I created CrossingColorado.com as a way to help me keep track of weight loss. Unfortunately, Google’s Algorithm changes in June of 2019 pretty much sunk the amount of traffic the site receives. Still, I’ll keep creating content.

What’s sad is how it was lumped with all of the fake and fraudulent “health and fitness” sites even though I always cite facts and scientific evidence.

I guess Google’s human reviewers aren’t interested in facts unless it coincides with their own belief system.

Why Does CrossingColorado.com Exist?

In 2015, there was an event that I wanted to be a part of: Pedal the Plains. This is when people ride bikes across various areas of Colorado while learning about the heritage and history of the state.

At that point, I was pushing the 270 mark and was too out of shape to even consider a three-day bike tour.

I decided I needed a bit of motivation if I wanted to join this event. Thus, CrossingColorado.com was born. This is because I wanted to log being able to cross the entire state of Colorado on a bicycle.

However, the site has morphed quite a bit from its original idea. Now, it’s just keeping me somewhat focused on not ballooning back up to 300 pounds.

Keeping Me Focused

One of the reasons why I like blogging and creating videos is to keep me motivated. If someone is reading or watching my content, I feel as though I need to stay on track.

It’s a kind of accountability. After all, I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I’m talking about.

When trying to be healthy and fit, you don’t really have accountability other than to yourself. While some people are capable of doing this quite well, others like myself need something more.

Otherwise, we can fall back into poor decisions.

And no, I still haven’t hit my goal weight. And as a result, I feel like I am letting down anyone who follows the blog or watches the YouTube videos…especially myself.

Thanks to the recent events with Google, my once-growing blog had been decimated. So, it’s a bit disheartening and hard to focus on health and fitness if no one can read the material.

However, I recently had a resurgence in my passions and would like to still do more with CrossingColorado.com, even if Google hides the content.

A Great Place to House Information

As I strive to improve my physical and mental health, CrossingColorado.com lets me record everything I learn so I can look back on it later. In essence, it’s as much for me as it is for anyone else who wants to read and learn.

Like I said earlier, I use statistical and scientific evidence to support claims. This means I dig through a lot of information on the Internet so I can find the most accurate facts.

For instance, I broke down the ingredients in various weight loss and workout supplements to discover if the claims of the brand were accurate.

Every bit of information is pulled from reputable sources.

Another aspect of putting things I learn into practice is how it helps me remember. In fact, a lot of studies exist that demonstrate how writing things down helps you keep it in memory.

And if I keep reiterating specific points, it becomes engrained in my mind.

At any given point, I can go back and look up the information I have forgotten.

The YouTube Experiment

As an add-on to CrossingColorado.com, I developed the YouTube channel. While it’s not nearly as prominent as the channel for WriterSanctuary, it serves a similar purpose as the blog.

Accountability through social interaction.

Unfortunately, I’m not nearly as active on CrossingColorado’s channel as I am with the others. And like the blog, it makes me feel guilty when I don’t update with new videos.

I think part of that stems from the lack of engagement. With few viewers, I get into the mindset of, “why should I care if no one else does?”

But, that is the wrong way of thinking about it. Instead, I should do with CrossingColorado as I did with WriterSanctuary. Use the videos as an accentuation of the blog.

Nowadays, though, I have so much on my plate that I don’t know if I can put in the same amount of effort.

Still Stiving on Health and Fitness

I want to lose weight and be more fit. I just need to find the motivation to get more exercise and deal with my snacking habits. And it seems I do far better if I regularly blog on CrossingColorado.com.

Just like everything else I am involved with, though, it’s all a matter of effort. And this is something I’ve been working on as of late.

For the longest time, it seems I’ve lost a lot of passion in various aspects of my life. I need to spend time to reflect on myself and get some of that determination and motivation back.

After the recent loss of my son, though, it’s very difficult to get back into the groove of many things.

Future Plans

Even though Google has all but sunk CrossingColorado.com, it doesn’t mean I should just give up and bury the site. I just need to revisit what I’m doing with the brand. Perhaps I can fix the things that dropped its traffic by 500%.

I’m still going to add reviews of food and workout equipment. Mostly, this is to remind me of how I feel about certain things. For instance, I’m not sure what peanut butter chocolate ice cream I like most because I’ve had so many different brands.

This way, I can look back and see what I’ve given the products according to the rating system.

I do want to do more with the YouTube channel. I’m just not sure exactly what I want to expand into. I was setting up a video for losing weight playing the Xbox Kinect, but recent life events kind of put that on the back burner.

Perhaps the first thing I need to fix is the overall performance on the site. It’s a bit hammered and scores poorly in things like PageSpeed Insights.