6 Reasons to Share Your Fitness Journey Online

You know those people who get annoyed when you post your workouts to Facebook or Twitter? They're not interested in mile splits, or reps, or whatever -- they want to hear about what's going on in your life. Or they think you're showing off. Or maybe they just see your Map My Run share as just clutter in their feeds.

Screw 'em.

You should keep right on posting that stuff on your social media accounts. It's a good thing.

It's a Motivator: When your fitness-minded friends and family get used to seeing your workout posts, you'll start getting likes and comments. And when you don't work out for a while, you may even get a query asking if everything's OK. Even though it's no big deal for someone to click an icon or tap out a few words, you can feed on that encouragement. Hey, we all like a pat on the back for our hard work.

You Might Learn Something: When you discuss fitness online -- especially if you're looking for a solution to a problem -- you engage a whole universe of people with knowledge and experience. They might just have the idea that gives you the boost you need. If there's one thing I've learned in the past few years, people love to pass along wisdom. Don't shy away from it!

It Can Calm You Down: For a Regular Guy in the middle of a training regimen, it can feel like an injury or a string of bad workouts is the end of the world. You have goals, you've been working so hard to achieve them, and now this. Ugh! Well, we've all been there, and we've all managed to bounce back. Just hearing that from someone else can give you some perspective and help put your mind at ease. Deep breaths.

You Might Find an Exercise Partner: If you're talking about fitness with friends who live in your area, one of them might suggest a run, ride, swim or trip to the gym together. Even if you usually work out on your own, having another Regular Guy (or Gal) to talk to once in a while is a nice change and an opportunity to socialize. And if you're competitive like I am, it might even push you to work harder than you would on your own.

You Could Inspire Someone: The biggest compliment I've received on my fitness journey isn't about how I've transformed my body, or about how I finished a marathon. I've had a few people tell me that seeing the changes I've made in my life has inspired them to give it a shot, too. To know that I've been even a tiny bit of help in getting someone else going is really just the best feeling. It feels like I'm making a difference in the world.

At Least It's Not Politics: I'm sort of joking, but it can be nice to have online conversations that don't devolve into petty arguments. Sure, there are disagreements in the fitness world, too, but they don't erupt into full-scale battles very often. Fitness and nutrition are often common ground for folks who otherwise wouldn't have much to talk about.

Well, you've made it this far! Let's hear about your most recent awesome workout! C'mon, go ahead and brag! Post in the comments below, on Facebook or on Twitter.