6/15/11

Blogs > Magazines

As I stood in the grocery store the other day browsing the magazine stand for something to read I realized something that I had been overlooking for a while; the nature of the magazines that I buy has changed a lot over the last few years. Instead celebrities with no makeup and high fashion movie stars, the covers of the magazines I gravitate towards usually have beautiful pictures of yummy looking food or a runner.

Yes, I knew that times had changed when I put back a Cosmo in favor of Canadian Living.

The other thing that I noticed was that I rarely buy magazines at all anymore. With the exception of a deeply discounted subscription to Chatelaine the only magazine I buy regularly is Runners World. I rarely pick up an issue of Glamour or Women's Health anymore (I used to buy every single issue) and when I do I am just not as engaged as I used to be. But why?

Is it because I'm getting older? (don't answer that)

It it because I am just not as cool as I used to be? (leave that one alone too)

Nope. Its because of you guys. That's right, I have replaced magazines with blogs. I argue its with good reason but you can be the judge of that:

Reason 1: Cost

Blogs are free. Magazines on the other hand are upwards of $5 per issue. I spent nearly $40 on magazines to take to Cuba in April and was done them all by the third day. Definitely not a cost effective option in my opinion.


Reason 2: Wholesome Food

In the healthy living blog community there is a push towards real food (You know, that stuff that comes from the actual earth?). Women's "health & fitness" magazines tend to feature low-calorie, fat free (and sugar infused) options with minimal nutritional value. Believe me when I say that in my magazine reading days I never would have considered this a lunch choice like I did today.



Reason 3: Fitness

Many of the blogs I read are written by runners and fitness enthusiasts who work out because they love to. They have goals and accomplishments far beyond total calorie burn. On the flip side many magazine tend to focus on the easiest or fastest way to lose weight through physical activity. The shift towards exercise as a lifestyle is definitely a welcomed change for my own life.



Reason 4: Recipes

There are many times that I go to buy a magazine for a recipe and then realize I probably know at least two bloggers who created that exact same meal and it will taste better and be healthier. If not I can certainly take ideas from their creations and come up with something pretty darn good on my own.


Reason 5: Substance

In blogland, there are stories and experiences and actual content, not pages and pages of ads pushing diet pills and get thin quick schemes. Sure some bloggers make a living from their blogs and I support that because they have integrity with the ads that they display and I don't have to turn to page 265 to get the rest of the half-told story.


Reason 6: Community

There is a sense of belonging in the healthy living community that can't really be understood or appreciated until you are a part of it (which is easy...come on in!) Through blogs you are cheered on when you succeed and picked back up when you fall. People here just get you and you feel like you know a little bit about what its like to be them. Magazine people on the other hand....yeah, not so much.


Reason 7: Real Looking People

The blogs that I read are full of beautiful people (yes I'm talking to you SR) and the best part is they are natural and diverse. Some are tall blonds (*cough* you again..) and others are petite brunettes. They have freckles and pimples and some probably even have cellulite (that's more me then you SR but we can pretend can't we?) And even better then the best part is that they aren't afraid to be real. They are wacky, and honest and even down right gross. And if there's a plastic pair of you know whats in the bunch you've certainly got me fooled! Definitely can't say that for some of the magazines out there (did you see that Montag debacle up there?)


Reason 8: Me

I'm a blogger and not in magazines and its my prerogative to prefer places where I am welcome. Its Sam logic, don't worry if you don' quite get it.


With all that said, I can't say I won't ever buy a gossip mag ever again. But know this, it won't be opened until I have caught up on my G-Reader that is for damn sure!

Blogging for the win!


So tel me, do you read a lot of magazines? Whats one magazine you simply have to to buy?


18 comments:

  1. Fabulous post and SO well done! I couldn't agree more - I would MUCH rather read about fitness and nutrition and daily life from real people living real lives any day of the week. Love this post!

    The two magazines that are cover-to-cover musts for me are Sunset (healthy, sustainable living in the West), and Vanity Fair (because the journalism geek in me LOVES the long articles!)

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  2. Great post!! I loves Runners World but besides that I only buy gossip mags when I travel :) Its my guilty pleasure!!

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  3. First - the blog looks great!

    Second - I totally agree. My magazine purchases have drastically decreased. Runner's World and Running Times are the only two that I still subscribe to. I love getting inspiration from the blogs!

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  4. I used to be a huge magazine junkie! Then I discovered G-Reader as well... But every now and then I still buy Australian Women's Health, Health & Fitness and every now and then I might flick through Cosmopolitan Health. Everything else I get from blogs. Gotta love it!

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  5. OMG great post Sam!! I am totally cutting down on my mag subscriptions this year. Right now I get Oxygen, Cosmo, Chatelaine (gotta love the discounted Canadian mags!), Self, and Women's Health. TONS! I recently canceled my Cosmo subscription and I don't think I'm going to renew Self either - like you said, blogs are superior to the fake looking people, and I find them more relatable too. Oh, and not to mention that mags seem to be getting thicker and thicker with ads!

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  6. Great post! I've noticed myself reading mags less too in the last few months, but haven't really stopped to think about why this is. Your points make a lot of sense though!

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  7. i can now die happy since i was called beautiful. life is complete.

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  8. I loved this post! I don't buy many magazine because they are so expensive and full of ads that I don't care about.
    Everything you wrote about above is true, I couldn't have said it better myself.
    What shoes do you run in by the way?

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  9. lately, im loving what u'r selling! haha
    ive always liked ur blog and what you wrote about, but lately, things u write really hit close to home for me.

    keep up the great posts!

    aneta
    (still cant comment properly)
    www.runningbucket.com

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  10. I totally agree! I have a small magazine addiction that im currently trying to control...they're too expensive! plus, im usually somewhat disappointed by their content. i loveee blogs and could read them all day long. i definitely think the community aspect and the 'real person' part of blogging is very appealing and a big part of why i like it so much. great post!

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  11. I 100% agree, i used to buy self and people and us weekly every week and now its totally rare for me to buy them - i prefer reading blogs with amazing recipes and inspiring people :o)

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  12. I agree with everything you said here! I still subscribe to Shape, but I skip the articles and go straight to the "real life success stories", which to me, are basically what blogs are. It's motivating to see others work towards their goals and accomplish them. Also, like you mentioned, I think the workouts and recipes in blogs are totally more legit. Oh and yes, so much cheaper!

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  13. Very well said. I quit reading Glamour, etc ages ago and the only magazines I get now are Runner's World and sometime Real Simple. I've apparently grown up? :)

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  14. Like you, I've found I buy far less magazines these days. I did pick up Vegetarian Time on impulse the other day and found several interesting recipes in there. I still indulge in some non-food magazines for plane trips though (a rare occasion.)

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  15. Well said! I can't believe you don't want to read about how Boobs McGee was destroyed by fame though. haha. I agree that blogs > magazines any day of the week!

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  16. Magazines on iPad look stunning. I love reading digital magazines on iPads and iPhones. I use Other edition's newsstand for reading digital magazines.

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  17. I find myself searching around for great blogs like yours for my health and fitness needs, feels so much more personal then the magazines in my opinion. I like pretending that I actually know the person whose blog I'm reading, and you do a great job of keeping your blog reader friendly!! another great fitness site i found has been http://www.amandarussellworkouts.com/

    check it out sometime its pretty good, think you would enjoy it too!

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