You've Got Questions? We've Got Answers!!!!

On Craigslist.org, there is a discussion forum dedicated to fitness. One of the more recent posts received a lot of feedback. Here is the post:

Want to lose excess fat < equalways > 05/06 08:27:42
Right now i'm going to the gym about 5 times a week doing weights. I've been at this pace about 3 weeks now and seeing bigger muscles. I really want to lose fat from my stomach. I am 36 weight 179 and am 6'2. My friend says I should concentrate on cardio (read interval training is good). I've been taking about 25 grams of protein before I work out (whey protein). Just read now it is better to take it after the workout though. I eat pretty healthy too but used to be at 165.
thanks, Andrew

There have been several coments on it, but here are some of the ones I found to be pretty helpful...

Cardio and Diet § < CarolinaGirl17 > 05/06 08:45:41

I don't lift, actually. < OhRry > 05/06 09:15:03 I exercise by training martial arts, running, and bodyweight exercises.

bodyweight exercises < 1scubadoc > 05/06 10:03:11 What types of bodyweight exercises do you you do? If I could give sameful plugs to Ross Emenait who wrote "Never Gymless" and to Matt Furey for putting togehter "combat conditioning" there are some very difficult body weight exercises that would make for a tough work out no matter how much weight lifting anyone can do.

I personally thought that this was very helpful advice for the original post. Also, I feel like these responses were pretty prompt. I mean, the original poster posted the question about 8:30 and got a resonse 15 minutes later!

Hey, you can't get much better than that, even by going to the gym!

Bottom line is this-- if you're a fitness beginner- or an expert with a could of questions, you really should check out online discussion forums like the one of craigslist.org if you have questions you need answered. It's a great way to communicate with other fitness folks in a fast and non-intimidating way.

Online fitness forums... THUMBS UP!!!

-Ash:-)

P.S.- Do you feel that this poster got good advice for his inquiry??? POST YOUR COMMENTS AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK HE SHOULD DO!!!!!

ALL FOR FITNESS, FITNESS FOR ALL

In my Public Journalism class, one of my fellow students did a

presentation on a very interesting website that I had heard of but knew very little about. After being very captivated by the presentation, I decided to learn more about it and researched it for a while. What I found was a phenomenal, and very large, website that allowed people from across the world to make contact with each other. In addition, the website is designed to limit conversation to just people in your particular area. What’s more, there is a lot of talk about fitness on this site.

What site, you may ask?

CRAIGSLIST.ORG.

Now, I know you’re wondering why I would say that CRAIGSLIST.ORG is a great site for fitness (seeing as how it’s been in the news fro everything but!). But honestly, it’s got some great links for people interested in health and fitness that you may find fascinating.

The one that really jumped out at me is CRAIGSLIST.ORG’s online fitness discussion forum, located at http://norfolk.craigslist.org/forums/?forumID=92. There are tons of different posts up there, from great diet supplements to what gyms not to join. I think that my favorite part about this forum is the fact that you remain anonymous if you wish. So if you are someone that doesn’t wanna let everyone know that you’re self-conscious about your body or you may just want to keep your secret workouts on the low, what a great way to still stay informed!

There are a couple of other places on CRAIGSLIST.ORG that are great for people interested in the world of fitness. For example, under their “Community” heading there are links to local activities, volunteer opportunities and classes being offered. Also, under this “Services” heading, there are links to local lessons or therapeutic businesses.

AND IT’S ALL LOCAL… THAT IS, IF U WANT IT TO BE….

CRAIGSLIST.ORG has the great option of cutting out all the extra stuff that doesn’t pertain to you. You have the option of just searching for stuff in your area. Now, it can’t get any better than that!

I think that CRAIGSLIST.ORG relates to this blog because, of course, my blog is about fitness! And CRAIGSLIST.ORG finds that to be significant. It seems important to both our websites that people continue to be health and maintain active lifestyles. CRAIGSLIST.ORG promotes that by providing options to people in the Hampton Roads area under the umbrella of fitness.

As far as flickr is concerned, unfortunately there is not a huge reliance on the use of images on CRAIGSLIST.ORG, especially under the discussion forum. However, there is a lot of reference to how things look, like certain machines or particular body types. I think that CRAIGSLIST.ORG could definitely benefit from more of a partnership with flickr, especially on the discussion forum. For fitness beginners, it would really help to have a visual to pair with the text written.

Google maps is so great because it provides much more information about how to get to a particular place that just giving verbal directions could give. It provides businesses and streets around the location as well as large or small views of the location. Although CRAIGSLIST.ORG does not really incorporate Google maps into their website, I think it could really be enriched by doing so because especially on the discussion board, there is a huge talk about places that can help someone on a fitness journey. Adding a point to a Google map could again provide a greater visual for a person and makes conversation more realistic for those involved.

Due to having learned about CRAIGSLIST.ORG, I definitelt feel like I can use this information to enrich my own blog. I believe that there is a power in incorporating you, as the reader, into my blog more, because I care about your opinion! Plus, the more information we share with each other, the more we learn. Therefore, I think that this blog should be more interactive,

I feel like I have sort of acheived that goal; I have several posts with you comments under them. However, I would prefer more feedback from the readers and more of an interactive environment between myself and the others reading this blog.

Overall, I believe that CRAIGSLIST.ORG really enriches the content that we have discussed on my blog because it provides a much more interactive medium for people to discuss health and fitness. Even though my blog allows you to post a comment after each post, it’s not that conversational tone that a discussion forum can provide. Also, CRAIGSLIST.ORG allows people to post all different sorts of happenings in the community, instead of just relying on one person’s blog posts. This just makes for a much more interactive experience and provides a more warm and friendly atmosphere for CRAIGSLIST.ORG’s users.

To visit this really cool website, go to http://norfolk.craigslist.org/.

Hope that this really helps someone!

-Ash :-)