Author: Fueling Your Twenties: A Guide to Fitness and Nutrition

I found this week’s reading, “Digital gardens let you cultivate your own little bit of the internet,” quite interesting. The author explained that the nature of the internet has changed over time, allowing people more creative freedom over their online real estate. The author uses the term “digital gardens” to explain that blogs and personal sites can really be whatever we want them to be. They don’t have to be these formal pages that follow the same template week after week.

I felt quite inspired by this article. Since starting this blog, I have struggled to find my voice. I have so many ideas, but this blog is the first time I have had this much creative control over anything, and stringing all my ideas together has been difficult. This article helped me realize that I shouldn’t be afraid to take more risks with my content and try out new types of posts. The written posts are still going to be the bulk of the blog, but I am going to experiment with video posts and photos to share with my audience.

I want to create a blog that is useful for others, but I also want to use this space to express myself and share my passion creatively.

When I decided to make my blog about fitness, I knew I wanted it to cater to an audience I have been a part of. More specifically, I wanted to create a space for people just getting started in the fitness world, because it can be so intimidating. When I was first learning about fitness, I found the most valuable information came from fitness professionals and influencers who made their content accessible for all skill levels, so that is what I have tried to do with this blog so far.

There is almost too much information available on the internet about fitness, so to separate myself from the masses, I blog about the absolute basics. I want Fueling Your Twenties to act as a blueprint that anyone can access and apply to their own journey. I focus on using simple language and keep my posts as short as they can be to make them more accessible and easy to digest.

Truthfully, I picture my audience being largely female. This influenced my choice of theme because I wanted to ensure that it looked feminine. Additionally, I made the whole site pink, because as a female myself, everything looks better in pink.

My classmate Karamveer’s site “Blockchain: The New Internet” is a blog dedicated to discussing the evolution of blockchain technology. Immediately, I was impressed by the design of the site. The site is sleek, organized, and easy to navigate. I tend to associate darker colours with topics like business and finance, so I found the black and blue tones used across the site to be quite aesthetically pleasing. 

Before starting this review, I read all the content on the website. The process post from week 2 stood out to me because I saw some clear connections to Gardner Campbell’s work. Campbell (2009) explains that by giving students a digital space in which they can create freely, they would learn and practice a wide range of skills that can be applied to other avenues of life. In addition, having a digital space, or personal cyberinfrastructure, allows students to express their passions and interests in diverse ways (Campbell, 2009). In his week 2 process post, Karamveer shared that he works as a software engineer outside of school, so he was able to use his skills from that field to develop his website. He also mentioned that blockchain technology is something he is passionate about, so blogging about it was an easy choice. I found it really cool that in just a few weeks of class, there are already such clear links between how we run our sites and the material we are learning about in class. 

I spent some time trying to figure out who the intended audience is. There is some background information about blockchain technology in the “about us” section, but I found that the actual blog content went a bit over my head, as someone who has no background knowledge on the topic. As mentioned by Hollenbaugh, (2021), content creators tend to imagine an audience, and create their content with that audience in mind. From my perspective, it seems as though Karamveer has imagined an audience that is equally as passionate and knowledgeable about blockchain technology as he is. If he wanted to widen his audience a bit, Karamveer could make a “blockchain technology basics” post, or something of that nature, for people with little to no knowledge of the topic. 

Overall, Karamveer has created an online self that demonstrates a passion for blockchain technology, as well as educating others about the topic. Karamveer’s interest in web design is also made clear through the sleek and simple layout of the site. 

References 

Campbell, G. (2009). A Personal Cyberinfrastructure. EDUCAUSE Review, 44(5), 58.

Hollenbaugh, E. E. (2021). Self-Presentation in Social Media: Review and Research Opportunities. Review of Communication Research, 9, 80–98.

In just a few weeks, I have gone from feeling incredibly overwhelmed by the idea of starting a website with zero previous experience, to feeling excited about and proud of the progress that I have made. I finally chose a theme for my site, which was actually quite difficult. I had a very clear image in my head of what I wanted the site to look like, but I struggled to find a theme that was close enough to this image. I tried five or six different themes and tested the layouts of each by creating test posts and menus, and finally found one that fit my criteria. Once I got the theme down, I spent some time on YouTube learning the more technical side of running a website. There are so many videos that walk you through WordPress and all of its features, but I found this video particularly helpful, especially the section about categories and menus. 

My goal for this week is to learn how to use Elementor to customize my site. I have installed the plug-in, but I need to dedicate some time to watching tutorials. I am going to start with this intro tutorial, and then I will dedicate an afternoon to watching this longer tutorial. 

Comparing where I am at with my website to my vision board has been pretty interesting. I made a Venn diagram as my vision board, and it was kind of all over the place. I tried to look back on the Venn diagram a few times, but it was quite difficult for me to take much inspiration from it because while the diagram is a representation of who I am as a whole, my site only represents one part of me. Rather than trying to expand the focus of the sight and forcing aspects of myself into posts that just don’t belong, I have been putting effort into being authentic in what I am sharing. 

People know me, Wonder Woman, for being skilled in many different ways. I have super strength, but I also have super agility. I have super speed, and I also have incredible acrobatic abilities. While it may look like these things come easy to me, you don’t become a well-rounded superhero without putting in the work. All of my different abilities require unique types of training, so here is a very simple, non-exhaustive list, of different kinds of physical activity to consider. 

To build or maintain strength, weight training is an excellent type of physical activity. Weight training will help you put on muscle mass, strengthen your joints, and improve your overall mobility (Roland, 2023). 

Cardio, or aerobic, exercise is a physical activity that increases your heart rate. This can include running, walking, swimming, cycling, among many others. Cardio exercise improves your heart, lung, bone, and joint health, and has been shown to reduce levels of stress, anxiety and depression (Waehner, 2022). 

Agility is the ability to accelerate, decelerate, and change positions quickly. Here is a great article about agility training that is reviewed by a certified trainer; https://www.verywellfit.com/best-agility-drills-for-athletes-3120599

I can totally understand that training like an acrobat is not convenient or accessible for everyone. What is more practical is mobility training. Mobility exercises reduce your risk of injury, fight against the effects of living a sedentary life, and can make functional movements, like sitting down and standing back up, easier (ISSA, 2022). 

References

ISSA (2022, September 21). Mobility Training- Why you need it and how to do it. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://www.issaonline.com/blog/post/mobility-training-your-new-pre-workout

Roland, J. (2023, March 20). A beginner’s guide to weight training. Healthline. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-start-lifting-weights

Waehner, P. (2022, November 26). Everything you need to know about cardio exercise. Verywellfit. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://www.verywellfit.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cardio-1229553

I talk to strangers all day long while working as a server, but there is something about talking to a stranger in a setting where I am not obligated to do so that is quite intimidating. So, when faced with this task for class, I had to swallow my fears, and I am glad that I did!

I thought that the best way to approach this challenge would be to do it in a setting that I am comfortable in. The day after class, I went to the gym and noticed a girl wearing super cute shorts. I see cute outfits in the gym all the time, but normally I just make a mental note to try and google the clothes later. This time, I asked where she got her shorts. I had no idea what to expect, but the interaction was so pleasant. She complimented my shorts, told me where she got hers, and we ended up chatting for a few minutes about all of our favourite activewear. We have had conversations every time that we have seen each other in the gym since that day, and I would go as far as to call her a friend. 

I really appreciated having a genuine in-person interaction with someone new. Creating a connection face-to-face has helped me create the sense of community in the gym that I’ve been looking for, and that I have not been able to find in any online spaces.