I have been reading more recaps of #fitbloggin, and I must say, I am saddened by much of what I have read. Why? Because there are people out there who want to be part of the fitness movement (see what i did there?) so desperately that they attend things like #fitbloggin with, i imagine, the assumption that they will learn many, many new ways to become more engaged with their fitness ‘journey’, will perhaps learn new ways to find motivation, and become better bloggers (whatever that means to them. i mean, I think that i am a better blogger now than when i started, but i don’t really care if YOU think i am a better blogger. because, well, on my blog, it is ALL about what i think. right? are you ok with that?)
Let’s look at the first point i tried to make: the masses (paying customers) wanted to know (acknowledging assumption here, since i didn’t really interview anyone for this post) how to become more engaged with their fitness journey. I’ve attended conferences where i had goals that were inline with the topic only to walk away with an utter sense of having wasted my time attending the conference. For the purpose of my goals. Did I meet lots of great people? Yes. Did i get to exchange business cards and deepen a connection? Yes. Did i get really tipsy and sing karaoke songs in Japanese? Yes. But did I learn what I hoped to learn, in ways that i could actually apply it? No. I did learn that Tustin, CA is NOT pronounced TOOSTIN. We sang “Santa Monica” by Everclear loudly and poorly on the way to the airport in the shuttle. We tipped the driver well. But the instruction given was unsubstantiated. The presenters were had personal experience with the topic, but were not subject matter experts. I left feeling energized, but not to do the ‘right’ things.
Ah, motivation. I’d be lyin’ if i said i never struggled with it. I have. I do. Sometimes daily. But I think that it is important to remember the tools that we have at our disposal to help keep us motivated. I say ‘help’ because I believe that all of the external motivators in the world will not cause you to change if you are not ready to change. You must first accept motivation from yourself before you will fully accept it from others. There are items out there in the world that people use as motivators, some as a crutch, and some think of them as the devil. One in particular that comes to mind is the SCALE. You know, the one that weighs us. Medical staff use it to help determine if we are getting heavier or lighter versus our last visit. It helps them (us) better predict health risk categories, determine treatment options, and get a quick sense of overall health. It is A tool, not THE tool. Just like (the often unreliable) BMI, body weight is a TOOL. an indicator. Another one could be VO2Max. Yet another could be a person’s resting heart rate, or the time it takes to go from a high rate to a normal (for the subject). I think it is called recovery time or something like that. There are many of them. Tools. They all serve a purpose. All of them. Some you may need more often than others, or for reasons that they weren’t intended, but they still should be kept clean and serviceable. AND IN USE.
The better blogger part? I don’t know much about that, so…whatever. Social media is an interesting topic, that’s for sure. My wife says that she has no use for it, but….if I didn’t have an electronic social media venue to express my wack-o ideas and such, SHE would have to put up with all of it. Her use is an indirect use, but she still uses the tool. (Adam….really? yea, i kinda laughed, too…) BUT ANYWAY….tools. use them wisely. Don’t discard them. Embrace them for what they can offer you, don’t abuse them, and for the love of goodness, please put them back where you found them. (long story there involving a bow saw, a pine tree, a tractor, and my Dad’s forehead).
I’m off to rest my head. Seems that the aforementioned (via twitter) poison ivy is attacking my right eyelid.
#nomorebs
Be Well,
Gene
*****it seems that BLOGGER is BUSTED AGAIN. feel free to email me your comments, and i'll post them as a separate post, unless you ask me not to, in which case i'll just print them out and eat them. Live. In my office. boutdrz AT bigzigonline DOT com ******
SO...choose your commenting profile FIRST, then add comment.
ReplyDeletegive it a try...
I'm sorry that the blogs you've read feel like they didn't get what they were looking for at the conference. But I can't/won't pin it on Fitbloggin'. I mean, no one can tell you how to write a successful blog. It's something you have to work at. And sometimes that's frustrating. I get that. But what we all know (or need to learn real quick like) is that working hard and earning something is so much more rewarding than it being handed over on a silver platter. I know it's disappointing to have something not meet expectations, but if the expectations are unreasonable...
ReplyDeleteThe only way to be more engaged in the health/wellness/fitness/weightloss community is to... be more involved. We're a small subset of blogs, but we're (generally) a friendly bunch that want to see everyone succeed and exceed their goals.
Meeting people face to face, and seeing such a range of people all at different stages of their journeys was all the inspiration I needed to be motivated on my own journey. Which, to be perfectly honest, was the only reason I went.
I don't know if I've made any sense & I probably should have just blogged about it and sent you the link, but c'est la vie.
"I believe that all of the external motivators in the world will not cause you to change if you are not ready to change. You must first accept motivation from yourself before you will fully accept it from others. "
ReplyDeleteThis sums up my entire journey quite nicely if I do say so myself! #nomorebs just get it done do not wait for someone else or something to help you. Only YOU can make the changes and take control of your health.
Well said Gene!