How Youtube Changed My Life
I started watching YouTube to learn how to lift weights. I didn’t expect my life to completely change. Now, I will never be the same.
As I began to care more and more about the weight I was gaining in college, I asked myself, “how did I get here?” Ironically, I immediately knew exactly how I got there. I was soothing my emotions with distractions; partying, substance, food, and men. I finally decided to make a change in my life.
I started slowly. I enrolled in a Personal Health class at school (forever changed my life!) and slowly began a routine gym regime. At the time, the only things I knew how to use at the gym were machines — the elliptical, the treadmill, a few strength machines, and perhaps some body weight squats and bicep curls. I began attending 2–3x a week, sticking to roughly the same routine. Around the same time, one of my friends invited me to workout with her at the gym. She taught me how to do barbell squats. She does not know this, but she helped change my life even more with this action. After this, I had the confidence to go into the “boys” section of the gym (the area with barbells, free weights, etc.). I decided to learn more about strength training — I began by Googling some other exercises I could do that were like barbell squats.
This led me down a YouTube blackhole that I still have yet to emerge from. I had found *spirit fingers* “Fitness YouTube!” This included consuming hours of vlogs about fitness from a slew of different “influencers,” as they are called nowadays. I vividly remember watching one of Nikki Blackketter’s videos, a part where she was working out and mentioned doing bicep/tricep exercises. I had no idea what muscles those were or where they were on my body. This only motivated me to learn more.
I found so many other fitness YouTubers who I related with. Watching their videos and learning about fitness, healthy eating, and other general health topics began four years ago. I still watch almost all of their videos today. I am now invested in their lives — I want to keep watching to see them succeed. I learn so much, just from watching what these folks choose to produce for YouTube. Many of these YouTubers are doing amazing things, journeys that I want to follow along with. Body building competitions, building gyms, producing podcasts, creating clothing brands — all in all, living life to the fullest and following their dreams, no matter the challenge or doubt they may feel. Some of these people include Christian Guzman, Brandon Harding, Brittany Shaheen, Heidi Somers, Taylor Chamberlain, Sarah’s Day, Grace Beverly, Whitney Simmons, Emily Hayden, Randi Kennedy, and many, many more (some of the YouTubers I initially learned from are not really making fitness content anymore; such as Amanda Bucci, Jazmine Garcia, and Marie Wold).
In a way, I feel I surrounded myself with fitness YouTubers as I would surround myself with high quality friends “in real life.” I was and still am invested in their lives, past the point of fitness and living a healthy lifestyle. Their motivating rants mid-video, how they go about life, how they make decisions — they have all influenced me in a very positive way. I totally understand that YouTubers are in no way sharing their entire lives when they post videos, but from what I’ve seen, I’ve been changed. I truly believe this dedicating watching influenced me positively, in a way that will forever change the rest of my life. I am so committed to a healthy lifestyle now, that my life has completely evolved. I was motivated to obtain my personal training certification and start training clients, a complete 180 from my previous path, just from watching fitness YouTubers and being motivated to follow my passion. I created my own online coaching business, taught group fitness classes at two locations, began a fitness Instagram, and my own YouTube channel. I do not think I would have found this motivation without initially beginning by watching YouTube myself.
(Instagram: @sydneyeatsfitness, Youtube: Sydney Carter — these are my new channels, my previous ones were hacked and deleted at 10k followers, long story)
Without YouTube, I know I would be a different person. I knew what I was trying to gain from researching on YouTube, but I did not expect my life to change forever from what I found. I am so thankful for the world of fitness YouTube. Beyond the product promotion, cinematic quality of videos, sponsored posts, beautifully crafted athletic outfits, etc., the message is clear across all fitness YouTube platforms- they want to help people.
Without finding this platform, I don’t think I would be who I am today. I am in love with myself; my mind, my body, my spirit, my abilities, my faith, my confidence, my healthy lifestyle and mindset. YouTube helped shape me into who I am today. For that, I am eternally grateful.
Finding motivation and positive influence, wherever that may come from, will change your goals and desires. You will dream more. You will realize your potential. You will set out to achieve your aspirations confidently. I hope that everyone can find the influences I’ve found through YouTube. I will never stop following my dreams, thanks to the influences of people I began watching through a free video streaming platform. Thank you, Youtube, and thank you to all of the people who helped get me to where I am today.
Thank you so much for reading. Please consider sharing this article if it touched you in any way. I appreciate the support so much.
Love you,
Sydney
Social Media!
Instagram: sydney__likethecity
Youtube: Sydney Carter
