Fitness and photos...

Have you ever take a selfie after a run?

If you're a runner with any type of social media account, the odds are pretty high that you've taken one (or many) selfies in your time. Am I right?

How do you keep the selfies interesting?

Granted, I have a vast array of running gear (so as not to be caught in the same outfit too frequently). Although I'm currently enduring the status of a sidelined runner (as I recover from that unexpected surgery almost two months ago), I also have a variety of alternatives with my fitness - like walking, planking and strength-training. Still, it can be challenging coming up with new and unique fitness-related selfies.

What's a runner to do? My solution is to get creative!

Here are a few crutches (no pun intended, given my current situation) that help me to keep my pics looking fresh and different. After all, it would be pretty boring if all of my selfies were of my sweaty (though, usually smiling) face from my house's front porch and walkway.

**Silhouettes are a great way to capitalize on a beautiful sunrise or sunset. Even though I have been doing a lot of early morning walking since my surgery, it's not uncommon for me to lace up and hit the road for a training run under normal circumstances. Sometimes the lighting is too dark to see my sweaty face, but how about the beauty of the sky as the sun begins to emerge? Heck, I don't even have to smile... just standing there with the morning (or evening) sky in the background is sufficient.

**Action shots are an easy way to evoke energy and movement. Don't worry if the image comes out blurry... it will just make it look like you're moving along with speed! Sometimes, I intentionally try to get a blurry shot because it looks more natural than a perfectly-focused "still life." And who says you have to look directly at the camera and smile every time?

**The sky is such a beautiful back drop, why not utilize it? Especially in the wee (or late) hours, the deep blue of the sky mixed in with a few bursts of light from the lamp posts can be quite striking.

**Candid shots are one of my favorite ways to strike a pose without it looking like a pose. As mentioned, it's a little predictable (and dare I say, boring?) to always be smiling directly at the camera. It's alright to look elsewhere (and if you happen to blink, it won't be as obvious).

**Filters are a great last resort when all else has failed in capturing a great picture. You can lighten (or darken) the color, play with shadows (or highlights), or even swap out the color for black and white. Some filters can even give a photograph more of a "painted image" nuance, which the art geek in me totally embraces.

One does not need to have professional photographs to validate one's fitness journey, but it is possible to mix it up a bit and make it interesting. Bottom line, all of us have different tastes, likes/dislikes, and objectives in posting selfies in conjunction with our workouts.  Anyone can just stand and smile in their post-workout glow...why not give your selfie some spunk?

So, there you have it! A few of my standbys, hacks, tricks, and objectives in documenting my fitness....any that you'd like to try? Do you document your fitness journey with selfies? Any tips or tricks you'd like to share?

I'm linking this with Susie and Debbie and Rachel and Lora for the Running Coaches' Corner.

  **And with Nicole and Annmarie and Jen for the Wild Wednesday Workout