Hello, Sweatsational readers!

Fitness isn’t a journey that you can undertake completely alone. Sure, it’s easy to hit the gym solo. But having people to support you as you accomplish your fitness goals can make all the difference in your motivation level. These people don’t necessarily have to be “in-person” friends–they can be bloggers or vloggers! In my ‘Gym Buddies’ series, I will be featuring links to websites, YouTube videos, blog posts, or magazine articles that have inspired me on my fitness journey each week.

This week, I found my biggest source of inspiration via Pinterest. One of my favorite bloggers, Taralynn McNitt of Undressed Skeleton posted this gem (click here to check out her pin!).

In one of her recent blog posts, Taralynn wrote about hiking and her nature epiphany: that many people (herself, and myself!) included, don’t take the time to “thank” nature for all that our planet provides for us. We forget to recycle, overuse natural resources, and leave an extremely large carbon footprint in the wake of our everyday activities.

One of my biggest fitness goals is to become a dedicated outdoor runner. I’m excited about spending more time in nature, and I’m sure that running while taking in fresh air while taking in the sights around me will be far more motivating than staring at a wall as I jog on the treadmill at the gym! I plan on “giving back” to the world around me by taking up a challenge that Taralynn has set up for herself: using reusable shopping bags no matter what! It sounds like a small thing, but every little change that we make in our lives can have lasting results.

Thank you, Taralynn, for being such an inspirational gym buddy this week!

Who inspires you on your fitness journey? Let me know in the comments below, and keep an eye out for next Saturday’s Gym Buddies update!