Module 3: Track Your Activity Participant Guide

Session Focus

Tracking, or self-monitoring, can help you keep up with your physical activity goals. This module provides detailed instruction on how to track activity.

In this session, we will talk about:

  • The purpose of tracking

  • How to track your activity

You’ll also get a chance to review different ways to track your food and give it a try.

You will also make a new action plan!

Tips:

  • Use your Activity Log to track your minutes of activity each day.

  • Show it to your coach at the start of each session.

  • Track activity of at least a medium, or moderate, pace. That means you can talk through the activity, but you can’t sing through it.

  • Include everyday activities like sweeping the floor briskly or mowing the lawn.

Purpose of Tracking

Why Do We Track Activity?

What are some things you track?

We weigh ourselves to track our progress toward meeting our 6-month weight goal.

And we track progress toward our 6-month activity goal—to get at least 150 minutes of activity each week.

Both goals (weight loss and activity) help you lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.

How To Track Your Activity

Practice Tracking

What are some ways to time your activity?

  • Watch

  • Clock

  • Timer

  • Fitness tracker

  • Smart-phone app

  • Computer app

Recording Your Activity

Besides using your Activity Log, what are some other ways to record your minutes of activity?

  • Notebook

  • Spreadsheet

  • Fitness tracker

  • Smartphone app

  • Computer app

  • Voice recording

Ultimately, you’ll want to record your minutes in your Activity Log.

How To Track Using Malama’s App

How to Track Exercise using Malama’s App:

  1. Open Malama’s app and click on the large, green plus-sign at the bottom center of the screen (screen 1 below)

  2. Click on Exercise (screen 2 below)

  3. Enter the number of minutes exercised, select a type (e.g., Walk, Yoga) and how many sessions you have completed that week (e.g., 2 if you completed 2 yoga sessions this week) (screen 3 below)

Remember to track your activity at least weekly so your health coach can stay up to date on your progress.

Chrissy’s Story

Tracking is easy, but life’s challenges can make it difficult to stay active and keep tracking. Chrissy is experiencing some of life’s challenges. They are preventing her from being as active as she would like.

Chrissy used to not have any trouble staying fit and being active. With her newborn and toddler, however, Chrissy feels exhausted with very little time to do any of the activities she previously loved. Work has changed, too. Sitting behind a desk or in her car makes being active challenging. When she does walk during lunch or help out at the daycare, she can never remember to record that activity. Most often, she just runs out of time before it’s time to put the kids down for bed.

What advice do you have for Chrissy?

How to Overcome Challenges

Directions: It can be challenging to track your activity. Here are some common challenges and ways to overcome them. Work with your group to record additional challenges in the left column in “Add Your Own.” Then, brainstorm new ideas for overcoming these challenges in the “Ways to Overcome” column. Check off each idea you try in the future.

Plan for Success

Track Your Activity Module

This “Track Your Activity” module helps you identify daily activities that count toward your 150 minutes of activity each week. This module also helps you with challenges along the way. www.cdc.gov/diabetes/programs/preventt2/quiz.html?week=3