Lessons I Learned As a Healthy Living Blogger
1. Don’t compare myself to other bloggers, especially professional bloggers who have time to blog three times a day, create new recipes each afternoon and take beautiful pictures of their food, or who have sponsors who send them on blogging conferences or pay for their race fees. (4 Real: Blogging is just a hobby that I enjoy and not my full-time job!)
2. Do look at every day as a chance to make a healthy choice. Even if I slacked on healthy eating one evening or over the weekend, each day is a clean slate and a new opportunity to renew my committment to a healthy lifestyle.
3. Don’t be afraid to explore different directions for the blog. I started out as a mommy blogger, tried to incorporate healthy living, then decided to split my interests into two different blogs. It took some time to figure out my niche and I am still finding my voice in my writing.
4. Do take small steps towards a healthy lifestyle. Committing to a major overhaul of eating and exercise habits is like planning to fail. Instead of making huge changes overnight, I start off by adding small changes every day or week.
5. Don’t overcommit! Signing up for several big races last fall was exciting, spending almost 5 months doing long distance training was a little less exciting. Along those lines, I also learned that it is okay to allow myself to take a break from running or to just go for a run to enjoy the scenery. When I was training, I ran because I had to. Now I look forward to running because I want to!
6. Do remember that eating healthy food makes me feel good, while eating crappy foods makes me feel crappy. Repeat this whenever I am tempted to take an entire “cheat” weekend.
7. Don’t forget that little eyes and ears are always watching. My kids watch what I eat and hear what I say about my body, which will affect their own perceptions of a healthy lifestyle. This is especially important for my 5-year-old daughter, who will undoubtedly face her own body image issues that normally begin in the teenage years. Remember that my kids notice the little things and want to be just like their parents.
8. Do remember to blog only when I have something worthwhile to say. Don’t put pressure on myself to post every single day, just to have something new on the blog.
9. Don’t forget that it takes about three weeks to get into a weight training routine and regain my strength, but it takes about a week to lose those results. So DON”T SKIP WORKOUTS!
10. Do know when it is time to cut back. Late last year, things got extra busy at work and I still tried to maintain a daily blogging routine and preparing complicated recipes. It didn’t take long before I realized I needed to scale back on my expectations. I took a blogging break, went back to simple, easy favorite recipes and focused on spending more time with my family. (4 Real: Because in the end, they are what is most important in my day-to-day life!)
What have you learned from blogging or from reading healthy living blogs?
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
This was a fabulous post…
I have learned TONS from blogging. I never expected this to become such a part of my life…I have learned tons about sticking to a schedule, listening, caring about people you barely know, friendship skills…etc. I know some of those seems a bit crazy but really…how do you ever expect others to read your blog if you don’t read others??? Seems simple…but honestly it applies to my other friends.. 
I can’t imagine not blogging!
xoxo from Trinidad
I can’t believe how much my blogging has changed in the past six months! Becoming a blogger led to me reading new blogs, creating new friendships, learning the value of a sincere comment and connecting with so many others who share my interest in food, fitness and healthy living. It also connects me with people all over the world (like Trinidad)!
I’ve learned that moms CAN be in shape and lift more than children, that exercise is good, fast food is gross and I am in control of the choices I make
Absolutely, moms can be in shape! You are teaching your kids valuable lessons by taking care of yourself, exercising, and making healthy food choices. I agree with you on fast food too, it is gross. After eating real, healthy, slow food for over a year – fast food does not taste as good as I thought it did!
love this! great post.
I’ve been struggling with what to blog about lately. Definitely in a funk, so just posting less I guess. I love this community though so I can’t stop.
you look fabulous in that picture!!
Thanks Alli! I can relate to being in a blog funk and not knowing what to write about. Joining some blogging communities (Healthy Living Blogs, Around the Plate, Fitblog, FitFluential, Blogher Food, Working Mother) helped me develop new ideas for posts and connect with lots of other women with similar interests. I also found more confidence in my writing and I am not following the trends of other bloggers if it doesn’t fit me…
I have noticed that I have moved away from “lifecasting” and have focused on healthy living tips, recipes, etc. Although I do share everyday stories on my family blog (www.stephaniesuire.blogspot.com).
The blogosphere is such a great place to gather food and health inspiration! From new recipes and foods to try to the realization that everyone struggles with finding the right balance, I find bloggers to be inspirational in so many ways. Healthy eaters unite!
Fabulous post! I love the reminder not to compare and despair with other bloggers. Itself each have our own journey and style.
When I first started blogging about healthy living, I did comapre myself with other bloggers. However I soon realized that my blog would be much more authentic if I wrote about what was important to me and what I believe in. Comparing myself to other bloggers was not realistic and I was much happier when I let that go. Thanks for the reminder that we all have our own style and journey to follow.