Jul 18, 2012 / General Advice & Pro Tips

Focus On: Health & Fitness Blogs

Image via Flickr user The Library of Congress

Most of us could stand to exercise more (or at all) and health and fitness blogs are beloved by those who are seeking to make a lifestyle change. It’s easier to stick to a new routine if you’re not doing it alone, and fitness blogs are great sources of inspiration and information. If you’re going to blog about fitness, here are some tips for how to do it well:

  • Set a goal. Tangible goals make sticking to a new routine easier – and they also make blogging about it more interesting. If you have a wedding on the horizon or you’ve signed up for a 5k, that sense of immediacy will give direction to your workouts and your posts. (Try using the milestone widget to highlight the countdown in your sidebar.)
  • Identify a personal challenge. What lifestyle change would you like to make that’s really difficult for you? Giving up meat? Quitting smoking? Getting up early to exercise? If you write honestly about your struggle, others will relate and will be inspired by your progress.
  • Find a new approach. Has getting a new puppy made staying in shape easier? Did a midnight run get you over your plateau? If you’ve discovered a fun and unexpected way to get in shape, let us know!
  • Read up and inform. There’s a ton of contradictory health information out there. Should we eat lots of whole grains, or avoid all carbs? Is too much salt killing us, or is it fine? Stretch before a work out, or after? Help your readers make sense of all this at the same time as you’re figuring it out yourself.
  • Provide practical advice. If you bike to work, how do you manage business attire in the bike lane? If you go to the gym every night, do you take your kids with you? How do you also fit in making dinner? If you have helpful tips or strategies for how to fit working out and eating right into a busy lifestyle, let’s hear them!
  • Admit your lapses. Did you spend two weeks watching Mad Men on Netflix instead of taking evening walks? Did you eat an entire cake on your birthday? Did you injure yourself when you knew better? We’re all human, and revealing your own missteps can remind you and your readers that being healthier is an ongoing process.

Are you an active and healthy person, or are you trying to be? Would you ever blog about your fitness routine?

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  1. Great info. I have a fitness-related blog where I post (among other things) my 1/2 marathon training, cross-training and learning to swim for fitness. There are mishaps and adventures along the way, and health challenges and lost motivation. I enjoy writing about it and it’s a great to keep me honest.
    Cheers,
    iRuniBreathe

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    1. Very true that blogging about fitness is a great way to keep yourself honest! Having an audience is good incentive not to slack. 😉

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  2. Thanks for this. I was beginning to feel my ramblings about the middle-aged approach to triathlon were getting a bit repetitive. Now, I have lots of ideas vying for attention.

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  4. I agree with every point. Honestly is definitely the best policy. I just started my weight loss and running journey and there have been some bumps along the way. I was hesitant about admitting my struggles at first, but I’ve found that my readers offer great support and encouragement. It has motivated me to brush it off and keep moving forward towards my health goals.

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  6. My personal blog (there are 3 others that I have /blog for also) is fitness, but more lifestyle oriented where my exercise (cycling) leads me to other adventures and explorations of my world. So I can have a broader audience who may not want to read about cycling all the time. After all, we’re not one-dimensional in reality.

    I doubt other people have a keen interest to read my cycling blog regularily if I were to treat it like a cycling journal. Very boring reading, unless they lived in the same cities (yes more than one) where I have been/am. It motivates me more to blog and show people what I see which allows me to bike….but to even forget I’m exercising alot of the time, while I’m cycling to work, store and exploring far and wide elsewhere.

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  7. I am not much of a writer, but i think writing is the only way to clear your mind, i am presently trying to lose some weight and stay fit, these points would definitely help me focus and achieve my goal .

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  8. I think this is aptly timed as I have just started blogging about losing weight as a way to motivate me. There are some good ideas here which will help keep my blog original, and at the same time keep me focused on my long and short term goals. 🙂

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    1. Asking for feedback from your readers is a great way to make sure your posts are relevant and useful. I think readers enjoy some personal content, as well, because it helps them get to know you – but only as far as you’re comfortable with it. 🙂

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  10. Very intelligent posting. Yes, I WILL Blog about my health and fitness routine – and will do so soon because I hope it will help others.

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  13. I periodically blog about fitness. I’ve shared stories of my own personal fitness journey (aka Run Diary) and did quite a few posts on exercise equipment in my early blogging days. I always vacilate between wondering if I’m sharing too much of my personal angst, and trying to not be too clinical/impersonal. Only the readers will know which is best I think.

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  14. Great advice. Fitness blog about one`s lifestyle progress would certainly be inspiring. I think sharing ups and downs is a great way how to stay focused on the change one tries to make.

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  18. If anyone can point me towards the blogs where people take their health/fitness seriously, but not themselves so seriously, it would be greatly appreciated.

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  19. Very good info and I agree with setting a goal as it’ll help keep you motivated especially if it’s a race that you’ve signed up. It’s good to tell others about it as they will constantly ask how your progress is going keeping you accountable. I’ll repost this on my blog caolinafit.wordpress.com

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  24. Just started a fitness blog, so this is timely advice. It has a focus on philosophy, training, nutrition and will eventually branch out to supplements and a whole lot more.

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  25. I live near the Coromandel and love the bush. I am instigating an endurance trail run/walk across the Coromandel range from Thames to Pauanui and am in the process of measuring distances and times. It will be a monumental achievment to do it in one hit with times expected to range from 12 hours to 22 hrs. keep an eye on my blog for updates or visit targetfocus.co.nz.

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  26. Great blog I just stumbled upon! Love the tips! I myself blog about health and fitness. Keep up the great work and keep spreading positive advice!
    If you’re interested in more healthy advice and blog posts please feel free to drop by my blog! I’m still quite new to the blogging world!

    http://www.nutritionbees.wordpress.com

    -Stay healthy!

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  27. Great information! I just started my blog 3 days ago, after reaching one of my goals of losing 25 pounds! Friends and family were writing me asking me what my “secret” was, or what my “trick” was. My blog is about the hard work and dedication it takes to stick to a schedule, but also about how eating healthy and working out out can be fun! I also in the future will put up decorating ideas that I have done in my college apartment on a college budget! leenpockets.wordpress.com

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  28. Yes! I so needed to read this today. I just can’t find the motivation. Mainly because I want to pick up where I left off…10 years ago! I don’t want to start slow, but I know that’s the only way. I must say, I’m glad I don’t run into guys at the gym wearing the outfit above. Scary! 😉 Thanks for the tips!

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    1. Yes, getting started again after a long period of inactivity is tough, isn’t it? But lots of people can relate. Might be some blog posts in that! 😉

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  30. I am trying to be active and healthy and an all around granola yoga runner girl.
    However, I am taking things one step at a time, because I am pretty far from my ideal goal. I am actively chronicling my health journey on my blog.

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