Why I Tweet My Workouts

 

If you are one of those people who has told themselves for years that you are going to “get back to” running/riding/dance class/the gym/or any other sport you enjoyed when a youthful metabolism dictated high energy levels — I identify with you. Throughout elementary and middle school, there was ballet. Fleeing toe torture at the age of 14, I took to the gym and mountains for regular exercise. From 18 until a year or so after college, biking frequently and waiting tables in high volume restaurants helped keep me in tip-top shape. 

After college, however, my dedication to exercise became about as rock solid as my commitment to my husband (I’ve never had one).  And so I relied on periodic spurts of shaping up that had all the staying power of a shooting star in one’s line of sight. 

Then I moved to Monterey County, California.  Not only was the exquisite beauty of the natural landscape a great motivator to get outside and move, I met some cool new friends who were fun to work out with.  They worked out steadily, and this helped me get back in the habit.

After about a year, I left California to finish graduate school and was bound by my own motivation again.  Often, my “get up and go to the gym” can be less than awe-inspiring.  I needed to hold myself accountable for continuing to exercise. One of those California workout buddies, Jessy, began tweeting her Crossfit regimen.  So, I copied her good idea.

Tweeting my workouts helps me

• keep track of my consistency (which is less consistent this week than last)
• identify when I’m making progress, and 
• get in touch with other people who are dedicated to personal health and fitness.  

Occasionally, tweeting my workouts inspires other online friends. Sometimes, it even evokes a joke or two, which may be my favorite response of all.  Certainly, our ability to laugh at ourselves — and I mean have a real, hearty chuckle at our most offbeat qualities — is just as important to overall health as the regularity with which we hit the gym.