Happy Social Media Day!

One of my favorite sites, Mashable.com, created a quick 2 minute video to celebrate Social Media Day in which they provided statistics about social media research they recently conducted. It is definitely worth watching. I think the best part was when they asked what social media platform people first used and some of course responded with Myspace. Ahhh Myspace, I was a user of that site once, and then came along Facebook.  I also found it interesting that people were using between 2-5 different social media sites a week. I typically use around 7 a week so this seemed pretty accurate but that definitely drives home the points that we still don’t prefer to use one social media site for everything. Lastly, it mentioned Facebook fatigue which we all know I think is real. Either way, think back and try to remember your life before social media if you can and compare it now. I just did and it really made me realize just how much has changed. Happy Social Media Day everyone!

Video Link: How We Use Social Media, Illustrated-Mashable

Building a Community Through Social Media

Social media has made such a huge difference in the health and fitness world. Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram allow us to share our workouts with the world. Someone just posted an accomplishment, “I ran 1 mile and before I could not walk a mile.” Posts like this bring inspiration to the many that fall into this same category. With social media we are able to connect in a way we could not before. We can start a biking or running group on Facebook with bikers from Canada, USA, or Italy and report our miles to one another while keeping each other motivated. We can express how we may have hit an obstacle and how we got over that barrier. Social media allows us to share our triumphs and successes, rather it be completing 10 pull-ups or 100 push-ups. We can pin our favorite healthy recipes to Pinterest for those who need ideas on how to prepare lighter meals. Instagram, a short clip of a new exercise you learned. Social media has given us something so phenomenal, connecting people with the same fitness goals to help push each other across the finish line. We share our fitness stories, dreams, goals, and visions with the world through social media.

Author: Carlos Duncan, Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), Health and Fitness Specialist (HFS), and Certified Strengthening and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)