At the beginning of this semester, I pitched my idea to create a digital artefact based around my future in fitness.
Since my pitch, I realised that doing something like this over multiple platforms is something that I don’t have the capacity to do. Although it would of been beneficial for my engagement, it just wasn’t practical for me to do. Therefore, my DA ended up being a 4 part blog series.
The feedback from my pitch was quite positive! I liked how people liked that I wanted my future in fitness to be educational and not just for show. It also showed me that others are also interested in health and fitness which is something I love to hear.
I broke up my four 4 blogs into different topics. The first one was taking a step back, which was where I spoke about what my fitness journey has looked like up until now.
First paragraph of the post.
I know the DA focus was about the future, however, as my DA was about me and my future career, I thought it was relevant for me to start from the beginning. This way, people can understand my journey in fitness, why I am so passionate about it and basically why we are here today.
The second post was all about the science behind fitness and exercising.
Intro to second blog post
This post explained most of my background research I did when it came to looking at the future of fitness. I spent the first few weeks researching exercise and its benefits. I also researched into what happens to our body, from head to toe to the insides and out, when we workout. This blog post is one that I am actually quite proud of and personally think it is worth the read for anyone, no matter where they are at in their fitness journey. At the end of the post I spoke about the future of fitness in relation to the research I had undertaken and how it changes ones future.
The third blog post I did was based off of fitness within the media. In fact, the one thing I hate about fitness in the media, fad diets and ‘quick fixes’ in fitness.
Intro to third blog post
In this blog post, the rest of my research is on display. I looked into different fitness content online as well as doing some research about the online fitness industry. I spoke about this in the post and at the end I wrote (a very hopeful) future for the online fitness industry. It is one that is growing rapidly, we can’t keep up with it in my eyes. I also linked some amazing online fitness professionals for individuals to get started on the right path for their fitness journey.
The last and final blog post was all about me and where I see myself in 1 years and 3 years time in relation to my fitness career.
Intro to fourth blog post
I feel like this post doesn’t need much explanation, as it is exactly what I stated in the introduction.
Overall, I really enjoyed putting this digital artefact together. I found it not only super interesting but really helpful for me. It helped me to research into a field that I am interested in, and can pass this information onto my future clients, and it helped put into focus what I truly want out of my career in fitness. The one thing lacking from my DA is a feedback loop/audience. In the sense that, I don’t actually have one. I only have myself to blame here. I only used one platform, when using multiple would’ve helped me to bring an audience to my posts and I didn’t market my posts at all. This right here, was my projects limitation. I just spent a day or 2 writing a post, hit publish and walked away. I could have tweeted about the post or even linked it to my personal Instagram to gain any feedback. However, as this DA was more personal, I feel as though having no audience didn’t change too much. It was about my future career, one for all to see, and how I put it out there is my vision.
It has been so great being able to create all the digital artefacts that I have. And I am sad that this is my last. But what a way to finish it off.
Thinking about my future, especially my future career, freaks me out like no other. Today, I am doing just that but instead, where I would like my future in fitness to be in 1 and 3 years.
Before I get into my future, I’ll give you an insight into where I am at now, career wise. I currently have 2 jobs. 1 of which I work as a personal assistant for an activewear brand, which I LOVE. I have never loved a job so much before. I do everything for her. I assist with social media (Instagram, Tik Tok, Pinterest), pack orders, assist with designs, website creation and design, answer emails, influencer search and so much more. It is just a dream to be part of something like that. My second job is with a company that does Primary School sports education. This means, I go around to different primary schools and assist with sports days. I mainly deliver Gymnastics in schools. I also love this job, I feel like it is setting me up in the right direction for my future in fitness. I also am a Uni student. On top of this I am studying my Certificate 4 in fitness.
My Future in Fitness in 1 Year:
In a years time, I plan to have finished my uni degree and certificate 4. Career wise for me, I would like to be juggling my activewear job with a second full time position, potentially in admin. I would also like to be doing Personal Training on the side, whether this means, doing just a couple of clients in the morning and/or having a few online clients. I want to be able to provide my all to my clients. Consistently educating them and assisting them on their fitness journey, I intend on my services being one of the best you can get in the fitness industry.
My Future in Fitness in 3 Years:
In 3 years time, I intend to be juggling my activewear job with Personal Training. At this time, I would like personal training to be enough for me to live off, however my activewear job is something I can’t see me leaving. I would be Personal Training clients most mornings and afternoons, as well as having a pool of online clients. My services would look something like this
1:1 – Face to face coaching. This includes a personalised training program and 1 – 2 days a week personal training with me. 6-8 week blocks
2:1 – Face to face coaching. This would include 2 individuals having personalised training programs each and a 1 day a week personal training session together with me. 6-8 week blocks
Online coaching – this would include a personalised training program and a weekly check in with the client. It would also include regular form updates – the client can message me at any time with any technique videos/questions. 6-12 week blocks
Online Program – this would include me giving someone a one off personalised training program. This is suited for someone who is already on their fitness journey and just would like a new program.
When I found my passion for fitness, my intention has always been to do it correctly. I want to be an educational coach. One that tells you not only what to do, but how to do it and why we do it. I want my clients to finish our time together to feel comfortable and educated enough within their fitness to go out on their own and not injure themselves or do the wrong exercises for their fitness goals. I want to show people that it is a lifestyle, not a quick fix and I want to educate people on why trusting the process is so important.
Investing in a fitness coach assists you with all this and more. It is also a time for someone to have company and be able to speak openly to someone who will not criticise them. It is just life changing, and that is what I want for my future clients.
For the second half of this semester, we watched and live-tweeted the movies, Robot and Frank, Arrival, Alita: Battle Angel, Ready Player One and Don’t Look Up. The Tweets for these are embedded at the bottom of this post.
Coming into the second half of this semester, I started to sort of grasp the idea of Sci Fi movies and what they were all truly about, as I started in Live Tweeting 1, I am not a fan of these types of movies. Therefore, coming into the second half of the semester I felt a little more at ease, you could say, about the watching and live-tweeting of these movies. If I am being totally honest, I actually enjoyed the movies in the second half of the semester, besides Robot and Frank. I felt as though this movie was kind of dull. It was sad to watch and I felt like there wasn’t really much going on. In my opinion anyway.
Analysing these movies had me thinking about all aspects of the films. As I was watching these movies I would ask myself things like ‘how did they make that?’ ‘what is the origin of this?’ ‘has this been done before?’ ‘I wonder if other people thought this part of the movie was strange’ and so much more. The good thing about this subject is, that I could answer those questions and not feel like a total weirdo for looking into movies that deep. In fact, every movie I have watched since this subject I find myself analysing it.
Learning about futurists and how people do this for a living was insane to me. I found this video on futurist, Richard Watson, talking about the future of Energy, Health and AI.
Sci Fi movies not only are normally set in the future and predict the future but a lot of them are based around technology and robots. I think it is so interesting how when someone thinks of the future, their mind instantly relates the future to technology. We don’t think about what a shopping centre will look like or what colour trees would be, we stick to things related to technological advancements. Things like cars, laptops, phones and robots. One major theme that I have noticed that came about through each topic and each movie is this whole idea of what makes a robot different from a human. Especially if a robot is programmed to act and talk like a human. To me, it’s the human connection and emotion that stands out. Take away deep conversation and connecting to what you truly feel and what you truly believe in, that just … isn’t human.
The whole online space is a culture, a world of its own where really, if you think about it, there are no limits. It is the digital world and everything that comes with it. I can’t help but wonder, the inventors of the internet, Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf, did they know how important and how amazing their invention was? Tim Bernes-Lee then came in and invented the world wide web. There is no way they would’ve made it knowing that one day there will be people who can’t live without it and how much they truly changed the world. They changed the way we communicate all the way to the way we learn and pass our time and keep ourselves entertained for hours on end. They literally changed the way humans work and the way we live. The three of these men have a joint net worth of $28million. How can you even put a price on something as life changing as the internet?
A topic I fell really deep into was Cyborgs. Of course I have heard of one before but to be honest I had never really known what they are and what they are all about and it is just so interesting. Hearing that we are all already cyborgs is like hearing your entire life has been a lie and that pigs can, in fact fly. All of these products that we spend hours using are all extensions of who we are. Media is a way to express our inner selves. Having these external ways to express ourselves and to extend who we are. Here is an article I found on the world’s most famous Cyborgs. An interesting read if you have the time.
As far as my live-tweeting summary goes, to be honest I feel like I am really bad at it. I struggle to interpret the weekly lectures and topics into the tweets. I do try my best though. I found myself getting too distracted by the movies. As I genuinely enjoyed watching them, and it was my first time watching all these movies, I was so engulfed in what was going on that at times I forgot I was doing work, and not just watching a movie. I guess this isn’t a bad problem to have though. Overall I find my tweets to be quite average, I feel as though I do not have the same knowledge as my peers which made me feel left behind a little.
To put it bluntly, the internet is full of dumb things. The saddest part is, people fall for it and then they f*&$ themselves over. This needs to stop, and it is something I am actually very passionate about.
The fitness industry online, I think, is very split down the middle. Theres one side that is educating and actually helpful, then theres the other side. The fad diets and ‘quick results’ and ‘get fit in a week’ load of shit. I won’t totally get into full detail about what this side of the internet does to people as we will be here all day but I will most definitely speak about it.
Okay, the side of the internet not to trust, or as I like to call it ‘quick fitness internet’. Anything you see online that says it will give you fast results, immediately know that it’s a load of bull. I’m going to tell you why. In relation to fad diets, for example, most of them include cutting out a whole macronutrient, and even though they think they have done all the scientific study on why it is bad for you and why you need to cut out carbohydrates or fats, they are wrong. If you were to cut out a whole macronutrient in your diet, well firstly it is actually impossible because most food have, even the slightest bit, of all 3 of our macronutrients, but it is also extremely unhealthy for your body and your mind. Cutting out a whole macronutrient is like doing half a workout or half an assignment, it just isn’t completing your diet or contributing to your health. You physically need the 3 macronutrients (that’s why they are there … surprise!) in order to stabilise your energy levels, fuel your body for the day and … actually enjoy the food on your plate. What a concept. All these fad diets are doing is just creating more issues in society that we really just don’t need. We don’t need people to be scared to eat something and we don’t need people thinking that what we should be using to fuel our body is actually bad for you, because the truth is, if you eat too much of anything it can be bad for you. Eating everything in moderation is the best way to go. This way, you get to enjoy your food and stay on track.
A major thing about ‘quick fitness’ is that it is not a sustainable way to lose weight or whatever your health and fitness goal is. Yes, maybe a juice cleanse will help you lose weight in 2 weeks but what about after that 2 weeks? Are you just going to go back into old habits? Well guess what … the weight you lost comes right back, and in most cases, with more as you have just deprived yourself of all the food you want to eat, so when you finish, you over indulge. And that right there, is where the poor cycle begins. This cycle being, going all ‘healthy’ and cutting out certain foods or food groups, then once your week or 2 weeks or even 4 weeks is up, going right back to where you started, losing all the ‘progress’ you made. It is just not a sustainable way to live.
I feel like I went on an absolute rant just then, but those are just two of the main issues society, and the actual fitness industry, has with fad diets and quick results.
Something I have been seeing lately on socials with the fitness industry and the professionals in the industry is realism. I am seeing coaches who are actually teaching healthy ways to sustainably reach fitness goals and not ‘quick ways’. The truth is, if you want to be ‘healthy’ and ‘fit’ and reach any sort of fitness goal, you have to be prepared and ready, both physically and mentally, to change your entire life. It is a slow process, but that is the best way to do it, you will not only see and feel the results you want but you will be able to sustain them and continue on with your new way of living. It truly is all about trusting the process.
How do I see the future of ‘quick fitness?’ My wishful thinking side of me, thinks it actually might get better. We already have so many amazing coaches and fitness professionals who are providing true and real information, it is just a matter of people finding them and trusting what they have to say. If individuals stop giving attention to the ‘fast results’ side of the online fitness world, the true professionals and coaches will be able to show off what it truly means to be healthy and to be fit. It’s not about fast results, it’s about sustaining the results. Above, I have linked just a couple of people who I follow that are examples of the types of people I feel the fitness industry could be taken over by, which in turn would hopefully lessen the fad diets and fast results. This way, people will be educated and be able to make a change in their lives, not just a ‘quick fix.’
The funny thing is, by following a fad diet, or any diet really (specific for a fitness related goal, not if someone genuinely needs too for health reasons), you are actually complicating something that really is quite simple. Eat from the five food groups, prioritise fruit, vegetables and colourful foods. Alongside protein, you have all the nutrients you need. Eat balanced, eat well, eat when you’re hungry. That’s it, your body will tell you what it needs, just listen to it. And that, is how I am seeing the future, and I hope to be apart of making the change, even in the smallest way.
When you workout, a lot more is happening to your body then just being in pain and sweating. The benefits to exercise and fitness is like manipulating your body into fixing itself, it is quite remarkable. Let’s dive a little deeper.
When you exercise, your entire body is working to ensure you are working at your most capable self. Exercise moves blood from your liver and digestive system over to your skeletal muscles. Your hormones are telling your body to convert fat into glucose, which reduces the pain you feel and improves your mood. Let’s break this down a little more.
Your brain – your brain, on any given day, makes neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine and when you exercise this is the reason why your brain consumes more energy. It’s like putting your brain on fast speed.
Your heart – when you exercise, your heart beats faster, meaning your adrenaline levels rise, which stimulates your heart to beat faster. Your capillaries in your muscles, open wider which increases the blood flow by up to 20 times. This in turn, helps to reduce your risk of heart disease/heart problems.
Your lungs – as you workout, the muscles in your rib cage assist the diaphragm to pull in up to 15 times more oxygen than at rest, which means, your breathing gets faster but also deeper. This, in the long run, helps to reduce your resting beats per minute, which in turn, assists you to be ‘fitter’.
Your bones – exercise, more specifically, weight lifting and high-impact exercises, stimulate your bone formation and reduce the rate of calcium loss as we get older. This essentially means, the more you weight train, lifting heavy (safely, with good form), actually prevents your bones from deteriorating early.
Your muscles – as you exercise, your body calls on glucose, sugar in the body that has been stored from the foods we eat, for the energy required to contract muscles and create movement. This also uses a very important energy, adenosine triphosphate (ATP). After using up the small amount of glucose and ATP our body has stored, it requires extra oxygen to create more ATP, hence, why we breath heavier during exercise. More blood is then pumped to the muscles that are being used to deliver additional oxygen. Without enough oxygen, lactic acid is formed instead, and this is typically flushed from your body within 30-60 minutes after finishing a workout.
As you can see, a lot is happening to your body whilst you workout. The above information, in turn, helps your physical life in many ways. These include, but are not limited too, improving your overall fitness, reducing your resting beats per minute, keeping your bones healthy, boosting your mood, lowers blood pressure, increases energy levels, strengthens your heart and many more.
Although your physical self is helped when you exercise regularly, there has also been research into proving that regular exercise helps in curing/lessening depression and anxiety. Let’s dive deeper into this.
When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These chemicals, interact with the receptors (of the neurotransmitters) in your brain that actually reduce your perception and idea of pain. Endorphins, also, trigger positive feeling in the body and creates a ‘euphoric’ feeling after a workout.; This can also be connected to a positive and energising outlook on your life. Endorphins, act as analgesics, this meaning, they get rid of the perception of pain, and they basically act as a sedative. Endorphins are manufactured in your brain, spinal cord and many other body parts, and are released as a response to your neurotransmitters. The receptors that are connected to endorphins are connected to the same ones that are connected in some pain medicines. Literally reducing pain in your body, in this case, your mind. Endorphins help boost levels of vitamin D and your overall mood. Therefore, regular exercise is proven too, reduce stress, ward of anxiety and feelings of depression, boosts ones self esteem, improve sleep and so much more.
I know that was a lot to take in, so let’s wrap this up. Exercise has been proven to improve your overall life and wellbeing. Someone who regularly exercises, will reap the benefits above and live in longevity. This could help shape a better future for not only individuals, but communities. If we start to interpret fitness, and wellbeing, even in the smallest ways such as going for a walk or taking the stairs, you will literally be able to change your entire life. I know that working out for some is hard and uncomfortable, but starting small, is all you need.
I was once told, that to step outside of your comfort zone, all you need to do is put a toe out and then you can go right back. You know why? Because you putting your toe out, even if it was one cm, you have extended your comfort zone. And that, is better than nothing.
Welcome to my first blog post (series if you will) unpacking my future in fitness. If you haven’t already seen/watched my pitch video and blog post, for this semester I will be researching into the future of fitness and what that looks like for me and my career. I figured, before we dive deep into the future pathway that will be fitness (or that I predict it to be), let’s get to know me and my relationship with fitness and catch you up to where I am at now.
I have had a personal trainer since I was in year 8, which was 2014, which means I have been involved in ‘fitness’ for 9 years. Wow, that makes me feel old. When I first got into strength training, for me it was all about finding a way to move my body in a way that felt good for me and a way that I enjoyed doing, and not doing it because I felt forced too. My first personal trainer, I loved, and still do love, to bits. He was more than a trainer for me. He was like my second brother, who I could go to for anything, cry too, laugh with or knuckle down and get in a good session. I trained with him for about 7 years, and I never took training ‘seriously’. This meaning, I didn’t track my food, I didn’t work out outside of him, I just went to him once or twice a week to get in my movement. That’s another thing I love about him, he never forced me into anything. That’s not to say he didn’t try to get me to do all those things, but he allowed me to be as involved as I wanted to be.
When I finally decided to start seeing what exercise could do for me, was when I would say, I was at the lowest point in my life, mental health wise. I signed myself up to an all-female gym, which at the time was where I felt safe to work out at, and I went in doing whatever felt good. If that meant doing a lower body session, that’s what I did. If that meant a fully body session, then you guessed it, that’s what I did. I found peace within my training sessions. It was my time to blast music in my ears and focus on something that was just for me. Escape from my reality. I once read a quote which said, “some of us go for a run, others do drugs, but at the end of the day we are all just trying to find the thing that distracts us from our reality.” (from some random Instagram page). This spoke, and still does speak, volumes to me.
During our second NSW long lockdown, my mental health started to decline again, and I realised that I needed an outlet. I needed my outlet back, and so that was when I decided to reach out to an all-female company which does all things fitness and mindset. Through this, I was connected to my next personal trainer, who is still mine now. She absolutely changed my life. She wrote me up an at home training program, I started to crack down on my nutrition and was more consistent with my training. Not only did she physically help my body, but she changed who I was as a person. Although she was my online coach, she turned me into the person I knew I always could be, and I will never have enough thank you’s in me for her.
When the lockdown ended, she continued to coach me online and as I transitioned back into the gym, I realised that I had outgrown the space that used to be my happy place. So, I found a new one. The timing was strange, as I had realised this, a new gym had just opened up down the road from my old one. The largest gym in Northern Illawarra actually. It was perfect. Privately-owned, brand-new space, brand new equipment, brand new people for a brand new me. So, I went in, I met the owner and I signed up. This gym is both male and female and the people I have met there and have become friends with are ones that will always uplift me. They seem to always be on the same wavelength as me, and we all have something in common, our love for training. I am also now friends with the owner, and he is an amazing person.
It was around the time of me signing up to my new gym, that I had a light bulb moment of ‘wait a second, I f$@%ing love fitness, why am I not trying to pursue this?’ So, I got my shit into gear, enrolled myself in my certificate 3 and 4 in fitness through the Australian Fitness Academy and got to work. I finished my certificate 3 around a month ago now and have just begun my certificate 4.
So, sitting here before you is a qualified group gym instructor and a personal trainer in the making. I think what led me to this decision was seeing how much fitness changed my life and how much my now coach brought me so far out of my shell I was almost unrecognisable. I want to do that for people. I want to change lives. I want to be a motivator, a coach, a therapist, and a discipliner all in one. Of course, my journey has had literal blood, sweat and tears, throughout, but coming out the other side is someone that I am genuinely proud to be. I still have a long while to go, and I am so excited to see where the future takes me.
So, follow along. My predictions may be way off, or completely spot on but let’s learn together about my future in fitness.
Throughout this semester for BCM325, Future Cultures, our attendance is based off of our live tweeting of the movie given to us that week. Sounds like a pretty cool assessment if you ask me.
At the end of this post, I have added my tweets/retweets that I have done so far, from weeks 1 to 5. The movies include; 2001 A Space Odyssey, West World, Blade Runner, Ghost in a Shell and The Matrix.
I am going to be completely transparent with you, I hate Sci Fi movies, I find them confusing, hard to follow and as I am someone who scares very easily, they tend to scare me so it has been a challenge for me to not only watch these movies but analyse and unpack them. However, in saying this, it has also come to my advantage. Having content to go through every week and seeing my peers tweets has helped me to understand the movies and properly be able to analyse and assess them myself. I genuinely believe that if it wasn’t for my peers tweets, there would be so much about the movies that I wouldn’t of even thought of or understood.
Live Tweeting, and analysing these movies has got me in a Wiki Wormhole of thinking and researching articles and videos about the future and future studies, movies and so much more. Thinking about the future is something that brings up a lot of different emotions for people, from excitement all the way to fear and everything in between. When predicting the future it is something that comes from our knowledge of the now and thinking about advances and ‘where can we go from here?’ Or other questions like ‘what could be better about this?’ ‘How will changing this, help society?’ The movies that we have unpacked have started to answer these questions. An example of this is West World. The amazing amusement park where ‘nothing can go wrong’ and you can truly ‘play’, sort of like a live action role play but you’re on a holiday, so it’s constant. It’s new, it’s exciting, its futuristic, it’s unbelievable.
Having watching these sci fi movies, it had me thinking ‘has any futuristic movie predicted the future?’ and of course, the power of Google pulled through. I found this video on the question.
worth the watch if you are also interested!
After scrolling through the comments of this video to grasp an idea of others opinions – which is actually something that I have done with every movie we have watched that I stream on YouTube – I came across the term predictive programming. It is by no surprise that prediction is a huge part of future studies and looking into the future. That is all that we can do with the future, predict. Predictive Programming is a theory brought about by conspiracy theorists that the Government and Authorities use fictional movies as a mass mind control to make the population more accepting of the future. So basically, the media we consume is more likely to make us calmly react to crazy situations that will happen in the future. This theory is not scientific but it is one that has been an interesting point to think about moving forward whilst I watch and live tweet the next half of this semester.
My engagement so far in the live tweeting is something that I am happy with thus far. I feel as though looking through and engaging with my peers tweets has not only helped me with the understanding of the movies and looking at them in a different way but it has been so intriguing and interesting to see what everyone else is researching into. I do find that I have been more focused on the research side of things and not actually sitting down to properly watch the movies. I do enjoy this and it helps me to live tweet more interesting content however I think I should spend more time watching the films. Moving forward I hope to continue on with this, but potentially comment on more tweets to engage better with my peers. I also intend to link my tweets more to lecture content and make them more factual/informative.
Looking through and reviewing my fellow student’s DA’s is something that I have really enjoyed doing throughout my time as a BCM student. It is something that, although is a requirement for the course, I feel like all students should be doing anyway. It is a great way to not only see what your fellow students are up to throughout their course but to also dive into topics that you maybe wouldn’t normally dive into. I have reviewed 3 of my peers DA pitches for BCM325 and have dove into 3 worlds that I personally do not take part in.
Chelsea will be creating a business plan for her social media business. She intends to create a 5 year plan to help assist her in her social media managing.
James will be exploring the future of gaming and utilising his past DA’s to better his DA performance and ensure he is creating something to the best of his ability.
Alana will be delving into some books this semester and researching into the future of bookstagram, while utilising her previous DA @lanabooks_
What did I learn from engaging in the process?
Throughout the process of my peer reviews I not only learnt about 3 different worlds that I am not apart of, but I learnt how to unpack someone’s idea to give suggestions on how to improve on it. I found that asking questions in my feedback could be useful for them as it will make them think about their ideas in a different perspective but it also shows that I have fully engaged in their content and ideas.
What do I consider to be good feedback?
Good feedback to me is one that is constructive and makes the individual think further and in a different perspective. Showing different perspectives on an idea helps to focus an individuals project/work and it helps to ensure they are utilising the correct platforms and ideas. Providing relevant links is also a great way to help them expand on ideas whilst also asking questions for them to think about to help with the future of their project. Good feedback is engaging and informative.
What did I learn about my own DA from engaging in the commentary?
I learnt that I should be doing a little more research into my DA and my chosen topic of fitness. Although I am studying Fitness, I think it would be super beneficial for me to delve into more of the future of fitness and see what research has been done on its future. I also feel as though I should be finding my niche within my DA, and figuring out a way for me to be presenting my findings. Should I do a video series? Blog posts? A mixture. These are things I should consider about my DA.
My Digital Artefact, as spoken about in the attached video, is the creation and beginning of implementation of a career plan for my future in the fitness industry. I intend to utilise the skills I have acquired from being a BCM student alongside the skills I have obtained through my fitness journey and fitness studies to bring to life my career goal.
I anticipate creating my online presence through multiple social media platforms. The platforms I have in mind at this current moment are, WordPress, Instagram, reddit and LinkedIn. I have also noticed that many of the fitness professionals that I look up to have a ‘survey’ for their clients to fill out prior to beginning their time together, I also plan on drafting up a ‘survey’ for my potential future clients. As I am still in the process of studying my Certificate 3 and 4 in fitness – which are the base qualifications to allow me to work in this industry – creating a career plan will assist me in clearing my vision of where I want it to take me. A major part of being a successful fitness professional today, is having a beneficial and consistent online presence as it shows individuals what you are all about and it gives off a first impression of you, as a trainer.
Listening too and reading through the Lecture in Week 2, about Futurology, spoke volumes to me, and helped me put my project into perspective. Studying and planning the future there is an underlying fact of the unknown and not being certain that what you are researching is in fact true, it is based off predictions. Therefore, throughout my DA, I have taken away the pressure of trying to reach my audience straight off the bat but instead accumulate a way to ensure my career plan is a sustainable one. A major part for being in the fitness industry today is ensuring that your online presence is up to date and consistent, as this is the best and easiest way to source new clients, both face to face and online.
Health and fitness have been a growing trend through social media over the past year or so and a lot of influencers have turned to becoming ‘fitness influencers’ because of the high demand from their audience. In an article titled ‘Social Media Redefined Fitness Industry’, it states “using analytics to apply fact-based knowledge to leverage social media outreach for fitness brands has proven to be crucial.” This is showing that, although every second Instagram influencer has become a ‘fitness influencer’ by sharing their workout routines and favourite workout clothes, when it comes to being a fitness professional, it is important to focus on the facts and not what brand is coming out with a new activewear line. This is something that is very important to me, I don’t want my online persona to come across as me being a ‘fitness influencer’, it is about informing and passing on knowledge to individuals who participate in exercising.
Below I have attached a GANTT Chart showing my rough plan for this semester.
Resources
The Foundations of Future Studies, W. Bell, (2003 [1997]). Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick.
My digital artefact is a Tik Tok account, Daily Ruby. The problem I initially was addressing was boredom in lockdown but once lockdown ended the problem shifted to individuals who are unmotivated. I developed this account because I wanted to inspire people. I wanted to inspire individuals who are like me to get up and do what they think they cannot. I wanted to inspire people to make small changes in their daily routines and see how much of their life will change. Through the world’s first lockdown it was extremely evident how quickly and how intense everyone’s boredom was. It was around this time that Tik Tok as a social media application really took off and expanded its audience of all ages, genders, races, sexuality and so much more. If you are to google ‘boredom in lockdown’ there are countless articles written on ideas to do in lockdown, cabin fever and just about boredom.
On my google searches
A book I have been reading, ‘How to do the work’ written by Nicole LePera speaks about breaking habits and creating new ones. One small habit change at a time, can change your entire life. LePera opens up about how her first small habit was to wake up and have a glass of water. So simple, yet so incredibly effective. She is walking proof that by changing one small habit at a time, can eventually turn your entire life around and change you as an individual. Recognising your patterns and learning how to put in the work to change bad habits and bad thoughts is such an important way to live. This was my goal for this digital artefact. I wanted people to see that by consistently doing one small thing every day, you can change so much about yourself and your life. I wanted to make a difference. In fact, it is because of this digital artefact and this past NSW Sydney lockdown that I have realised how I will achieve this one day. I have just started studying my Certificate 3 and 4 in fitness and through this, I want to change lives. I want to show people the way and help others to achieve their best potential. I think Daily Ruby is a great start to gain the audience that I need for this.
Through peer reviews and speaking to friends about my project, my content idea was related a lot to Anna Paul and her account. I was never someone who followed Anna Paul and so I looked into her accounts to see what these individuals meant. After looking through I realised why they would think my idea was similar to her style of videos however I feel like my aims and goals are not the same in any way. Anna Paul is a great inspiration for young females, and I am honoured to have been compared to her similar style of content however Anna makes her vlogs to share her life, as she lives a very interesting one and at some points will even focus on body positivity which is very needed in the media. My account, however, focuses more on showing what ‘regular’ people do every day and to show how creating small habits changes your life. The type of video though, is very similar.
Daily Ruby Starter pack
Important Learning Moments
The above starter pack shows perfectly how Daily Ruby will come across to a regular Tik Tok user. I feel as though it completely stereotypes me, however it is the truth. Just a young female, trying to make the most of lockdown and wanting to live a healthy life, despite the circumstances.
The first video I made went really well. I hadn’t established an aesthetic yet, I just wanted to see what it was like to create the type of video that I wanted too and see if it worked well for me and if it was possible to obtain an audience. This was clear to me as I felt the video did well, with over 700 views and upwards of 20 likes, I was happy with this outcome as it was a good starting point, especially considering the Tik Tok account was new, and nothing was filtered to my audience. I really enjoyed making the video, videoing little snippets of my day then just before uploading I did a voice over of what I was doing in the video. This video received positive comments and a book recommendation. Through lockdown I decided to start reading, despite me being someone who hates reading, to limit my phone screen time and create a small new habit for me, this was starting to work at the beginning of my Tik Tok account. I was getting comments about book recommendations and the book I was reading, however I stopped this as I realised that it was not attracting an audience that I know how to entertain. Through this event I learnt that in order for me to gain a wider audience I needed to upload regularly and ensure my videos are consistent.
For the first couple of weeks, I was on a good posting schedule of 3 videos per week. However, this motivation quickly faded as life started to get busy and one of my videos did poorly view wise. My videos were consistently getting around 300 views which I was happy with, until one of my videos only got 66 views. This was disheartening for me as I felt as though I was giving all that I could do this project, but I knew it was just time to re-assess the account and see what I could change.
After going through the account, I realised how repetitive my videos were. Because I was in lockdown, my videos were basically the same thing on repeat every day … just different outfits. So, I started to brainstorm what other types of videos I could do while still sticking to my goal and I thought to do more aesthetically pleasing videos. These include night-time routines, morning routines, skin care routines and so on. These types of videos are a lot quicker to make and don’t require me to take my whole day aside to film, I am only filming at one portion of my day which I prefer so much more. Also, with lockdown nearing the end I needed to be more realistic with what I could post as the days I work, it is unrealistic for me to film my full day.
I then filmed a morning routine, and it went super well. With over 600 views on the video, I could sense that this type of content was a lot more suitable for me and my audience. I really enjoyed making the video, not only was it quick and easy to make but it motivated me to have a slow morning and do little things for me, which is the whole purpose of this account. The comment section on that video was super positive as well, people seemed to really enjoy it.
I would say the type of comments I get on my videos/whole account are conversational. People like to see what I am up too and are free to ask questions about certain parts of the videos, like what book I am ready currently and so on. I also have friends and my fellow communication and media peers bringing up my account and asking me about it. I feel like it is a great conversation starter and gets the people around me, and my followers talking about finding motivation and what types of things to do.
Through the comments, people talking to me face-to-face and other students peer reviews on my account, I have learnt that my content is super relevant, especially in today’s media. The type of content that I have created on Daily Ruby is the type of content that most girls my age are interested in looking at or even making for themselves. I learnt that in order for my content to reach my intended audience, I needed to post regularly which I can admit I failed to do so towards the end especially. As life started to have some normality and I was going back to work, and picking up extra study commitments, Daily Ruby was forgotten about, and I wasn’t able to allow the account to reach its full potential. It also had come to my attention that I am classified as ‘that girl’. I have never heard of this before until I researched further into it, and it is crazy to see how much it resonates with me and the purpose of my account.
Being ‘that girl’ is a social media trend, more so on Tik Tok, of young females, like myself, who are looking to live healthier lives and basically ‘get their shit together’. They are the girls who drink green juices, go to the gym, and live a fit and healthy lifestyle which over the course of 2021 has been my main focus. I have completely changed my way of being and without even realising, become ‘that girl’. Although I am far from having my life together, being ‘that girl’ is about showing up for yourself and realising that you can do what you set your mind too. All it takes is one small decision to take the leap in the right direction. I can’t help but wonder whether if I had this knowledge of what ‘that girl’ was, before starting Daily Ruby, if the account would have done better than what it did. That was a mistake on my part, I should have researched further into it instead of just diving in and creating content. I could have filtered my content so much more and made the account something for others to go to for inspiration, but I lacked the knowledge on how to do that.
I have uploaded a video of my morning routine this morning (currently Friday 29 October 2021) and so far, I feel as though the video is doing well. With over 100 views, 10 likes and positive comment section, I feel like if I had put more effort into the account, I could have gotten so much further with an audience and feedback. The video was so much fun to make and since being out of lockdown, I feel like my life just has not stopped, and so allowing myself this morning to slow down, Daily Ruby made sure I did all the right things to centre myself and bring me back to a calmer state. Who knows, I may even continue to post after this semester is over.
Overall, I am happy with how my account has worked out. I feel as though, Daily Ruby, represents me and what I am all about perfectly and that is all I wanted for a digital artefact. I have always struggled to come up with a digital artefact as I don’t have a set hobby and I am not super into something, I just like to live life and so Daily Ruby was to showcase what a ‘normal’ person’s life looks like, without the glam of a camera crew, just me and my phone in lockdown. I am however, disappointed in myself for not giving the account 110% towards the end of the semester. I feel like with coming out of lockdown, and not receiving the views and likes I thought I was going too, I just didn’t want to do it anymore. It has been a great learning curve and the best way to end my final digital artefact. A very bittersweet moment for me.
immerse into media 