Last Updated on February 20, 2021 by Michael Brockbank
Those who know me understand that I am pretty much an open book online. I don’t hide much on social media and proudly share my accomplishments and failures.
Why do I do this? Because it helps me maintain focus on reaching a higher level of fitness. This is both from a physical and an emotional standpoint. Can sharing everything on social sites be beneficial for self-improvement?
Why I Use Social Media
When I built Crossing Colorado, it was purely for my benefit. Essentially, I was using a blog for its original intention: to create a weblog of everything I learn. I’ve since morphed it into a site where I can help other people.
Social media was added as a marketing tactic to boost the popularity of the site. However, its original purpose was to keep my focus on exercise and health.
Yes, to quote the great Kevin Smith, “I am a publicity whore.” But there is more to using sites like Twitter and Facebook that keep me engaged.
Someone is Watching Me
Let’s face it, most of us work better when someone is watching over our shoulders. When you’re conscious that someone is following your efforts, of course you want to put your best foot forward.
This aspect is probably one of the most important ones to consider for myself.
After all, I don’t want anyone to see me fail. Then I would feel like I was full of crap and didn’t know what I was talking about. And that’s not how I want to be remembered.
This is especially bad when you consider the sheer amount of impostor syndrome I face on a daily basis.
Helping Others
I enjoy sharing information with others so they can learn as much as I do. I am a strong supporter of education in any regard, and I love the thought that someone somewhere is finding value in my information.
Sharing on social media allows me to spread the word of this information to thousands of potential readers. And although I have to jump through a ton of hoops to appease the Google algorithm, it’s still worth the effort.
If I can help influence others to take a more active role in their health, then this site is worth the time. Just the thought that someone will find value helps me focus on what I am doing here.
Grant it, lately, my mind has been a jumbled mess and it’s been difficult to keep focus. But I know I can get back on track.
Branding Myself
Like I said earlier, I love the idea of publicity. I’m not looking for fortune and glory, but wouldn’t it be nice to be recognized for something in this world? It’s tough when you’re a jack-of-all-trades because you don’t really get recognized for anything great.
It’s not like I am vain and am looking to be in the spotlight. The simple things are what get me excited. For instance, it was fun when several of my small blog posts were exceptionally popular for several years.
Well, before Google fired the shot that rendered the website inert.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love fortune and glory. This isn’t what the site is about, though. I would just like to be seen. And posting content on social media helps with that process.
I guess some of this has to do with not having a lot of friends, which I really don’t. I have quite a few acquaintances, but very few actual friends. That is something that is changing, and I’ve started to build personal relationships thanks to sharing on social media.
It’s Free
Virtually every major social media site is free to use. I’ve created social pages surrounding Crossing Colorado for the purpose of marketing the site, but I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t free.
So, it’s more than just my friends and family following my progress. Now, all of my failures and accomplishments can be easily accessed by the masses.
How I Go About Using Social Media for Fitness
In reality, you can use social media for virtually any purpose. Whether you’re a freelance writer, artist or simply looking to lose weight, it’s there to use.
So, how do I go about sharing my experiences on these various platforms?
Using Facebook
Most of the fitness apps and tools I use connect to my Facebook account. Unfortunately, not all of them will post directly to my Crossing Colorado page. However, just updating friends and family in such a way is beneficial.
After all, who can you really depend on to give you crap if you are doing poorly other than your family?
Well, let’s look at the positive. Praises from your friends and family from your updates can be very emotionally uplifting.
If you set up a Facebook Page to connect to your blog, you can reach a few more people as well. Now, my page isn’t really all that popular, but I do get quite a few visitors to this website from Facebook because of sharing my fitness information.
Using Twitter
I share everything I learn on Twitter. Most of my fitness apps are connected to the social media platform and will update my status automatically. However, I do like to get on and post a few tweets regarding trending hashtags.
Out of all the social media sites I use for this website, I think I have had the most success on Twitter. I do get quite a few interactions through Instagram, but Twitter has been far the best experience so far.
The trick is to find the best hashtags for your purposes.
Using Instagram
I am pretty new to Instagram. However, I have posted quite a few amazing pictures to my account when I visited Los Angeles. One of the reasons why I like using it is because it gives me a visual of my progress.
Usually, I’ll try to post new selfies of myself so I can see the progress of losing weight.
I’m not sure if I see the actual weight loss, but I definitely have more definition in my arms and shoulders.
If you include hashtags in your posts on Instagram and then share your images on Facebook and Twitter, those systems will also use the hashtags.
For instance, adding a picture of a healthy salad and posting it with the hashtag, “#HealthyLiving,” all three of the social sites will use #HealthLiving to list the content.
I might go deeper into using Instagram for health at a later date.
Using Buffer.com
I know buffer isn’t really a social platform, but it’s the tool I use every time I create a new post about health and fitness. It connects to my Twitter and Facebook pages giving me a place to post new content from a single location.
There are several other good systems out there, but I have been a fan of Buffer for more than a year now.
Personal Preferences for Sharing
You don’t have to commit yourself to sharing on social media for fitness to be successful. Personally, I don’t really mind the exposure. I am an open virtual book.
But that’s me.
Find what can help you succeed and embrace it. Anything you can find to keep your focus on self-improvement is worth the effort. When it comes to your health and happiness, it boils down to the decisions you make in order to achieve your dreams and goals.