Questions & Answers

Q. Keeping a written journal is a proven method for successful behavior change. How is a ColorCode Mode™ Journal better than the typical method of writing in a journal?

A. (The short answer): It’s more fun.

(The long answer): In school, writing was something you were usually assigned to do. Sometimes it was even a punishment, like writing 100 times “I will not chew gum in class. I will not chew gum in class…” But when were you ever told to color as a punishment? Coloring is fun. Coloring in your journal after you’ve done something positive for yourself is even more fun—and surprisingly rewarding. It can help you see you are making progress even before the results show up in your body. It also makes it easier for you to look back over the weeks, months and years to spot trends. Of course if you’re very diligent and actually like writing, there are plenty of places on the journal for you to write in and tally all kinds of detailed information. But color is what makes this journal really stand out.

Q. When is the best time to start using a ColorCode Mode Journal?

A. (The short answer):Today.

(The long answer): Bet you thought we were going to say, “when you’re ready.” You don’t even have to be “ready” for change to benefit from using a ColorCode Mode journal. Just coloring in what you’re currently doing (or not doing) can be an important first step in helping you see where you need to improve. All Streaming Colors Fitness Journals have a very helpful 1-2-3 guide for getting started that will help you think about what to improve.

Q. When would I stop using a journal?

A. When you have nothing left to improve.

Q. Why do I only color in positive actions?

A. If coloring is a reward, you don’t want to reward bad behavior by coloring it in. Better to show what a lack of positive actions will get you in real life: zip, zero, nada. That blank white space can be a powerful reminder that you are doing nothing to make your life better.

Q. What day of the week is missing from every ColorCode Mode Journal?

A. “Someday.”

Q. Which format - monthly calendar, weekly planner, or daily food diary - would be best for me?

A. That depends on your quirks, preferences, and style. (And believe us, ColorCode Mode journal users are all about having their own preferences and style. That's why we love them, and listen to them in developing our new formats!)

The 10” x 10” monthly wall calendar allows you to see a colored-in mosaic of your entire month at one time, which can either be very motivating—or a bit daunting. It also makes it easier to spot trends, which can be helpful in setting your new monthly goals and rewards. Hang it on the wall, or flip it back and carry it with you, for 12 months of improving your general fitness habits. Also includes helpful advice on getting started, and tips for beginners and advanced. The Streaming Colors Fitness Journal Monthly Calendar has 32 full color pages, is spiral bound (at the top) and is available only in our online shop.

The 8.5" x 8.5" weekly planner is more portable and multi-purpose, with room next to each daily module for appointments and notes. With one row of daily modules down the side of each page, it only allows you to see two colored weeks at a time. This can be good for people who might need something a little more forgiving than trying to fill the entire month with color. (Resourceful people who want to get a sense of their trends have figured out how to place their thumb on the edge of the journal and flip through quickly, like when you shuffle cards. Just kidding. But that might work.) Like the monthly calendar, the weekly planner still prompts you to re-evaluate and set new goals and rewards every month, and includes fitness tips for beginners and advanced. It includes some food tracking features not found in the monthly calendar (see full product description in our online shop.) The Streaming Colors Fitness Journal Weekly Planner covers 12 months, has 80 full-color pages, and is available in paperback binding from bookstores and online booksellers. Spiral-bound and a special School Year edition are available only in our online shop.

The food diary we created devotes one full page to each day and helps you zero in on your eating habits in much more detail, while still tracking your exercise and water intake. Most people are shocked to see how many calories (or fats, or carbs) they are really taking in when they track it for even awhile in a food diary. The insight you gain will help you set specific goals.

If you're exercising regularly, but your weight loss has slowed or stalled (dang those last 10 pounds) a food diary can also help you identify when you are "eating around" your exercise program, adding high calorie treats that cancel out the extra calories you've burned. If food is your problem, the FoodDots you color in each day adjacent to your healthy eating choices will help you spot your unhealthy food choices. You'll get extra motivation to eat healthy each day by trying to connect-the-FoodDots with color on your daily page. And at the end of each day you can celebrate meeting your daily eating and exercise goals by coloring in your PowerCircles, which you can also account for in your Weekly Tabs, your 4Week Bubbles and Your Half Year in Lean Mode summary page. Setting very specific and progressively more challenging goals can make this our most intense tracking system yet. Or, you can back way off on the detail, just color in the good things you do each day, and track your continuous days of journaling (consistency is king in losing up to twice the weight with a food diary.)

The 7.5" x 9.25" Lean Mode, Color Code—Not Your Usual Food Diary covers 28 weeks (about a half year), has a full-color cover and 270 black-and-white pages just waiting to be filled in by you with color. The paperback bound version is available in bookstores and from online booksellers. The spiral bound version is available only at ColorCodeMode.com, as is the affordable eBook version you download and print out for yourself on 8.5" x 11" paper. The eBook is brightened up with spot color in non-critical areas (to go easy on your color print cartridges), including pages not found in the paperback or spiral bound versions, e.g. two special scrapbooking pages. The eBook is a quick and affordable way to try out the Lean Mode Food Diary before deciding which journal to commit to for a full year.

All ColorCode Mode Journals are intuitive and versatile, so it won't be long before you figure out how to adapt yours to make it truly your own.