In addition to the positive impact Social Media has had on business, Social Media can actually help keep you fit and healthy.

        The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one-third of American adults are overweight and another one-third are obese. Think about that: two-thirds of the adults in America are unhealthy due to the fact that their weight exceeds a healthy limit. When an affliction reaches these types of numbers, it’s called an epidemic. We’re eating too much, sitting around a computer too much, and living overall sedentary lifestyles.

        Taking the first step in changing lifestyles such as these is difficult when where to begin is unclear. Social Media offers not only a jumping off point but an entire universe of communities to join for maintenance of a healthy way to live. There are literally hundreds of places on Facebook alone that can serve as a starting point. My Twitter stream usually has at least four tweets every fifteen minutes devoted to health and fitness. Take a look at a small sampling of Social Media’s road to health:
 

• Facebook has pages that are devoted to exchanging ideas, offering tips, demonstrating yoga and weight lifting techniques, and providing moral support. When the temptations of special events and holidays come around, there are forums and walls that give immediate comfort and encouragement; someone is always on Facebook which means you’re never alone. Plus, the benefit of Facebook is that many pages offer links to websites with even more information for diet and exercise.

• Youtube is a great place to find and view amateur recorded and professionally produced videos of individuals sharing their entire transformation experience. They'll show you their before, during and after physique as they record and broadcast their diets and workout regimes.

• iPhones, Blackberrys, and other smart phones have programs that can be downloaded to help you keep track of your caloric, fat, and carbohydrate intake throughout the day. You can also find applications (or simply look up) the nutritional value of various foods while you’re dining out if the place that is serving you does not have it available. Staying on track of your diet and reaching daily targets when eating out has never been easier.

• The professional site LinkedIn, has groups that you can join devoted to exercise and working out. In these discussions, members will often include links to websites that have been helpful in their experiences. Some provide information such as the benefits of low or high impact aerobics, where to order equipment that has received the best reviews, how to heal various sports related injuries, motivational tips, and more.

Starting a program of health and fitness is easier to do with the support of family and friends. But for those times when immediate help isn’t available or when privacy about a weight program is more important than discussing it with family members is, there are plenty of Social Media communities that can make a huge difference in the success of stepping out of the statistic that two-thirds of Americans sit in.