It is coming up on the 2 year anniversary of Fit Traveler Blog. I have been blogging and writing for more than 10 years. Growing up I wanted to be a photojournalist and travel the United States in my RV. Since I received my first camera, I have always had one in my hand taking an annoying amount of photos. Writing has always been a passion of mine.
I have been blogging on and off since 2009. I started with the blogspot account and changed the name several times. My why behind the blog has changed so many times too, but this name is one of my favorites. This is the first time in a long time that I have clarity and purpose with my writing. I am confident in who I am and my writing style. Writing is and always has been about me. it’s my therapy, and my space to write my thoughts. I love to share things with other people, and never been the type of person to gatekeep or exclude people. There is always enough room for everyone.
When I decided to start writing more consistently again, I was depending if I wanted to recreate on my old blog names so start fresh. My overthinking and analytical self thought so much then I decided I wanted a fresh start. A new name because I am not the same person I was when I had my other blog games. None of them fit right for me.
Previous Blog Names
I’m going to start by saying, I am super lucky that I have kept the same log in for GoDaddy because it definitely helped for this timeline.
- Through the Storms – Started this in 2009 mostly has a journal. This was close to the ending one of the most lowest points in my life. It started out as a journal for myself to process my feelings, and my thoughts on faith & religion.
- There could have another blog in between these 2 but I honestly can’t remember. I thought I had it written down somewhere of all my blog names. If I did have a blog name, I didn’t have it for very long-maybe a year.
- Life of A Sports Wife – Around 2011ish – I was living in Arizona. It was my VERY edited version of what it was like to be a sports wife. I wish I had the guts and confidence to share the most honest view behind the sports industry. But on the other hand, blogging really wasn’t at that time. It was all feel good and highlight reel driven. This was probably the best time I had blogging and writing because I met some amazing people.
- The Jessa Olson – 2014-2015/16 – This was the most exhausting time of blogging because I was trying to make everything a brand. The goal was to be able to be a full time blogger which sounds amazing but it was so much pressure on me. I felt like I had to put things out because that’s what you “should” be doing. Looking back, I didn’t really know what I wanted to write about but I knew I wanted to write. I love writing.
- Fitness Gypsy – 2016-2017 -I’m not sure if I had one between the past 2. The name was a pretty easy one because I had just become a personal trainer, and I was traveling all the time. I absolutely hated where I was living and any chance I had I got out of there. The overall goal or mindset was pretty basic I wanted to write about traveling and fitness. There was no really plan after that.
- Jessa Olson Wellness – 2018-2021 – I thought about keeping this name for long time, but it’s not who I am right now. I am still very passionate about wellness but in a different way. When I started this blog it was to be a more transparent way to fitness and nutrition. My initial idea was to go into different studios like pure barre, OTF, yoga, etc and take the class. I would get all the information and put on the blog. The overall goal was to share everything I was reading and learning with others, but in a way everyone could understand. During this time, the world changed and I did to. I had reached my breaking point in the fitness industry.
In the Beginning of Fit Traveler Blog (FTB)
Fit Traveler Blog started as a place where I would write about fitness/wellness from a different standpoint. The idea was to be more nutritional and wellness based. I started working on healing myself and being the person I wanted to be and that I knew I could be. The “fit” part was more about being healthy.
The travel part of FTB has probably been the biggest change from when I started to now. In the beginning, the travel still wanted to include reviewing fitness apps or equipment to give a transparent opinion of the product. The goal has always been to give both the positive and negative aspects. The travel was very basic on sharing where I went and what I did. I have always loved to travel, and one day I want to live in my car or RV.
The Future of FTB
The future of this blog is so different than the other blogs. This is the most confident I have felt about blogging and writing in a long time. I want to hold on to this feeling for as long as possible. Even by going back to get the names of the different blogs was interesting because I was able to remember the feelings I had in my life and with my blog. I don’t know how else to explain it except my eyes are fully open. Things are no longer in a fog or haze.
The “Fit” In FTB Now
I am no longer a trainer, but that doesn’t mean that the knowledge just left my brain. I still love to learn about how and why are bodies do what they do especially because we are all different. One of the things I say all the time what works for me might not work for you. (And the other way) Fitness/nutrition/wellness is all about finding what works for you. It’s a bunch of trail and error which is tough because we don’t like to fail, but you have to. Trust me I know it sucks. The last 2 sentences are my mantras for accepting failure because I want to be perfect. (I know, I will never be.)
Now, I try to write more from self care/self love place of mind. In the past few years, I have learned to stand up for myself more and set boundaries. (I have even went full no contact with family members because they aren’t good for me right now.)
When the world was ending, I didn’t work for a long time because of where I lived and restrictions. One of the best things I did for myself (and I didn’t even know it) was spa nights. Every Sunday I would do some sort of spa treatment. it could have been as small as taking a relaxing bubble bath to full head to toe spa treatment. It was so much fun to learn about different products & equipment that can be used. I still continue today, and it’s one of the things I look forward to the most.
Moving forward I would to include more nutrition or food choices at home and while traveling. I have to be careful with what I eat and to actually eat sometimes. I want to share how I plan and prep my meals because sometimes cooking for one sucks.
The “travel” in Fit Traveler Blog
Over the past year, I have became obsessed with traveling and car camping. I have incorporated that a lot more in my blog and social media. In the beginning, the idea was just to talk about where I went and what I did. Now I plan on posting about how I pack for the different trips, how I plan, the roadside adventures, etc.
Traveling has become my new normal, and I love it. I love my full time job, but being outdoors and traveling just fuels me. Every week we have a staff meeting, and a few people are ALWAYS ask what I am doing this weekend or where am I going. They know if the weather is nice I don’t want to be at home. Normally during the winter I want to stay inside, but this year I have car camped while it has been snowing.
My travel trips now are a blend of hiking/being outdoors, finding hidden gems/unique things about where I am at, and overall exploring. I have a list of things that I want to see but most of the time it’s just being in the moment. It’s definitely a different way of traveling for me because I like to plan. But I know I missed out on things because I had to get to the next thing on my list.
My New Lifestyle
Minimalistic/Simplistic Lifestyle has been something that I have been interested in for a long time. I have gone in waves having it in my life, but over the past few months I have really embraced it as a way of life. The goal has always been to live in my car/RV, and I can’t do that if I have a lot of stuff. It would literally be hoarders on wheels. Organization is something that I really like doing, so I’m sure I will posting things about that as well.
I am so excited for my renewed energy for writing and blogging. I can’t wait to post more about everything, because the ideas are plenty. My goal is keep the mindset “done is better than perfect” or else it won’t get done. I am putting myself out there more and accepting the rejection. I never thought I would get to a place where I would feel so confident about my writing.
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