I’ve dabbled a bit in Pinterest in the past few months, but nothing serious. I sense it’s highly addictive properties and have tried to ignore the siren call to spend even more time on my computer. But I can’t tune it out any longer. Half a morning spent cruising around the boards has shown me that it’s a better source for some things than Google or Facebook. And it’s a treasure trove of good ideas for healthy living and goal-setting.
Healthy eating
Type in “healthy eating” into the Pinterest search engine and you’ll find veggie inspiration in every color of the rainbow. Each board has a cover picture and four smaller pins so you can tell very quickly if it’s a style of eating that appeals to you. If you follow a particular style – like paleo, vegan or anti-inflammatory – these searches bring up hundred of boards to get ideas from. If your iPad has become a kitchen staple for recipes, you can follow the pin back to the original post and get cooking immediately. The best idea I found today are these Mason jar salads at Karen Nichols’ blog, As long as the dressing and lettuce doesn’t touch, these babies can last a week in the fridge. Perfect for salad-loving kids.
Fitness
Any fitness video that’s online on YouTube or Vimeo can be pinned to a board. You can collect a series of exercises to do at the gym, or some of your favorite yoga classes, and have them in one place on your iPhone or iPad. Most of the fitness magazines have Pinterest sites that are worth checking out. I’m not sure Pinterest offers much more functionality than Google here, but you could find inspiration from another pinner.
Motivation
Collecting inspirational quotes and images on Pinterest can help keep the wavering flame of motivation sparked. These ignite the deepest force in your mind: your imagination. Your subconscious mind works in pictures and images, so collecting images that reflect your vision taps into that power that is deeper and more effective than your willpower alone. Adding inspirational quotes in colors and designs that appeal to you just adds to the emotional response you’ll get from it. The mere sight of your Pinterest board should make you happy and fuel your passion to succeed every time you look at it.
Martha Beck, of Oprah fame, is a big believer in vision boards for success. As she says: “The board itself doesn’t impact reality; what changes your life is the process of creating the images—combinations of objects and events that will stick in your subconscious mind and steer your choices toward making the vision real.”
Goal-setting
People find that it’s a good way to simply keep track of goals so they don’t lose focus. Create a board for each goal and add or subtract inspiration, tips and resource articles. As you get closer to your goals or as your goals change, so can your pins.
You may be able to find a Pinterest buddies to share the ups and downs of the journey with. You can quickly figure out someone’s sense of style, attitude and values by the images they choose to pin. Finding someone to exchange ideas and tips with or to stay accountable with can be really helpful in staying on track.
How to Pin
All you do is download the PinIt button to your bookmark toolbar. Look for the goodies section on the Pinterest website for instructions on how to do that. Whenever you come across any image you like on your internet travels, you PinIt and pick the destination board. No copying links and emailing them, no saving JPEGS. There’s access to a mobile app on the same page so you can use your iPhone to stay motivated on the run.
Happy Pinning!