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5 Reasons to Start a Health Blog

January 15, 2015 by: Jennifer Gretson 3

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If it seems like everyone is blogging these days, it might be because it’s true. Health blogs in particular are very popular, and with a variety of topics and niches to fit into, almost anyone, from an amateur fitness enthusiast to a health professional can find a voice in the area. The reason health blogs are having a moment? It could be that there are so many good reasons to start one! Starting a blog is simple, free, and comes with a whole host of benefits for blogger and readers alike. Here are just a few compelling reasons to start a health blog.

Blogging to Create and Participate in a Community

Starting a blog, in whatever area, helps create a whole new community of readers who are interested in the same topic, which is a powerful thing, says Lola Augustine Brown in Readers’s Digest Best Health. Blogging communities are very connected and reaching out to blogs on the same or related topic is amongst the most popular way to draw readers to a new site. As a blog gains traction and starts to have regular followers, friendships may even develop. In larger cities, meeting up with other bloggers becomes a possibility, but even online relationships can be sustained for long periods of time if both parties share common interests. Starting a health blog can be a source of support and solidarity as much as a venue for sharing ideas and giving advice.

Blogging for Motivation

Blogging keeps someone immersed in whatever topic they are blogging on, engaged with their progress and constantly thinking about improvement. For this reason alone, blogging about health is a great way to motivate oneself. There are many blogs, for example, that recount the experiences of people trying to lose weight through exercising or following specific diets. Noted fitness blogger Craig Ballantyne began blogging as a way to share his training secrets, but soon found that maintaining the blog kept him committed to reaching his fitness goals. Seeing people’s successes online or having readers talk about how they’ve been inspired by something on a blog are both extremely rewarding and motivating in themselves.

Blogging to Feel Good

There are many reasons why blogging might make someone feel good. Blogging about something like health is no exception, and it may, in fact, be an even bigger contributor to happiness. The process of writing itself can be demanding, but by its very nature it is a cathartic and rewarding experience. Writing allows the brain to process emotions and form and reform opinions. Once a blog gains a solid readership, the blogger knows that there are other people who relate to and value their writing, which is a tremendous ego boost.

Blogging Can Be Anonymous

When bloggers choose to write from behind a veil of anonymity, often adopting a pen name or pseudonym for their online persona, it can offer them an even greater outlet for creative catharsis. Of course, many people have no qualms about putting their name next to their writing, but others may wish to blog without revealing themselves. For health blogs this can be particularly useful when dealing with sensitive issues like personal weight loss or reproductive health, but could undercut the authority of a bona fide medical expert. The anonymity gives people access to all the benefits of the community and the good feelings blogging can bring without forcing them to go public with private matters.

Blogging as a Learning Opportunity

Starting a blog on health and continuing to contribute to it regularly will open up many doors for new experiences and learning opportunities. While research isn’t necessarily going to be part of every blogger’s process, many bloggers look to what’s already on the web for information. Reading and writing on health topics will likely help someone develop a more sophisticated and well-informed opinion on the subject.