Why Blog??
Hi guys 🙂 It’s the freakin’ weekend! Thank goodness, eh? Mayjah Friday dancing is going on up in herre.
But not before a snack:
(Nanner with almond butter and mesquite)
Meeting with my lifestyle group – we talked about fitness fueling today
An Insanity workout with Ashley (today was pure cardio. I die)
(Source)
Thanks for the booty-kicking, Shaun T. (I’ll get the review page going this weekend!)
And a recovery smoothie:
Today is a pretty busy day, but I’m stoked for the weekend ahead. Let’s get it all over with because next week, Ashley and I will be in VEGAS, baby 🙂
– Computer work at the office (aka Bizzle)
– Training appointments (pretty booked today)
– Walking the puppers on base – they’re so much better behaved when they get a long walk
– Dinner + drinks
I’m out like sauerkraut 😉
Enjoy your Friday!
G$
Something to talk about: Why do you blog?? Or if you don’t blog, why do you read blogs??
Creative energy definitely ebbs and flows. Lately, I’ve been needing a creative fire lit under my booty.
I think that this is going to help:
Remember my inspiration board??
Well, my race medals hang over it in my closet and since I haven’t been able to physically see the board very well, I think I’ve began to lose sight of a few things I want to accomplish this year. Another one of the big reasons my mojo started to dwindle is that losing the cafe kind of put a damper on my spirit… that kind of thing *usually* pushes me to work even harder, but for whatever reason, that time was different. I think for now, I’m going to wait on the cafe/bakery until I find out what’s going on with our living situation- we’re either moving in the fall (YES!!!!!!!!) or next spring.
There are still a few things on there I *will* achieve this year (two are BIGGIES..and I’m determined) and of course, I will tend to my little blog garden.
That being said, I really want to add some more sparkle and pizazz in the ol’ bloggy. For motivation and advice, I consulted the fabulous Mizfit’s post on blogging malaise, took a step back and thought about why I blog:
To share info (not just giving, but also receiving! I learn so much from you every day)
For community. I’m very fortunate to be surrounded by friends who share my interests and healthy living style, but that may not always be the case as we move so often. This way, I’m always virtually surrounded by others who share the same passions and have made real-life friends through the blogworld.
Networking. I’ve gotten to meet quite a few amazing people, attend culinary school and connect with others I might have never been able to without the bloggy.
For fun!! The whole reason I started this thang was because I was a city girl transplanted to a small town and kind of bored. This little hobby has turned into something that I look forward to every day.
So.. why do you blog? Why do you read blogs? Please share 😀
Also, what do you do to spark blog creativity???
Something to read: A week of eats and exercise for a restaurant critic: Life In Food. Super interesting!
Opensky: Last day for the $25 yoga mat– coupon: 5ForYoga
92 Comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Blogging has given me a chance to connect, to learn and to grow. I feel that I am connected to a community of people looking to lead better lives, regardless of what that looks like!
I also have a place where I can share and write what I am learning in hopes that it might impact someone along the way as I have been impacted. Creative energy does ebb and flow, doesn’t it! 🙂
I just wanted to say I love your blog and this is my first comment, although I was a long time reader. I forgot how good it was and need to catch up! 😉 I love your attitude towards life and why do I blog…well I wanted it to be a bit about food (but I have yet to incorporate that) and it’s mostly about my daily outfits (when I remember to take photos) as a creative outlet for myself. I was inspired by fashion blogs and food blogs to start one. I’d like to almost start writing more about my daily life just as a way to get it all out there but my main reasons are to just kind of keep a record of fun outfits and to connect to others that have similar interests.
hey jessica! thanks so much for saying hi and for reading <3
i'm off to check out YOUR blog!
xoxo
I blog because after losing 120 pounds, I have a real passion for healthy living. I want to help others who are overweight with my insights and advice. I know that my 300-pound self would be very interested in what my 180-pound self has to say. That’s why I do it.
that is AMAZING. congrats on your success and i’m sure you’ll continue to motivate others towards a new healthy lifestyle <3
xoxo
Blogging has been such a healthy addiction in my life. It has provided me with a creative outlet for fun, support, knowledge, encouragement and understanding. Each wonderful reader or writer that I have come into virtual contact with has been a positive influence and I’ve even made a few real-life friends along the way. I don’t know if I’ll able be able to let it go! Love your inspiration board, by the way :).
I’ve definitely learned A LOT from reading blogs. I’ve also met some awesome people 🙂
I honestly started blogging because I got a new job and hate it. I am bored out of my mind. Other than that, I love sharing recipes and fitness info with others! 🙂
wow I think your blog is amazing; it’s awesome how blogging can be your own created ideal job!
Katherine
I am in the process of putting a blog together and the reason I want to do it is to share inspiration with others and be inspired by others. I have a blog on SparkPeople that I love doing because I have learned so much from people and some of them have also said they’ve learned from me.
I read blogs because I am so incredibly inspired by all of you. Having gone through 27 years of horrible eating and literally no exercise to one of cleaner eating and getting off my butt as much as possible, it’s been a huge change. Reading blogs such as yours keeps me motivated and determined to keep going. If I can give back a tenth of that to future readers I’ll be a happy camper!
You inspire me every single day to do my best, work hard, eat food I love and have fun at all times!
thank you so much, therese! <3
living proof that it's NEVER too late to change your health around. keep up the awesome work!
xoxo
I blog to share my passion for cooking, and I hope to inspire someone to break out a pan and cook a home cooked meal for himself or herself. Also, I really love creating menus and entertaining- friends always ask me for tips on those things, and I love sharing them through the blog. I guess I really hope that I can share the knowledge I have learned and been taught, and my passion for cooking, life, and more.
I’m LOVING Shaun T and his booty kicking workouts. Plus he is not annoying like some videos are.
no, not at all! i was trying to explain him to the pilot and i was like “shaun t. is like a bro. you’d want to hang out with him”
he’s motivational but not in a goofy way.
bahaha pretty sure you’ll both want to avoid Tony Horton and P90X then. 😉 He’s a goober, and usually in a way where I wouldn’t want to hang out with him.
I read blogs to gather ideas and inspiration. I can’t tell you how many new foods I’ve tried since I started reading blogs.
blogs are definitely a great way to learn about new foods!
I started blogging b/c I had been reading blogs for a long time, and when I got to college I felt kind of lost and decided I needed a hobby that was purely for me. Food blogging it was!
i started my blog because no one in my “real life” runs (it’s a running blog) and i wanted someone, anyone, to relate too. i guess overall it’s the same reasons as now but i feel such camaraderie that i use it for motivation / inspiration as well as advice gathering.
Hi Gina! I’ve been taking yoga for a few years but really struggle with crow. I’m determined to master it though 🙂 Wanted to see if you had any tips?
it took me about 3 years to get crow- one day it just clicked!
start in seated frog position, then bring your hands down to the mat
place your knees on top of your triceps (still squatting), then look about a foot on the ground in front of you
slowly, start to bring your torso forward and down and you’ll feel your toes coming off the mat
as my friend averie puts it, feel for the “sweet spot” where you’ll be able to balance
hope this helps a little!
xoxo
g
As a long-time blog reader and a new blog author – I love this question! I read blogs to hear about new foods and techniques (I would never of heard of nutritional yeast without blogs!)Its also comforting to know that my way of eating (deemed “weird”) by family and friends has a whole community out there to discuss with. I blog because I love the creative outlet and sharing my unique spin on foods and products – plus um, I was mentally writing blog posts in my head for months so I decided it was time to put fingers to keypad!
Blogging has been a life-saver for me, as my hub and I moved to a small town REALLY far away from my family this past year. I was really lonely (and still have some lonely days), but blogging opened up my eyes to an entire community of amazing, strong women (and men!) who share my passions and interests. I know that probably in the future, I might not blog as much, or might even stop altogether, but for now, it supplies a world of friends and insight that is much needed!
blogging helped me with loneliness too, especially before i had made friends within the squadron. it’s hard being away from family <3
I started a blog mostly so I wouldn’t feel creepy posting anonymously on the healthy living blogs I love to read, haha! I only post occasionally, and it’s usually a cross-post from my sparkpeople.com blog. I started reading healthy living blogs for inspiration and information. I love seeing the meals that healthy people create for themselves, and I love seeing how they balance their lives. There’s such a positive energy out there, and it brightens my day 🙂
I love writing and sharing my story! My major doesn’t allow for virtually any writing, so the blog is a great way to do express myself through writing. I love reading blogs because I get new ideas for recipes and it’s a community full of people with my interests in a healthy lifestyle that my friends and family really don’t understand.
Yay for getting to leave Valdosta *hopefully in the fall*! Maybe one day we’ll be stationed near one another – I certainly don’t live near or have I ever had friends where we’ve been stationed at who live “healthy” like I do!
that would be AWESOME. i’d love to live in OKC and get back to culinary school.. but i’ll take anywhere that has a health food store, decent mall and yoga studio 🙂
Yes, I’m dying of anticipation to move back to the “real world”. Beach living is awesome, but I need real world things to do .. like shopping 🙂
amen 😀
I blog because I always wondered what to eat and how much to workout before I embraced the healthy lifestyle. I’ve lost about 80 pounds from my heaviest, and I know its the most cliche thing ever, but if I can do it, anyone can. I always thought I was just destined to be heavy, but now I am FIT. I still can’t believe it. I love holding myself accountable, sharing with people, and hopefully inspiring a few!
Also, my job is not fitness/health related at all, but I have a passion for it. This way I’m doing something other than just eating healthy and working out to fully embrace the lifestyle.
My blog started as a way for me to just write. I was a journalism major in college and really missed it. It turned into a way for me to meet people with similar interests (running and eating well) as none of my friends shared it. Now it’s my main support system in getting through an injury that has kept me down since January. I love the blog community!
I started a blog because I found myself updating my facebook status with nothing but the meal or menu I was planning or cooking and people started to comment about it and I wanted to document it all. I really feel like so many people don’t realize that it is possible to cook good food for yourself and for your family, on a budget, AND still have a life. My blogs turned into a collection of recipes as well as showing how food is a part of our lives.
I also come from a small town that, although not quite as bad as Hungtington al la Jamie Oliver, is still full of obese unhealthy people who live on chicken nuggets and deep fried southern food. This includes my parents (who are not obese but still unhealthy in their eating habits). I hope for my blog to be an source of enlightenment and inspiration for anyone who reads it to see eating and living healthy is not only attainable but so much better than being a couch potato with pizza crumbs on your shirt.
that is so funny it started from facebook! I’m glad you’re helping out your community for a good cause!
I read blogs for inspiration on how to maintain a sane and healthy lifestyle. I started blogging as a way to let my little voice be heard, plus writing is my little secret hobby! I might not have an audience yet but I keep blogging as a mean to share what I have to say my ideas and also to keep a “feel good” journal.
Love your blog by the way! *It’s my first time commenting, can’t help myself*
hey super g! thanks so much for reading, and hooray for a first comment! have a great day 🙂
At first I started blogging to let my friends and family know what was going on in my life and to act as my journal.
After reading and being inspired by so many of the fitness blogs (like yours!) I changed my focus on this new “fitness journey” I am now on.
I started to blog to follow the independent study I’ve been working on all semester and to connect to a community I had been following and admiring for months before. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but through this experience, I’ve loved sharing my story to people, sharing research, and having fun with such supportive people.
Now that the semester’s almost over, I want to keep it going and grow as I figure out my next steps. Those are the scariest, but knowing I still am connected to all of you will definitely help 🙂
i definitely blog as a creative and emotional outlet. there are so many things that i want to say and do but can’t or don’t in “real life”, but by writing it out it helps me to think and find ways to act those things out! not to mention all of the fabulous recipes and ideas i get from reading about other womens’ and mens’ lives 🙂
I’ve only been blogging for a few months now, but I STILL have to step back every once in a while and remind myself why it is that I blog. My reasons are generally the same as the ones you listed. The strongest factor is *definitely* the relationships that I’ve built through blogging. I NEVER anticipated that I’d become friends with so many fabulous, beautiful, supportive ladies! And I don’t think that I could ever give that up 🙂
Oh, and I definitely just wrote “make inspiration board” on my to-do list! 😀
I started blogging as a way to work through the junk in my head that was keeping me unhealthy. I discovered along the way that in helping myself, I was helping others in a big way. I get inspired by the world around me, and my daily interactions with it. My current project is about trying something wildly different in terms of food. We will see where it ends up. 🙂
Best moment is always when I hear from someone who says, “you changed my life.” You just can’t beat that. 🙂
http://blemt.blogspot.com/ – general thoughts
http://yearinthedilemma.com- the project. 😀
I really love blogging b.c many of my friends think I’m crazy for living such an active and nutritious lifestyle (more nutrition than anything b/c they are all athletes), but blogging is a way for me to identify with so many people who are either searching for a healthy life, or are living one out.
I don’t have a blog (though I’ve considered starting one several times), but I read a ton of health food blogs daily and I definitley think it’s for the community aspect of it. I feel surrounded by people who think and are passionate about the things I am, even if they don’t even know I’m reading! I also feel like I make healthier lifestyle choices and have totally revamped my eating and attitude. I’ve always been interested in health and nutrition, but reading your blog and other healthy living blogs has really pushed me to think more about what I want to accomplish in life and in career that will make me happy.
So thank you for blogging every day! Probably makes a difference in more people’s lives than you realize..
I blog because I love to write and be healthy, and I want to share that love with other people! I also just love the inspiration I get from reading blogs and the comments people leave on mine….
I blog because I want to inspire, I want to network & meet people, and it’s fun 😀
I love reading healthy eating and workout blogs! They inspire me to try new things in the kitchen and motivate me to workout more and in new and interesting ways. I’m a mommy to three little girls (1, 3, 5), and I want to have a healthy attitiude to pass on to them about food and exercise! They def. love them some veggies! I don’t have a whole lot of time to cook and workout, but when I do, I make it count!
I started my blog because I’ve been dealing with knee pain for over five years and I wanted to prevent other people from going through the pain and inactivity I’m going through. The knee pain also made me change my outlook on health in general, and I think blogging helps me focus on my all-round health and general prevention. It keeps me accountable. I also love the community, which was an unexpected benefit for me. Chronic pain is pretty isolating, but the blog world opens that up. The people I’ve “met” and the new foods/exercises I’ve learned about have taught me so much about my own health.
I am SO EXCITED for your Insanity review!!!! You have pretty much sold me without it! 🙂 🙂
I am so appreciative of your blog, Gina. I think you do a lot to boost “health literacy” as we public health peeps call it. There’s a lot of closed-ness in general in the fitness/health community. For someone as knowledgeable as you to be as open and honest about nutrition and fitness is pretty rare. Also, it is evident that a lot of time and energy goes into your blog and it is a wonderful, trustworthy resource for people to get inspired, expand their recipes and workout routine, and generally de-stress. Keep up the amazing work!
I am always so impressed with your yoga pictures!
I read your blog because it inspires me. I read other people’s blogs because I am nosey! 🙂
thanks, girl!
hahah i’m nosy too 😉
I write a blog to be part of a wonderful community, practice my writing, and to keep me motivated to eat well and workout.
I read blogs for a lot of the same reasons. I love learning new things from people who have tried them first hand (things like food, exercise).
I’ve said it before, but your blog is one of my faves. I just love it! You always inspire me into trying new workouts or pushing harder during my workouts. Thanks for your all work!
I love your blog because you keep us up on the latest health,fitness, food, etc. going on.I enjoy your pictures, antics, workouts and recipes. Hope my daughter is a lot like you one day.I only read yours and maybe one or two others.
I love blogging and reading blogs because I feel like I have so much in common with everyone and it’s nice to chat with those who can relate to you. Also, the blogs I’ve been reading forever (yours included!) make me feel a sense of attachment to the people who write them. I feel like I have all of these friends I’ve never met before!!!
hi gina. i love your blog. it’s one of the few that i check religiously everyday. i have 2 blogs now. thesundayflog.wordpress.com, and livingoneday.wordpress.com. the flog is a food log about my family’s big sunday dinners. sometimes i have recipes and photos, and other times it’s stories and memorable moments. sunday dinners have always been huge in my house, and i would love to pass on that tradition to other people. i only update that one once a week, so i get my inspiration from dinner. my other blog is basically about making the most of everyday. i have recipes, quotes, videos, photos, or anything that really inspires me. i don’t feel that i am forced to post something. if an opportunity doesnt strike, i wait. usually i find that pictures or objects will strike a chord with me. check out trufflegirls.com for inspiration. i love their blog concept! keep doing what you do best, we all love to read it! xo!
awesome, i’ll check it out right now!
thank you <3
I don’t blog, although hubby is always trying to convince me that I should start one. I read plenty of blogs though. There are many reasons I love reading my blogs. I’m a SAHM to my two beautiful children, so I don’t always get a lot of adult interaction. Reading blogs actually helps me to not feel quite so isolated. I’m also very into fitness and healthy eating. I’m currently working on becoming a certified trainer. I train and run marathons. I’m running my 3rd one tomorrow! Most of the women around me (church, neighborhood, and child’s school) are nice and pleasant to talk to, but they don’t have these same interests at all, so it’s nice to be able to ‘talk’ to others with similar interests.
I don’t really have any friends that share the same passion for food and health that I do so I don’t know what I would do without the blogging community. I love learning new things from reading others blogs, getting inspired to cook new things so I could put it on my blog, and being inspired by all the amazing bloggers out there. I’m actually contemplating running a marathon. I never thought that would happen!
I read blogs because they inspire and motivate me. I love seeing other peoples successes as well as knowing that everyone has bad days.
I love looking at peoples menu plans and recipes because right now I need lots of new ideas.
I am just getting started with blogging and I am trying to be more consistant, but I hope that some day I will be a success story and inspire others.
I started my blog to keep friends and family updated with things going on in my (and my boyfriend’s) life when we moved from Texas to Pennsylvania.
I started reading a lot of blogs right after we moved because I was unemployed and didn’t have a lot of friends.
I started blogging before it was a word.
About 10years ago, my cats were diagnosed with kidney disease within 2 months of each other. One was much sicker than the other, and because I was a graphic designer, I set up a Website where I chronicled what was going on with her. Partly to remember it, partly to capture her, and partly to share with others (this was back in the days of mailing lists — remember those?).
And I kept up the Website as she passed, as my other cat struggled with kidney disease for the next 5 years and eventually passed, as we added new kittens, as we added one dog, and as we added another dog.
In the meantime I became an About.com Guide, which I did for 8 years I think it was. The last few years included blogging.
I began blogging about my food about a year ago, but then it went on hiatus for half a year as we moved halfway across the country. My main with the blog at that time would be cookbook reviews (I love cookbooks . . . obviously!).
I started to read a lot of health/cooking blogs in that time, and now have reopened my food blog, because food has always been a passion of mine.
I’ve lost almost 30 pounds over the last couple of years, and am struggling with those last 10. I am hoping that, eventually, if someone ever reads my blog, that I can be helpful to them. I worked for Weight Watchers many years ago, and loved it, and in fact hope to work for them if I ever lose the last 10 lbs again.
So the focus of my blog has changed from cookbooks to chronicling my food, and hopefully helping/inspiring others to live a healthy lifestyle.
And there’s just something so fascination about reading fitness/cooking/food blogs.
And there I’ve written a book! Sorry!
i loved reading your ‘book’ – thank you!
amazing that you’ve been doing this for so long. keep up the amazing work <3
i just applied for an about.com job, so it was very cool to hear from someone who's done it 🙂
xoxo
probably blog to stay connected. dealing with depression is hard and i feel disassociated at times. i find so many people have a voice or just something to say and blogging is that channel. its a chance to open your world up and gain perspective of not only yourself but how others view your thoughts/beliefs/loves/passions etc.
Hey Gina! I blog because I was so inspired by people like you! Since losing 70lbs in my late teens, I’ve become enormously passionate about healthy living, food, and fitness, so I think it’s a great way to share my own ideas, as well as read those of others and get inspiration. And this may sound weird, but I also feel like it makes my life more interesting! By having a blog, it holds me accountable to goals that I set and plans that I tell people I’m going to carry through. I love getting inspiration from other people’s blogs, and I hope I do a somewhat good job at motivating those that read mine!
I love the inspiration board! I started mine, but you have inspired (no pun intended!) me to finish it!
I have started blogging as a way to share information with others as well as hold myself accountable for my lifestyle. I read blogs for motivation and inspiration =]
Hey Girlie,
What a coincidence that you just posted this because… I just started my new blog! I want to blog because I want to feel more a part of the blogging community. For over a year I have read blogs and wanted to interact. Well, now I feel that I am more capable of sharing my creativity with others. And, my boyfriend leaves for a job in Alaska soon and this will keep him up to date with all my day to day stuff. I love that you blog because it has inspired me to try new fun foods and exercises. Keep on doin’ what you’re doin’!
Blogging keeps me accountable. Reading other blogs gives me knowledge and inspiration.