seat of his pants, go with the flow, and guess while conducting brain surgery....on you? Wouldn't you want a surgeon who was a perfectionist while performing such an intricate procedure?

Sure enough, eating on a day to day basis is not brain surgery, but if you have health, weight-loss or maintenance goals and you have a tendency to stray off course--then using accurate tools, measures, and tracking systems to guide your behaviour is not only important, it's vital.