Guest blogger Carrie Labowitz is a business professional/blogger that uses her network of followers to stay on track and reach her goals. Follow her on her blog, Fit to Fat and Back.
Last year a friend introduced me to social networking and I found myself spending hours searching for friends and family. I noticed how everyone was updating their status to reflect plans for the day or goals, what I really found interesting was the support they received from their friends.
It was then that I started to wonder if I could find a group online to support me in my weight loss and wellness goals.
I found site after site specifically set up to provide me with the tools I needed to achieve my goals. Frankly, I joined too many sites, but eventually narrowed it down to sites I found most helpful. A year later I have lost 40 pounds and have started running.
I accomplished these things with the support of my family and friends, but largely due to the support of the online community I connected with as a result of social networking.
These are my suggestions to set up your own network to help you set and fulfill your health goals:
1. Establish profiles on your favorite goal related networking sites, join challenges and make “buddies”.
2. Provide support to your “buddies” and challenge participants. This is important in that you only get what you give.
3. Set up a blog to track goals, successes and failures. Your stories will help and inspire people while at the same time give you a forum for valuable feedback and advice that can help you move closer to your health goals.
Once you have these things in place, alert family and friends at home and online. Ask them to spread the word to their network of friends. Eventually you’ll have a good sized network that follow your progress and share theirs. Reaching out to total strangers allows you to get some very candid feedback, feedback that family and close friends may not be comfortable giving.
The key to using social networking to achieve your goals is to put the advice into practice. At the start I found myself spending more time sitting in front of my laptop than out exercising. Talking about your goals all the time won’t get you any closer to actually achieving them, you must take action!