Holy crap, I’ve published 200 articles.
I’ve started three or four blogs prior to Nerd Fitness and none of them lasted longer than two weeks. I start to learn new music for the piano or guitar when I’m only half-finished with the previous song. I start way more stuff than I finish. Essentially, I’ve learned that I’m a great ideas guy, and a terrible follow-through guy. So, what the heck has kept me excited about writing a fitness blog for the past 10 months? I think I’ve figured it out:
- I have a passion for it. I’m not a fitness expert, but rather a student of it. The whole concept of getting stronger, living better, and ‘becoming a machine’ fascinates me.
- I enjoy writing – Luckily, I enjoy writing. I didn’t realize this until I actually started writing.
- I’m filling a need – Everybody wants to be in better shape, but very few people actually know where to begin. There is so much crap information out there and too many people who are just after your money.
- I really like helping people – Another thing I didn’t realize until I started getting emails from readers asking for advice. I like helping people and seeing them turn their lives around.
Through these ten months, I’ve watched Nerd Fitness grow from an audience of two (myself and my Mom) to hundreds of subscribers and hundreds of visitors daily. Although it’s really exciting to see these numbers climb, there are far more important things that have come from running Nerd Fitness that really make me happy.
Making Friends
Nerd Fitness is really turning into a community, and that makes me proud. People helping each other out, sharing information, asking questions, cracking jokes, engaging in healthy debate: it’s awesome. Here are some of the people I’ve been able to “meet” thanks to Nerd Fitness:
Brett over at Art of Manliness – After emailing Brett letting him know that I was a huge fan of his site, Brett took the time to reach out to me and stay in touch. He’s even linked to a few of my articles through the AoM blog, which has been incredible for increasing the size of Nerd Fitness. Brett, I’m working on that guest post for you, I promise! Thanks again, and congrats on running such a great site.
Josh Hanagarne at World’s Strongest Librarian – Josh is my hero. Never in a million years did I think I’d ever meet a 6’8″, incredibly strong librarian with Tourettes, but thanks to Nerd Fitness I now feel like Josh is a good friend. It all started when Josh put out the call to write guest posts for any site that wanted one. I emailed Josh and said “I’d love for you to write one for my site, Nerd Fitness.” Josh emailed me back 30 seconds later with the subject line, “Best Blog Name Ever.” Thanks Josh! I look forward to reading his posts every day, and you should too. Josh taught me the importance of guest posts. This site wouldn’t be where it is now had I not stumbled across Josh’s blog months ago.
Baker over at Man vs. Debt – A few weeks back, Baker posted on his uber-sucessful blog that he was looking to get in shape. I sent him a simple email that said I’d like to help him out in any way. Bake emailed me back immediately asking if there was anything he could do for me. In two emails I already feel like Baker’s a close friend. This is also due to the fact that he writes such a personal and captivating blog that you can’t help but feel like you already know him. I try to channel my inner Baker when writing my posts, making sure I know how to NOT suck at blogging. He’s also been the inspiration for my “How to NOT suck” post series, which have been some of my most popular and successful. Thanks Baker.
Mike Rickett – Mike taught my personal trainer certification class last fall. Since then, I’ve got a chance to hang out with him for a few hours at a time every time he comes back through Atlanta to teach another class. I learn more in those few hours than I do reading any book. Mike is the man, and a big reason why I’ve had such a good time with this whole fitness thing. He gets it, and I’m glad I’ve got a chance to know him. Thanks Mike, for being my Yoda.
Jason Varley – Last night, I had a chance to meet with Jason in person. He runs a gym over in Decatur called CoreBody, and he goes about training clients the RIGHT way. I was put in touch with Jason through a NF reader (thanks Porter), and I could tell within 10 minutes of meeting the guy that he was the real deal. I pride myself on being correct with my 1st assumptions of people, and I got a great vibe from Jason. If any of you live in the Atlanta/Decatur region and you’re looking for a personal trainer/gym, this is your man. Years of experience, incredible amounts of knowledge, and a level-headed approach to fitness.
Although the guys listed above have really helped me turn Nerd Fitness into what it is today, there are quite a few other great people that I have met along the way too.
Tyler at 344Pounds – Tyler has lost 125 pounds since January and has blogged about his journey every step of the way. Hey big guys, if you’re ever wondering what you can accomplish if you put your mind to it, look no further than this man. Tyler, keep kicking ass.
Steve at 265andFalling – That’s right Steve, I’m calling you out. Why? Because you’ve lost 15 pounds in 6 weeks and you’re rolling. You said yourself that you’ve been down to 245 in the past only to gain it all back, so I figure a shout-out and maybe some new readers might keep you motivated. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders. No pressure.
–Chris McNeil at FitMenu (for being one of my first interviewees. Thank you Chris!), Evan the Muay Thai Guy (for reading since the beginning), Jim Hodgson (for inspiring everybody, myself included), and Brandi and Adam at the Paleo Kitchen.
I have terrible organizational skills, so I’m sure I left out some very important people in these shout outs. Please know it wasn’t intentional, but feel free to call me out on it!
People That Have Inspired Me
These are people that I don’t know yet, but have influenced me greatly through their writing. Thanks guys, and hopefully we get to exchange emails some day.
Leo at Zen Habits – I like Leo, a lot. Leo runs such a great, simplistic blog that has helped me declutter my own life. I’m still struggling with working too many hours, but I will get there at some point. Thanks Leo for running a great blog and helping so many people take the time to stop and smell the roses. Life is too damn short to not do what you love, even if it’s just for a little bit each day.
Jason Ferruggia – Jason writes one HELL of a blog. He tells it exactly how it is. This post (some swears, just a heads up) he wrote the other day is one of the best articles I have read all year. Read it. Now. Although Jason is a Yankees fan, I’d still like to get to know him. I think his approach to training is awesome, especially considering that he’s a Vegan. You don’t see many Vegans that look like him.
Craig Ballantyne – Craig is an inspiration to anybody in the fitness world these days. Although he has quite a few programs available for sale online, Craig gives away more free content than anybody out there. Just youtube “Craig Ballantyne” and see for yourself. Thanks Craig for giving away so much awesome content.
Chris Guillebeau – Chris is the reason I’ve taken my current approach to Nerd Fitness – write well, give away as much as you can, and the rest will work itself out. Chris has created some phenomenal products to help people escape a 9-5 boring life, but he also writes great blogs on a weekly basis. Chris, I’ll be picking up your “Frequent Flyer Master” e-book soon!
The Future of Nerd Fitness
So far, I’ve made approximately $0 for the 1000 hours I’ve pumped into this site. I’m okay with this. Eventually I hope to make a decent living through Nerd Fitness, but I had planned on spending years and years before anything serious started rolling in, so I’m right on schedule.
I plan on following Chris Guillebeau’s approach and creating products that will provide way more value than I actually charge for them. I’ve realized in the majority of the emails that I’ve received that most people really just want to be told exactly what to do, so these products will be day-by-day guides on what to eat, exactly what exercises to do, and how to do them. Personally, I hate “4 payments of 29.99” and “BUY NOW” and “GET RESULTS FAST,” so the stuff I put together won’t have any of that stuff.
I’ll continue writing great content (well, I hope it’s great) for free every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Exciting times are coming for Nerd Fitness, so get ready! I’ve met some great people through these first 200 posts. I can’t wait to see who I meet with the next 200.
Thank You
Lastly, I want to say thanks to all of you readers. It’s your emails that keep me staying up way too late at night writing posts. It’s your comments that make me happy to get up early and reply. Hearing your success stories motivate me to write better and find ways to help more people. All I ask is that you pass this website along to your friends if you think it would help them in any way.
Let me know what I can do to keep you coming back.
-Steve
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photo from: JonRawlinson
