Be a Social Media Star—and Stay Fit This Fall

As you would expect of a popular blogger formerly known as MizFit, Carla Birnberg does not do her tweeting lying on the couch. She doesn’t even do it sitting at a desk.

“Unless I’m leading a Twitter chat, I’m either walking around my office, in a plank position or in a wall sit, using voice dictation,” says Birnberg, who recently rebranded herself using her real name. “It makes me a better tweeter—studies show that walking makes you more creative—and I feel better about my social media time because I’m not sedentary.”

But more than practicing what she preaches, Birnberg, who used to do social media for Venus Williams, actually applies her approach to fitness to technology platforms as well. “When I started on Twitter, I showed up every morning at the same time so people would know when I’d be there,” she says. “To get in shape or to build a following, you need consistency.”

To tweeters and gym rats alike, Birnberg (@Carla_Birnberg) also recommends, “Do less than you’re capable of every day so you want to go back the next day.” Here, she shares more advice on how to rock social media and your bod this fall.

TIP #1: Have a plan A and plan B for fitness. “This way, if you miss your yoga class because you got sucked into an interesting conversation on Twitter, you know you’ll just do, say, a DVD, instead,” says Birnberg, co-author of What You Can When You Can: Healthy Living on Your Terms. “Without a pre-determined plan B, you probably won’t do anything.”

TIP #2: Follow the 80/20 rule on social media. That means 80% of your posts should be helpful information and 20% is about you. “I often see people promoting their product without ever engaging anyone,” Birnberg says. “And yet these same people would never walk up to a stranger at a cocktail party and immediately start saying their pitch.”

TIP #3: Share your workouts online. “Celebrate your successes,” Birnberg says. “Maybe you’re disappointed you ‘only’ ran two miles because it’s getting darker earlier, but that’s still worth a pat on the back. Post it. Put that ripple out there. You’ll only get positive feedback. And maybe you’ll inspire someone else.”