The virtual blog tour and why I write

Welcome to a fun activity I’m participating in today called The Virtual Blog Tour.

Although I’ve briefly mentioned why I blog before, I thought this would be a good chance to talk more about my writing process and what goes into A Lady Goes West.

I was invited to participate by a fellow fitness fanatic and personal trainer, Karen, who writes Kama Fitness. She hosted the tour last week and passed it off to me.

• Kama Fitness is all about how Karen lives a simple, healthy lifestyle. It’s an easy way to incorporate simple food and great workouts all while obtaining a killer physique. Karen is all about living a healthy 80/20 split lifestyle – meaning 80% of the time she is focused on real foods while indulging for the other 20. Hey, a girl’s gotta have her light beers! You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

So let’s get to the official tour, which includes a look at my writing process, explained in four questions.

What am I working on?

My daily professional life includes teaching Les Mills group fitness classes and personal training at Equinox. While I’m already a certified personal trainer, I’ve been going through an intensive and thorough foundations program the past few weeks to prepare for a brand new Equinox location to open in a popular San Francisco neighborhood in mid-June, which is where I will work full time. I’ve been completely immersed in kinesthiology, anatomy, exercise physiology and what it means to really train people to reach their goals. My training job, along with teaching classes, keeps me pretty darn busy six-days-a-week.

Yet outside of that, as a blogger and life-long writer, I’m working on improving my online writing craft. I’ve always loved to write, and although I wrote for many years as a professional communicator in the public relations and corporate world (up until just a couple of months ago, in fact), I’ve found that blogging is a different animal. I’m working on incorporating more professional fitness tips and how-to photos into my posts, as my knowledge bank of ideas to help people is growing like crazy with every single day I train.

It has taken a very long time to combine my passions into my full-time career, but I’ve finally done it. My work is now my life. It’s made up of writing and fitness, and A Lady Goes West is very important to me, because this is where I pull it all together and share it with you.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

First and foremost, I live in one of the most exciting cities in the world and actually work in the fitness industry. That means I have a lot of content to pull from for my blog. And I practice what I preach when it comes to being active and also adventurous. I’m constantly learning new things and sharing them. I’ve been changing my life little-by-little (for instance, leaving behind a desk job with a secure paycheck), and I share all the revelations that go along with constantly adapting to change.

You’ll see I don’t just post tons of selfies or photos of every single meal I eat, but I try to add some real information about things that interest me and hopefully interest you too. My blog is not a daily account of every little thing that happens to me, rather it’s a place where I state my opinion about elements of my life. And oftentimes, I do a lot of research to provide a valid argument to back up the things I discuss. I’d like to think that I offer some substance and not just fluff. (Don’t get me wrong, fluff is fun sometimes too.)

Why do I write what I do?

I’ve said before that I used to dream about being a magazine columnist. Well, A Lady Goes West is my very own publication, and I’m in charge of it. I write about things that I like, including workout tips, easy and healthy food ideas, shopping, all the fun stuff there is to do in San Francisco and even some travel. I write about these things, because they’re all part of my life. You’ll never see me write a post on child-rearing or D-I-Y gardening projects, because those things just aren’t in my realm of reality right now.

Everything you’ll see on A Lady Goes West is content that I’d want to read. It’s my personal magazine, and lucky for you, I’m currently offering a free subscription.

How does my writing process work?

It’s not exactly a science. Ideas come to me out of the blue, and that usually happens when I’m walking around the city. If I have an idea, I think about my lead sentence first, then I think about what I could share to back up my claims, especially photography. I don’t write down my ideas, nor do I keep track of future posts in my phone or anywhere official. It’s all in my head. And for the past two months of very regular blogging on the recently redesigned and relaunched A Lady Goes West, that system has worked for me.

When it’s time to write, I sit on the couch, with my computer on my lap (much like you see below) and I just get to it. I write my blog entries in WordPress and edit my pictures with PicMonkey. It takes me quite a bit of time for each post, because I read it over and over and over again, trying to eliminate words and cut back content. I always write more than I should, and sometimes the editing process is more difficult for me than the writing process.

Once I think a post is good, I click publish. Then I promote it. While my readership and following has grown significantly in the past couple of months, A Lady Goes West is still in the early stages. But I’m putting in the effort, because I want it to be around for a long time. As I’ve been busier and busier with teaching and training, it’s harder to get my posts up early in the day, so I write at all times of day, sometimes setting aside a post for a few hours then coming back to it once my two-job work-day is over. There’s no hard-set rule that I need to post everyday, but I’m committed to this blog, so I’ve really tried to keep it consistent.

And there it is, that completes my round of the blog tour.

Keep on touring other blogs

The Virtual Blog Tour is going to keep moving, and up next I’ve chosen two pretty and health-loving ladies to introduce you to, who both share some of my interests, but definitely have their own expertise. Be sure to check them out and learn about their writing process.

• Heather from Housewife Glamour … Heather is a NBA dancer and Orlando native who is currently in the process of becoming a certified personal trainer and embracing the mid-west life in Michigan. She writes a spirited blog called Housewife Glamour that follows her love for health, food, fitness, beauty, and finding the every day glamour in life. She has a passion for staying fit and healthy living, and hopes to inspire others to reach their goals by sharing her every day obstacles and endeavors. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

• Ashley from My Food ‘N’ Fitness Diaries … Ashley is the writer behind the healthy living blog, My Food ‘N’ Fitness Diaries where she documents her adventures in food, fitness, mommyhood, and everything in between. She has a strong passion for living a healthy lifestyle while not missing out on the fun stuff too. Ashley stays active through group fitness classes, running, circuit style workouts, and chasing around her toddler. She loves to cook healthy meals for her family while also enjoying the occasional dessert to satisfy her large sweet tooth. On her blog, you’ll find healthy recipes, fun workouts, mommyhood adventures, and her random ramblings through it all. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

There’s a huge online world out there, which we sometimes call “the bloggosphere,” and it’s full of people who share the ups and downs of their life online. I can guarantee you’ll always find something useful when you take time to browse the words of others. Speaking of browsing, if you need a blog-reading tool, may I suggest one? Click to follow A Lady Goes West on Bloglovin’ today.

And for all of you readers out there, I want thank you for sharing this adventure with me. Now pack your bags and continue on the tour.

Questions of the day

What’s your favorite thing about reading blogs?

Do you have any hobbies or passions that you’re pursuing?