photo credit: CelebMuscle

At the beginning of 2013, like everyone else on the planet, I made a resolution to lose some weight and get more trim for the start of the year.

I’m very proud to report that I’ve lost 12lbs so far, and I’m getting back to my optimum weight after the seasonal festivities.

The problem with losing weight and getting trim is it’s not fun.

I don’t like saying no to desserts, hauling myself out of bed to the gym while everyone else is tucked up and getting an extra hour of sleep, or monitoring what I eat to make sure I’m on track with my weight loss programme. The thing is, no matter how hard it is sometimes to stick to a good routine, the results always, always make the journey worthwhile.

As you know, I often apply what’s going on in my day to day life to blogging, and the healthy lifestyle I’ve been undertaking is no exception!

While I was on the treadmill the other morning, I got to thinking how there are a lot of similarities between getting in shape physically, and getting your blog in to peak condition.

Here’s what I’ve realised about the need to keep your blog fit and healthy, even when you’d rather be watching television, playing games online or surfing the web…

Persistence Is Everything

You know by now that your online business isn’t going to make you a million overnight. You do know that, don’t you?

However, you’ve probably already realised that if you keep at your blog and maintain it well, adding in new content and making sure it’s clean, easy to navigate, regularly updated and looking great, your customer base will gradually increase. Just like losing weight, blog best practice requires us to have a long-term strategic approach for success.

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Little and Often is Better than Radical Change

Sometimes it can be really tempting to ignore your blog for a while, and then come back to it with a huge radical re-launch to make up for the lack of attention you’ve paid it. New themes, layouts and approaches for sites are interesting and exciting, and it’s tempting to simply throw in the towel with your existing site and start out again when things seem a little stale.

The fact is, the best blogs stick to a winning formula, and their owners understand that tending to their site every day, sticking to a routine that works, is the best way to ensure continuity, retain their ever-growing customer base and provide a consistent platform for adding enhancements, improvements and new developments. It’s kind of like the difference between eating healthily every day to make long-term improvement, or jumping in to a five day cabbage soup diet to get instant, but short-lived, results.

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It’s OK to Take Breaks

How many times on a healthy eating plan or diet do we ‘fall off the wagon’ by grabbing a take-out or downing a bottle of wine, only to decide that we’ve then scuppered our chances so may as well go back to our old habits?

Blogging can be like that.

So many people think that if they lose motivation for a week or so in updating and maintaining their site, that they may as well give up. The truth is, your site can take the occasional hit if you neglect it, and it’s important to simply pick up where you left off, do a little extra, and settle back in to a good routine. Don’t be disheartened if you take a break. As long as you stick to your long-term strategy for success, your blog will forgive you!

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Keep the End Game in Sight

Blogging and dieting both require a healthy dose of optimism to ensure that we stay motivated, even when we don’t see direct results.

Having an ‘end game’, which details where you want your blog to progress to, what success will look like, and what steps you need to take to achieve this goal is critical to ongoing drive, motivation and ultimate success. It’s the equivalent of sticking a picture of a body-builder or size 8 model on your fridge to keep you focussed on healthy eating!

Keep your goals in mind at all times, and measure everything you do against that strategic success.

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The good news is, blogging is easier than dieting.

You don’t feel deprived or hungry when you focus on your online business, and it’s much easier to keep it in great shape without having to hit the gym!

If you have any tips for our fellow bloggers on how to keep your site in tip-top condition, it would be great to hear from you.

How do you stay motivated?

What have you done this year, to make sure your online business is lean, mean and muscled?

Let me know via the comments below.