How to use (and not use) the Blogs here

(click on the video, scroll down, and read while the video plays)

When Bootcamp was first started at SC, last year in 2008, one of the 'rules' was to refrain from negative posts and post content. And you know what? We like it that way. (So will you, once you get the hang of it.)

Tough Love Moment: No venting about the 'troubles of the day'. Treat the blog posts like the 'gym locker room'. Would you show up at the gym locker room and complain? Fitness is a lengthy journey, and making a point to focus on the positive aspects, rather than giving voice to the negative makes the journey MUCH easier. Plus, now that there are several HUNDRED members here, small vents in blog post after blog post all add really bring the overall morale of the site down.

Here at Fit Cysters, do not create blog posts :

moaning about how hard it is to lose weight
griping that the scale went up 2 pounds overnight
crying about how you 'only' lost 2 pounds or zero inches this week
bellyaching about how 60/90/120 minutes is an unrealistic amount of daily exercise for minimal weight loss
venting how hard it is to exercise with kids, sick kids, 12 kids, etc...
complaining how you 'only' got in 30 minutes of exercise and you feel like a slacker
mentioning how you 'once again', didn't get in all of your bootcamp minutes
recounting how 'rough' this past week was
whining how you 'miss eating 'bad foods' (there are no BAD foods)
referencing negative body images even in jest (ie calling a thinner woman anorexic or your thighs thunder thighs)
grousing how much you hate veggies, or how lettuce should 'count', etc.

Also, refrain from posting specific weight loss numbers as 'goals' in any given week. (ie No saying, "My goal is to lose 3 pounds this week." )

Seriously...please don't do it.

I know it 'feels' like complaining, grousing, venting about your troubles does some good, but it really doesn't. For your or the other people reading it. Please also be mindful of your word choice in blog titles. If it clearly isn't 'positive', think twice about posting it.

The goal is to keep the focus positive, and on fitness.

Why?

For starters, you'll feel better about yourself, even before the scale starts to budge...

STUDY: Body image distress, PCOS and Exercise

Also, your environment plays a HUGE role in how you perceive your weight loss efforts. If you constantly tell yourself how 'hard' it is, it actually FEELS harder than it is. The blog posts here, all contribute to the environment, so if one is 'negative' it negatively impacts other people...

One thing that can help change your perspective on weight loss, is to get a realistic idea of what's really involved in terms of 'rate of weight loss' (beyond the 'big numbers' we see on The Biggest Loser, each week):

How to use the blogs:

>>>> You don't have to post every day (or even every week).
Some members post a weekly 'recap', some post several times a week. Members who have a regular blog habit, tend to be showing the most 'results' in their fitness/weight loss quest.

>>>> Keep your blog posts FITNESS ORIENTED, rather than 'diet' oriented.
Try to be specific about what you did for your workout that day (ie TaeBo T3 Beginner video 20 minutes, Walked on the treadmill 15 minutes, lower body strength training 30 minutes.)

By being specific, other people can see what's working for you, and maybe pick up a few tips! Also, you'll be able to look back and see where you might need to make some changes. Many of us also log our workouts on a plain 30-day calendar to make sure A) we're hitting our 300 minute goal, B) we're mixing up our workouts C) we're not over training D) we're getting enough strength training.

While questions about pre and post workout nutrition are fine, if you have questions that pertain to full meals or diets, please post them in the Diet & Exercise section of SoulCysters: http://www.soulcysters.net/diet-exercise/

Again....the Blog posts should be FITNESS ORIENTED, rather than a rambling recap of your day.

Think of them as your 'Post workout log', or where you brag about the changes you're seeing from your efforts.

>>>> Keep the blog TITLES positive. (<----IMPORTANT!!!)
The blogs here at Fit Cysters are about about getting away from the daily grind. That's why so many of us love it here...the energy is 'positive'. Negative blog posts kind of put a damper on the environment. So even if your post is about a 'challenge' you're working through, please take some time to think of a blog title that is not a 'negative' one.

>>>> Keep the blog CONTENT positive. (<----IMPORTANT!!!)
We all face rough times, daily challenges, and things that make us want to vent, and relive the horrors of the day in print. But FitCysters is about 'feeling good about ourselves' by taking care of ourselves through healthy living and fitness. Negative blog posts are kind of like the girl at the party who complains all night...she just ruins it for everyone. People wonder, "Wow, couldn't she just pretend to be happy for an hour, or at least stopped complaining?" Don't be that girl at the party, and ruin things for everyone else! :)

Obviously, we all face 'challenges' in our fitness and weight loss journeys, and it's perfectly fine to write about them, but try to simply 'identify' the challenge and its possible solutions...or maybe ask for help from your cysters. Whatever you do, don't just 'vent'.

If you're having a crummy day...do your workout and THEN post. You may find that you're feeling better... Many times, making the effort to 'find' the positive in a situation can change your whole outloook. That said, sometimes a girl just has to vent...if that's the case, please use the RANT section of SoulCysters: http://www.soulcysters.net/rant/

>>>> Keep the content with the bounds of generally accepted SAFE practices
While we all would love to lose weight/bodyfat as 'fast as possible', FitCysters is about health, first and foremost. So please refrain from posting about things that aren't safe, or rational (ie Working out 2 hours a day but only eating 600 calories...adding some new otc pill to 'jump start' weight loss.). I think you'll find that by taking the time to lose weight and get fit the 'right way' it will be far faster than any 'pill, potion, or powder' can promise.

Here's more on attitude, environment, and weight loss: