Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Guest Post: 3 Social Networking Sites for New Fitness Buffs

Can you believe fall is almost here and we have to say bye to summer dresses? Sigh.....I have really enjoyed this summer, going to Maui and spending time in the sun. Today I have a guest blog for you from Mariana Ashley........woo woo and I think you are really going to like this one!


3 Social Networking Sites for New Fitness Buffs

I consider myself an extremely health conscious person. I go the gym four days out of week. I make sure only nutritional, non-greasy foods enter my body. I even take vitamins every day. But for some strange reason, I get highly annoyed every time a fellow fitness buff proceeds to announce to the world about their health regimes on Facebook or Twitter. Whether they're updating their status about running six miles outdoors, eating a salad for lunch, or "checking-in" at their local gym I just find the behavior obnoxious—I can't help but think, "You work out, I get it."  But in retrospect, most of my "friends" and "followers" that write these kinds of statues and updates are" newbies"—those that just started transforming their bodies. Thus it's natural that they crave support and affirmation about their new diet and fitness goals. However, there are social media sites that are specifically designed to put you in contact with similar fitness-minded people that can give you all of the support you need—that way you don't risk annoying friends and family members on your Facebook.  To see what some of them are, continue reading below.


Founded in 2010, this social media networking site is exclusively tailored to fit all of your fitness needs in the model of a "game." There is a variety of activities and "challenges" that are worth a set of points. Ideally you're competing with your "friends" to see who can earn the most fitness points. Aside from the exercise log and tracker, the social media site works very similar to Facebook in the sense that you can chat with your "friends" and write comments. You can also send your friends "props" which works very similar to Facebook's "like" button.


This social media networking site is technically still in the beta stage, but it can really help guide you to a fitness-orientated community. How it works: there is a list fitness and healthy-eating challenges. Some are private some are public. Private challenges cost $10 to participate in. The idea is to get a group of friends or co-workers to simultaneously take the challenge with you to see who comes out on top—think of it as an in-office Biggest Loser. You can keep track of your results in a "motivational" chart so you can see your progression more easily. The site also lets you integrate with Facebook, although we don't really suggest it.


Last but not least is College Fitness, which is a social media networking site offered by the University of Oregon. This site (which is free to use and open to non-students as well) can really come in handy and help you get the most out of your fitness regimes. Not only can you discuss your fitness goals with friends, but the social networking site offers tons of cool features like instructional workout videos, nutritional guides, and even a section where you can upload photos of your newly transformed body. It truly is an innovative and fun way to keep you motivated and get you in better in touch with the workout community.

This guest post comes courtesy of Mariana Ashley, a freelance writer who offers online collegesadvice throughout the interwebs. She also enjoys writing about health and sustainable living.
She welcomes your comments or questions at mariana.ashley031@gmail.com.




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