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Wednesday, September 10, 2025

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How Blogging Influences My Life

Don’t worry, this won’t be one of those happy go lucky posts where I spew out all the great ways that the blogging world has improved my life. Although that’s all still true!

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Great Blogging Friends!

Remember how I reviewed the book It Starts With Food, and discussed how I’m considering following their 30 Day Challenge to see if it has a positive effect on my health and digestive system?

Well I got a lot of negative responses about going on the program (no one was rude, just concerned). After that I reconsidered whether I’d do it (still on the fence for various reasons) and one big thought that kept coming up was: “Will I lose readers if I follow this program?”. Um, WHAT?

Whether or not I wanted to follow the 30 Day Challenge was a decision about my health, and shouldn’t have had anything to do with the blog! Having that reaction got me thinking – how much does blogging affect my life?

I know many of my readers are bloggers themselves, so I thought today would be a good time to step back and really talk about how to handle mixing “real life” and blogging, especially for those of us who blog merely as a hobby, rather than a real source of income. I’ve discussed many of these issues with fellow bloggers and I thought it would be interesting to get everyone’s perspective in the comments.

The biggest issue that I’ve seen with those of us who blog as a hobby is time. When we blog for fun, sometimes other things come first – such as school, work, family time and other hobbies.

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I know of my favorite bloggers (and friends!), Tessa, took a lot of time off blogging because she is pursing her nursing degree and couldn’t keep both up at the same time. Blogging can take a lot of time, when you add together writing blog posts, remember to take photos and edit them if you choose to, posting to twitter, facebook and instagram (again if you choose to), and participating in things such as sponsorships, reviews, or companies like fitfluential.

Another way blogging affects my life is being influenced by other blogs. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve learned so many positive things from other bloggers, anything from great recipes or workouts (LOVE Julie’s workouts!) to getting some great personal support from women I’ve never met or only met once!

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However, I’ve personally had to stop following certain blogs because they’ve had a negative affect on my own personal mind-set. Seeing other women appear to be “perfect” in their exercising or eating can make a reader feel insufficient. This is silly because 1) we should never judge ourselves against others and 2) someone’s blog is not really a fair representation of their real lives!

As I mentioned before, blogging can influence decisions that I make in my own life. Bloggers often think “what will my readers think?” or “how will this look on the blog?”. Although it seems silly, honestly these thoughts come up in my mind (and I’m sure others as well!). I know I personally worried that everyone would get bored of my vacation recaps, and despite page views and comments going down that week, I chose to keep posting vacation recaps because I love having those recaps to look back over in the future.

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Yes, it’s important to think about my readers when I blog, because I write as not only a creative outlet for myself, but as a way to connect with YOU. However, this shouldn’t dictate what I do in my daily life.

Finally, I thought I’d throw this in here because it was brought up by several family members and friends while I was at home: blogging affecting my personal safety. Julie wrote a great post about thinking about personal safety when blogging, but I think it’s important that we not share too much about our lives. Although I personally find it incredibly unlikely that I’d gain some sort of stalker through my blog, it’s very possible. It’s important as bloggers to keep this in mind when posting, but also when “checking in” on social media outlets.

I realize this post is a bit all over the place, but I had so many thoughts! I’m not trying to say blogging is bad, I LOVE writing this blog and everything I have gained through my experience with it in the past year and a half. However, I thought this would be a great discussion post.

 

What are your thoughts? How does blogging, or blog reading, affect your life?

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78 COMMENTS

  1. Great post! First of all I love reading your blog! Second, I used to be so focused on being influenced by other bloggers lives that I felt I had to follow their lifestyle in order to be “perfect”. After blogging for almost a year I don’t care if I live to be a perfect representation of health. I like reading blogs because some inspire me for motivations and others to get a laugh at. I’m sorry that some blogs were becoming negative to read.

  2. I actually have a VLOG up on my blog today on the same subject! Sharing a brainwave today. As awesome as blogging is and the amazingness of the people within the community, there’s a few that worry me. There’s really no way to tell how healthy someone’s relationship with food and their body really is, so comparing yourself to them can be a really negative thing.
    http://betterwithsprinklesblog.com/2013/01/22/bloggers-as-an-influence-vlog/ <— my post today!

  3. This is a great topic. I’m still somewhat new to blogging and sometimes I feel like I should be posting more often than I do (I average about once a week, if that) because I do want my blog to grow and gain more readers. However, I’m trying to remember to blog for ME and not anyone else. I’m not going to post just to post. I want my content to be interesting rather than boring fluff about my day. My life isn’t that exciting haha.

    For the record, I love reading your blog! And I really enjoyed your trip recaps. I love reading about different places in the country/world.

  4. gr8 post babygirl!I actually typed up something sorta similar this weekend, the idea came to me in the shower (As all my great ideas do). we are TOTES twinzies.

  5. Very interesting post! I’ve thought of these topics a lot lately, and I’m glad that you’re opening a conversation…especially about viewing the “perfect life” of certain bloggers.

    When I’m trying to hard to convey myself in a certain light in order to look like a better person to my readers, I realize how flawed the blog world really is. NOBODY is perfect, but with great editing software you can look that way! It’s easy to try to morph a blog into a perfect picture of health and happiness….but my favorite blogs are the ones that are honest, funny, and show pictures without makeup from time to time:) Lifestyle blogs should reveal real life! And real life isn’t aaalllways fun and trendy and cute.

    • Haha I think I have too many pictures sans make up… I agree – I prefer the more “real” blogs rather than ones that seem perfect!

  6. I think a lot of this has to be said so I applaud you. There is a distance with blogging that I know I work pretty hard to maintain, just this balance where it isn’t about how will people react? what will people think? I think blogging should be about what you want to write about, whatever it may be

  7. Great post girl! I seriously love it and couldn’t agree more with what you’re saying here. I actually have been considering writing a similar post recently, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around how I want it to come out. I think what it comes down to is doing what is best for YOU. Everyone is different…we all have different lives, jobs, families, personalities, etc., and I think we need to respect that in ourselves and also with other bloggers. You’re awesome!! xoxo

  8. I totally agree with you on the safety matter! You never want to expose too much about yourself because you never know who could be reading! But as for deciding what to post on your site, the decision should be entirely up to you! Don’t worry about what people are going to think one way or another, you blog because it is something you enjoy! It shouldn’t be something that you have to debate with yourself as to whether a topic is too risque to share with your readers! Keep doing what you’re doing! Your blog is great!

    • Thanks so much, Rachel! And yes, safety is a big deal which I should think about more. I always avoid big things though – like where exactly I live, what gym I go to and my school!

  9. Thanks for the great thoughts! As a brand new blogger, I’ve looked back on a few posts recently wondering if I’m sharing too much information. I originally thought of blogging as my own personal outlet too, but also as a way to keep in touch with close friends and family. I’ve realized I’m opening myself up to so much more than that so this post has definitely hit home for me. Thanks!

  10. AMAAAAAAAZING post, Katie! AMAZING! I really can’t even tell you how much I love this. And you are so right – a great post for discussion 😉 Ok, so yes blogging totally affects me and my life would be much different without it. Better? No I don’t think so, but I definitely have to limit my time on it!!!! I too had to stop following some blogs that didn’t make me feel good about me. I love you honey

  11. I definitely agree with you that blogging can take up a lot of time, but that it also introduces you to new people, new workouts, new eats and new info. I have learned a lot from the people I follow, and I’ve always stopped following a lot of bloggers because I felt like I wasn’t living right compared to them. That’s definitely not right. I blog a lot because my family that I don’t get to see much reads it. It’s nice to keep them updated on what’s going on in my life. It’s a great way to stay in touch and gives us stuff to talk about. I think blogging as negatives and positives, but bottom line, it should be something that makes you happy. It shouldn’t stress you out and you shouldn’t do it for someone else. Great post!!

    • Definitely a LOT of positives from blogging! Haha my aunt at Christmas told me she reads it every day – I had no idea! It really is a great way for family to see what’s going on in your life.

  12. Hey Katie,

    I’m not sure you wanted to open up the whole elimination diet conversation again but I just wanted to throw in a view in support of it. I haven’t done it personally, but my friend with IBS was given instructions to follow an elimination diet by her doctor (she lasted about two days but still it was encouraged!). In one of the images on the other post it shows in the book how they have you add foods back in one and a time and evaluate them. The whole idea is to eliminate everything so that one by one when you add them back in you can pinpoint exactly which things your body does not respond well to. Since you’ve had so many digestive issues I think really pinpointing what to avoid so you can be happy and healthy is a good thing!

  13. Great post! I think this is a side of blogging that doesn’t always get discussed.

    One of the reasons I decided to step away from my fitness blog was because I felt like a loser if I took a rest day or didn’t track my mileage. I just wanted to do what I wanted!!!

    Now with my style blog I will call myself out if my outfit isn’t the greatest. Because we’re all human and not perfect.

  14. This is a great post! I had to take a break just recently in order to step back and look at blogging from the outside in.. I was feeling overwhelmed and inferior for awhile and during my time away, I realized I can only be the best I can be. I want my blog to reflect who I am, not who I try to be. You made some very smart points! 🙂

    • I’ve done the same thing, especially with exercise. It’s important to step back into the “real world” and realize what works best for you and your life and not compare to other bloggers.

  15. Did you and sam plan this haha? I like reading posts like this because it makes me feel better about thoughts I’ve had and things I’ve done like stop following blogs for that same reason…too easy to fall into thr comparison trap and feel like I’m not doing enough/what I should be doing…it’s definitely something I’m watching with myself…i started my blog to connect with people, write and make something for myself really to show how far I’ve come and encourage me to kerp going…just need to remind myself why i do what i do for now and see where I end up!

    • Haha and Kelsey said she wrote a similar post for her blog too! We’re all on the same wave length! And it’s definitely easy to fall into the comparison trap, I have to constantly check myself!

  16. Great post Katie! A lot of the things you mentioned are reasons why I took a step back from my blog. I started to feel insufficient about certain things and I found that I was making certain decisions because I have a blog. Obviously, I was going a little crazy (I don’t think this is uncommon though…). It helped for me to step back and realize that I am a friend/daughter/girlfriend/employee first and a blogger second. No one is going to freak out if I don’t eat 100% clean or don’t post every ounce of food that I eat.

    • Definitely not uncommon, but it’s so important to step back from our blogs and focus on our “real lives” first and blogging second!

  17. I love you for posting about this. So brave! And SUCH a good post!!

    Everyone is different, so blogs should BE different in how people write, take pictures, etc. I personally HATE talking about every single piece of food I eat or workout I do. I also really like to share information & quality in my blogs–so that might be a turnoff to people who just want to follow MY life. When I first started blogging I tried to eat oatmeal, take pictures of all my food, and share my workouts. This did NOT work & I started resenting it. So then I began blogging how I wanted to–and now I just do it for fun.

    Great thoughts on your post! Also, I don’t tend to read blogs of persons who hardly eat anything/at least show that, or pretend everything is always peachy. I don’t judge, it just does not lift me up. I also stay away from blogs that are overly negative. I don’t need negativity in my life! I really enjoy meeting people from blogs that I follow–it was SO fun to hang out with Ashley, she is great in person & so real. We hold very similar views on lots of things–like ummmm, it’s okay not to have veggies at every meal & instead eat a real dessert! Haha 🙂

    p.s. I LOVE pics about vacations & recaps. They’re so fun!! <3

    • I love that thought – we’re all different so our blogs should be too! And I hope to meet you in person one day, glad you and Ash had a good time!

  18. ive stopped following lots of blogs – even ones that i read forever and ever – because theyre just not helpful or beneficial for me in any way. basically if there arent recipes, cute dogs or babies, im out. ha. i kid (sort of). but this last year of paleo BS has made me clean house in my google reader. if someone doesnt eat carbs or writes incessantly about crossfit, i cannot relate. unsubscribe.
    the privacy thing is huge too. when i first started my blog i never thought twice about it bc “who would read this?”. but now i protect myself and my family and friends. i ask people before i write about them. i use letters instead of names for people i didnt ask. and i am very vague about personal stuff. when the little man comes, im still trying to decide how ill deal with that. i dont think ill want him to have his life on the blog from day one, so i have to sort out how to keep it private and non-searchable. just in case hes running for president one day, right??

    • So you read my blog for pictures of Molly? I better get some more on here! Haha. And I agree – I get so tired of blog posts that are all about their WOD that morning! And I used to mention friends and family and put their pictures up without asking, but now I am always sure to ask – they aren’t the ones who decided to have a blog, I did! Haha and I bet your little guy will be president one day!

  19. This is such a great post, and it also seems to be very timely as this kind of thing appears to be a hot topic! I almost have too many thoughts on this to put into a comment, I guess I’m actually feeling a little disenchanted with some areas of blogging right now, mainly peoples lack of tolerance and understanding for others. I still love writing my blog, I guess just right now there’s people that are making me feel bad about myself. Gosh that’s a bit down beat isn’t it, there are loads of great aspects to blogging that I think I need to remind myself of!

  20. I really love this post. You are one of my favorite blogs, and I comment on yours more than anyone’s because I can always relate to what you say. You also know how to pick worthwhile topics. (I loved your vacation recaps!).

    I know for me, my blog is an outlet for all of the struggles that I have with my food allergies and stomach issues. When I went to “test” out paleo, there were many readers who were supportive, but there were also some who just downright disagreed. I’ve finally found something that works for me I think (GAPS) but honestly I questioned whether or not to write about it on my blog. This has inspired me for a future post I think! I was worried that I would lose the vegan readers that I had with all of my talk of meat and such things. I was also worried that people would get bored with my talk of soup, so I backed off. This had made me really think about how I choose what to write about on my blog. Thanks for this.

    • Aww thank you!! That’s so great to hear! It’s definitely hard to decide what to talk about for fear of alienating readers, but it’s important to stay true to yourself!

  21. Thoughtful post. I find that when life gets too crazy, I back off my blog because my usual exercise and eating habits have gone down the tube and I don’t want to appear vulnerable. I am working on being more transparent on both my blog and video channel. It’s difficult but I don’t want anyone to think I’m perfect when it’s sooooooo far from the truth.

    • That’s what I’m afraid of – that I’ll appear “perfect” because I don’t post about all the not-healthy things I do.

  22. This is a great discussion going on in the comments!
    I’ve definitely found myself comparing myself to other bloggers at times and I’ve done my best to remind myself that I am only seeing a snapshot of their life and not the complete picture. I’ve had to unsubscribe from several blogs recently that were too bothersome for me. They made me feel bad about the way I eat or how many rest days I take or what I am not accomplishing. I started reading blogs for fun so I am not going to let a blog make me feel bad about myself.
    I certainly don’t blog about everything going on in my life, but I have monitored what I posted for fear of what others would think. But I write for me so I guess I shouldn’t care what others think.

  23. I really liked reading this post! I am very, very new to blogging but have been reading blogs for a long time. I enjoy reading about others but have to agree with you, there were some blogs I stopped reading because they made me feel insufficient. I am hoping to stick to being ME in my blog and while I would love to gain readers its more for me and as a way to keep in touch with my family that lives out of the country and help other family members struggling with weight issues to live healthier.

  24. I don’t blog myself but I do read many blogs often. I have really wanted to start one but ultimately, it comes down to the fact that I know I don’t have to time to commit. I also think I am afraid of people seeing that I’m not “perfect” as so many bloggers appear to be. Maybe in the future I will consider it because I am so inspired by many bloggers (including you!) and want to do the same for other readers. Thanks for sharing with us!

  25. I don’t have a blog but love to read them (yours is for sure one of my favorites, because I live in Chicago, too!). The reason I am commenting is because I checked out the comments on this post to see what other bloggers had to say about this topic, and I noticed that you replied to basically every.single.comment that was written here so far! The only ones that don’t have a reply are mine and the one directly above me, probably because they are coming much later than the other comments and you are out living you life! I just want you to know how awesome I think that is that you take the time to not only read the comments but also to reply! I know a lot of bloggers read/reply to comments, but I have noticed that you do so more often than others. It really means a lot to us readers that you care about what we have to say, too! I hardly ever comment, but the one or two times I did, I got a response!

    Thanks for being such a great blogger!

    • Completely agree! I comment on a few blogs occasionally, but rarely do I ever get responses, unless it’s your blog! I’ve even sent e-mails asking questions to a few of the “bigger bloggers” and NEVER got a response.

      • I’ve done that too, I think they get so many emails that sometimes they miss it, or it goes to their spam. They usually respond if I try again! And thanks for the kind comment!

    • This was so sweet of you to say, Erin! I really appreciate hearing that people notice that I comment back as much as I can, haha some days it’s hard to make the time!

    • Oh I’m sure it is! I think I don’t hear much about it since I live alone, but I get a lot of lectures when I’m home with family!

  26. I really love this post! I actually had a blog for about 6 months. I chose to stop blogging for several reasons, the main one being that I was getting way too caught up in what my “readers would think”, gaining readers, and I wanted so badley to connect with other bloggers. I wasn’t blogging for the right reasons at all, and it was making me crazy!

    I completely agree with you about avoiding specific blogs – there were a few that were having unhealthy influences on my own life.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Katie 🙂

    • It’s hard to not get caught up in all of that, and I’m not going to lie if I say I don’t pay attention to my numbers, but it’s important to remember that this is about being my creative outlet, and about connecting with people.

  27. Oh, I can SOOOOO relate! I think its good to be mindful of readers but above all staying true to yourself and keeping it a source of JOY. I have made a big shift to go towards what fulfills me with blogging over the past year and it has been so much better. I stopped reading a lot of blogs because I realized that I ddin’t have any connection with these people and it did me no good in any way of inspiration/positive thinking. It’s so important to take pressure off. Big hugs to you for posting about this!

  28. Great post! I can definitely empathise with a lot of the points. For me it’s changed recently in that people in my local area have starting reading my blog so I feel a little more on guard when out and about.

  29. This is such a great post, I identify with a lot of the things that you say. Blogging affects my life mainly positively – it makes me reach out, try new things and has made me less fearful. I have shed certain blogs because the writers just made me feel bad about myself! They were so perfect in exercising and clean eating, those with a lifestyle that is similar to mine are a much more enjoyable read!

  30. Ummm first of all, thank YOU so very much for the shout out! Yeah I am not sure about this semester either but I am also not planning on doing novel posts like I always do. More just whatever and whenever! You are brilliant woman, I still don’t know how you do it with all that you do!

  31. I don’t usually comment on blog posts that have this many comments, but I had to chime in and say how much I agree with you — awesome post! I think sometimes it’s hard to keep a good perspective when you have a blog, but I do also find that just knowing that I will be blogging about what I eat or whatever actually keeps me healthier! But I can also see how that could easily go too far and turn into an disordered type of eating for some people. Personally, I love your blog and will keep reading no matter what. If you want to blog about this new way of eating, go ahead!

  32. Hi Katie,

    I’ve read your blog for a while. i enjoy it and wish I could be half as successful and accomplished you are. I’m struggling with a lot of digestive issues..but not much willpower for elimination 🙁 Tricky too cause I’m kinda low weight and have low iron. My doctors are …useless …man, oh man. I hear “ibs”, “take antianxiety meds”, “eat this” , “don’t eat that”. I can’t afford faancy supplements or alternative practitioners (I wish…but have to work within my strapped financial means). WOuld LOVE to chat with u about this…I wonder if you have some similar “issues” to me digestively..I’m also full of gas (like balloons of gas bubbles trapped in my tummy…so …not…fun 🙁 Not sure what to freaking eat anymore, ha. Frustrating though. It doesn’t help that I tend to REALLY eat A LOT late at night (emotional I think bigtime…don’t judge…oye). I’ve never been vegetarian and almost wonder if I need to Stop eating such heavy foods like I’ve do. I’ve read “Lisa Lately” and she’s eliminating dairy and eggs…I think I actually need to…I’ve read that when you eat the SAME things over and over you can develop a sensitivity (not an intolerance, but an insensitivity that requires some trial of elmination for a period of time, then gradually add back in)..but again, I’ve no willpower and I’m “stuck” to my familiar, “Safe” , food and routines, etc. Jeesh.
    The thing is that there are a LOT of approaches. WHole 30 is just ONE approach and not necessarily the sane one. There are tons of other very well researched ways to eliminate or approach things, so I’m on guard on which to try. I recently read the new book “The Plan” and that is also interesting…I don’t agree with the author’s approach to weigh oneself daily (and the book is kinda about weight loss, but you have to KEEP IN MIND while reading it that that doesn’t apply to u or me, etc) but I do LIKE the author’s approach that not everyone can eat the same way (paleo might be ok for someone, but not someone else, etc)..that also has a 20 day plan that seems legit…anyway, would LOVE to chat. Feel free to email me anytime! My email is included here. Thanks!

  33. You can gain a stalker!!! I did >.< But this post is great because it got me thinking about me and my blog. I used to have this reader this, reader that or what will people think, but as of this year I am doing me. If I want to post, I post and I speak the truth!

  34. Well said Katie! I definitely get what you mean about blogs influencing my mindset and thoughts (sometime in a negative way.) I, too, have had to stop following a few blogs due to the ‘seemingly perfect’ persona they portrayed – but you’re right in saying, ‘Why do we judge ourselves by these women?’ What works for one, doesn’t work for all and instead of dwelling on what I’m doing wrong (or not well), I should be focused on my strengths and what I bring to the table (both in the blogger world and in my life!) Again, this was such a well said post 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us!

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