Fitness and social media

    Here is an update to my original social media and fitness blog entry. 

    Have I mentioned virtual races? Do you want to keep motivated but have no races on your upcoming calendar? Try a virtual race! Most virtual races support a charity and have great medals! Jost Running has been my favorite virtual website, but there are many others. 

     I've also been participating in a running team challenge on Facebook. This Facebook group has really helped me push to meet my goals. Check out secret running community on Facebook if a monthly challenge sounds interesting! My team this month is "Where's the Finish?" 

     Good evening blog readers! I thought about tonight's subject while checking my own social media outlets. I rely on several websites and a variety of social media to help in my fitness journey. 

    My first and most reliable website I use is myfitnesspal.  I religiously use the iPhone app to record my daily intake. It helps me keep my intake less than my output. When I log my food and activity, it automatically keeps up with my calorie deficit so I can tell at a glance if I have calories to spare. I also use it to keep track of my fluid intake. I drink no less than 12 cups of water per day and usually more!

     Twitter was a pleasant surprise in "social fitness". I "follow" several fitness sites and athletes. I look forward to both the information they provide, but especially the inspiration I find from people with similar interests and athletes of varying degrees of fitness.  

     Instagram is one of my favorite social media outlets!  Instagram is all about "the picture".  The old saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words" is true. Pictures from Instagram have inspired me to try new things. (Check out #plankinggonewild) Sharing my own photos allows me to document my own journey. My favorite hash tags to use are #countryfitness and #singletrackcollection. I especially like to document my trail running adventures with #singletrackcollection as noted below.

     I couldn't write a post about social media without mentioning Facebook. It's a great tool for sharing information and connecting with others. Most charitable 5k races have their own Facebook sites. It's a great way to get information about upcoming races and other events. Below is a pic from our recent "Run for Babies" 5k at St. Charles Church.  Sharon Downs  was one of several friends I was privileged to take the course with.

     Last but not least is my walktracker app. I use it to document my time, speed and even elevation gain. My favorite part is the route map. Below is an example from a trail run at LBL.

     These are just a few examples  of how social media and fitness can come together to move us forward, both in the tech world and in the real world. Get "out there" today!