Tracking My Workouts in a Japanese Field Notebook (Sokuryo Yacho)
Contents
AI helped me translate this post from the Japanese original. The handwritten notes in the photos are in Japanese.
This year I started using a Sokuryo Yacho as my workout notebook.
It’s been a month, and it’s working really well, so here’s how I keep my log.
I don’t like exercise at all.
But last year I started Pilates, and I began to feel my body changing, little by little.
I wanted to see those changes, so I started writing them down in a notebook.
A workout log in a Sokuryo Yacho (level book)
Sokuryo Yacho means “surveyor’s field notebook”. It’s a small, sturdy notebook by Kokuyo that has been around in Japan for decades, made for surveyors but loved by stationery fans.
Last year I used a ring-binder planner (ClipBook).
It had grown thick, the A5 size felt bulky, and it was getting worn out, so I was looking for a smaller notebook.
This is actually my first Sokuryo Yacho. (I’d always misremembered its name, and only just learned what it’s really called.)
Why I chose it:
- I can write in it standing up
- It’s small and easy to carry
- A little water won’t ruin it → My water bottle sometimes isn’t closed properly and spills.
Above all, I thought the level book type had a page layout that’s perfect for logging strength training.
In the level book, the left page is a grid and the right page has lines.
On the left, my strength training
Down: exercises
Across: weight, reps × sets
I split my training into upper-body days and lower-body days.
Next to the date, I write “upper” or “lower”.
Did I do upper or lower body last time?
What weight did I lift before?
Which number do I set the seat to?
It’s handy for remembering what I did last time.
On the right, notes on my workout.
For example:
- Cardio (treadmill)
- Stretches and other exercises I did
- Notes from my Pilates lessons
- Muscle soreness and how my body feels the next day
- My body composition measured on an InBody scale
I go to Pilates once a week, so I note down the advice my teacher gives me, like “It’s good to loosen this area at home too” or “You might try this stretch”.
I also note whether I got sore the next day.
(When I’m sore, I feel like I really worked out, which makes me a little happy, so I write it down as a small win.)
Sometimes something hurts in an odd place, which tells me I was tensing the wrong muscles, so I can be careful next time.
Keeping the log keeps me going
A Sokuryo Yacho has 48 sheets.
If I use one spread for about a week, it lasts about a year, which feels just right. I’m looking forward to seeing how my body will have changed by the time I finish this notebook.
A habit tracker in my main planner
On the yearly pages, I mark the days I exercised.
Lately I’ve been watching my body fat, so I also add the calories I burned on the treadmill next to it.
It gives me a real sense of achievement, so even when I can’t be bothered, I end up thinking, “Okay, let’s do it today too.”
To help build my body, I log what I eat on the weekly pages and put a sticker on the days I had protein.
▼ How I use my main planner (in Japanese)
Bonus: my Chiikawa gym bag
At the gym, I always carry a Chiikawa lunch bag. (Chiikawa is a hugely popular cute character series in Japan.)
When I wander around holding my notebook, pen, water bottle, phone and keys, I sometimes leave things behind.
When I went to Chiikawa Bakery, I thought “I can use this!!” and bought it on the spot.
Inside, I keep my water bottle, gloves, notebook and a massage ball.
I love canvas, and the inside is waterproof, so it’s washable. It’s cute and so practical that I’m really happy with it.
Surrounding myself with things I love keeps me motivated to work out!!
▼ Lately I’ve kept up Pilates along with the gym (in Japanese)
