When the New Year rolled in you expected it to come with renewed inspiration to do everything bigger and better than the year before. But January has come and gone and somethings feels off. The blog, or freelance gig, or novel that once was exciting to write suddenly seems like a chore. Just looking at a pen and piece of paper gives you writer’s block.

So what do you do to find your love of writing again? Here are some tricks I’ve used in the past:

Seek out inspiration – Sometimes, we just need a little nudge in the right direction to feel motivated. Take a step away from your blog and surround yourself with things that get your creative juices flowing. Go for a walk, read a new book, browse your favorite blogs, cook a new recipe, take a shower (best spot for thinking!).

Give your blog a facelift – Have you ever had a day where just changing your outfit or adding some lipstick makes you feel rejuvenated? The same can help your blog. If you’re not in love with your current theme, spend some time browsing theme sites to see if any templates jump out at you. Not ready to commit to a big blog change? Try updating your logo, or changing your current color scheme.

Consider a topic change – Maybe you have writer’s block because you’re not as excited about your topic as you used to be. A lot can happen in a year, and your tastes and interests may have changed, whether you realized it or not. Flip back through some old posts – which ones are you proud of? Which felt forced? It may be hard to say goodbye to the blog you poured so much love and time into, but like a relationship-turned-sour, it’s best to let go rather than try and force it to work.

Let it go – If all else fails, don’t stress over it. Take a break for a few days, or weeks even until the writing bug bites you again. You’re doing a disservice to yourself and your readers if you’re posting just for the sake of it. Your writing won’t have passion, and your readers will recognize it. Allow yourself some time to regroup, without guilt – you can’t force greatness.

What other ways do you pull yourself out of writing ruts?

Tanya Sylvan graduated from the University of Alabama with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Advertising and Public Relations. A native of Kendall Park, N.J., Tanya currently works in marketing at CRC Insurance Services, Inc. and Moosedog & Co. She is an ultra runner and can’t live without mountains, ethnic food, and her husband Zack. She blogs about running at tanyasylvan.com.

I’m a huge proponent of using social media to connect with others. I’m not talking about Facebook-stalking your old classmates or tweeting where you ate lunch. I mean real, honest-to-goodness relationship building­­—the way Zuckerberg and Dorsey intended.

I met 95 percent of my friends in Birmingham on Twitter—before I even lived here. When my husband, Zack, and I moved here, we should have been the odd couple out: two New Jerseyans in a new city with a small-town feel where everyone knows each other. Instead, we were embraced offline by the online community who knew us only as @tlsylvan and @zacksyl.

Despite it being a great procrastination device and seemingly easy to navigate, having a strong social media presence takes effort. Here are some key things to keep in mind:

Connect wisely. Social channels all have different purposes, so use them properly. Don’t send a friend request to the HR person who interviewed you or job inquiries to someone’s personal Facebook account. When you tweet, make sure you add value to your network by adding your own unique perspectives to articles instead of just passively retweeting information.

Make your voice memorable… Do something that will stand out in a crowd—consistently. Whether it is being known for your food commentary or your sense of humor, make it easy for people to remember you.

…but be yourself. There’s nothing worse than a social media faker. You know, the person who is clever and engaging online, but has the personality of a dirty paper plate offline. People want to get to know the “real” you and this will help you create real, offline relationships.

Be relevant. Make your updates, tweets, and posts carry value. If you’re in advertising, discuss recent campaigns with others in your field, or comment on updates from local agencies. At the same time, find a balance between posting about your work and your interests while still letting your personality shine through.

Meet offline. The real magic happens when your connections turn into friendships. Take the plunge and ask to meet IRL (in real life) over coffee or a beer. Risky, you say? I do it all the time and haven’t died—yet—so you should be safe.

Attend events. Birmingham is always full of networking opportunities. Slap your Twitter handle on your name tag and go meet some of your social media icons. Or be a social media butterfly and create your own tweet-up.

So I encourage you to look at social networks with a new set of eyes. Who knows, you may meet your new employer, BFF, or significant other through them!

Tanya Sylvan graduated from the University of Alabama with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Advertising and Public Relations. A native of Kendall Park, N.J., Tanya currently works in marketing at CRC Insurance Services, Inc. and Moosedog & Co. She is an ultra runner and can’t live without mountains, ethnic food, and her husband Zack. She blogs about running at tanyasylvan.com.

Back in June I wrote “Birmingham – I Run This Town,” a post about my favorite running route in downtown Birmingham, Ala. My friends and I ran 14 miles of the Mercedes Marathon route and I took pictures of my favorite landmarks along the way.

It was something that I had wanted to do for months, but just hadn’t had the opportunity. Like all of my posts, my only goal was to share another one of my running experiences.

And then it took off. My family and friends read it first. Then a handful of bloggers. Then my running friends, who shared it with their friends. Who then shared it with their friends. The first day I had an all-time high for views. The next day those views tripled. When all was said and done, my views were 400% above average.

So what happened? Why did this post go viral? What did I do differently? After some thought and talking to others, here’s what I learned:

Strike an emotional chord. Write with an intent to drive a specific result or emotion, not numbers. If you make people laugh, get angry, feel nostalgic, they are more likely to return to your blog and share it with their network.

Make it familiar. People like things that they can relate to. It makes it more real, and in my case people recognized the places in my pictures. Runner or not, my audience was able to recall their own memories of downtown.

Tell a story. Everyone loves a story – it’s human nature to want to share our experiences with others. My post was about more than a run; it was a story about a lot of little stories. Having been able to explore Birmingham on foot has given me a bigger appreciation for all the small businesses, the revitalization of the downtown area, and the people that fight to preserve and make this city’s dreams a reality. That’s what community is all about. My goal was to let my audience experience, through my eyes, all of those things that make me proud to live in Birmingham.

Open eyes. Posts that teach readers something or bring something unknown to their attention tend to get more traffic and shares. If I find something cool, I want my network to know about it too.

Don’t force it.  You can’t make something go viral; viral is not a strategy. Stay true to yourself and write about what you love, but also listen to readers and pay attention to what they like.

In the end though, it’s all relative. What’s considered viral for my blog may be your everyday statistics. Think of it this way – if the majority of your network saw and interacted with your post, you did your job. If they shared it with their network, you have something deeper there that you need to continue exploring through your writing.

Last week I wrote a similar post about running in Helena, a small town just outside of Birmingham. It did well statistically and people loved it, but it wasn’t met with anything near the amount of interest that my “I Run This Town” post had. Conversely, a post about women and their thigh gaps surprisingly surpassed my “I Run This Town” post.

What does this tell me? You can never predict with perfect accuracy what people will respond to. Just write from the heart, and your network will take care of the rest.

Tanya Sylvan graduated from the University of Alabama with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Advertising and Public Relations. A native of Kendall Park, N.J., Tanya currently works in marketing at CRC Insurance Services, Inc. and Moosedog & Co. She is an ultra runner and can’t live without mountains, ethnic food, and her husband Zack. She blogs about running at tanyasylvan.com.

You may be wondering, “Who is Tanya Sylvan and what business does she have telling me how to work out?” The answer is simple: none, actually. I have no credentials. In this article, I’m just sharing what works for me.

I’m a road runner-turned-trail and ultra runner — I run marathons and 50Ks, and I am training for my first 50-mile ultra marathon. Having a strong upper body and core is crucial to maintaining proper running form for hours upon hours, and, of course, having strong legs is a must too! I do all of my strength and cardio training at home for free – no gym for me!

Let’s face it – gym memberships are expensive, especially if you’re a writer on a tight budget. If I have to choose between paying for groceries or frequenting the hottest gym in town, I’ll pick pasta and veggies, thank you very much. But unless your dream is to become a bodybuilder, you can get an effective workout at home for a fraction of the price. With a few small pieces of equipment, if that, you can easily set up a killer body circuit at home.

Here are some exercises I incorporate into my weekly routine:

Pull-ups – A pull up bar is a fun toy, I mean, a great exercise investment. Cheap ones will run you $30, and you can either create an actual workout for yourself or do as I do and try for a pull up every time you walk by. Don’t fret if you can’t do an actual pull up – try using a chair for an extra boost or just hang on it to build strength.

Push-ups and triceps dips – Another effective – and free – workout is a triceps dip/push-up circuit. I love these because they give me Michelle Obama arms and can be done anywhere. I switch from dips to push-ups to vary the engaged muscles. If you’re already a headliner at the Gun Show, try diamond push-ups or dips from a chair to get a more intense workout.

Cardiovascular workouts – Exercise videos are a great way to get in a cardio workout. Exercise DVDs are perfect because you can do them in the comfort of your own home without getting self-conscious or worrying about showing other people up. Feel free to cry, sweat, groan, curse – your pets won’t judge you. Your spouse might. With some Googling, you can find any workout your heart desires.  You can find workouts on Hulu Plus and Netflix too.

Planks – Planks are a favorite of mine. The #plankaday hashtag on Twitter has created an entire community of plankers, including myself and See Jane Write Magazine founding editor Javacia Harris Bowser. Planks work your arms, back, abs, and legs – talk about a move that does it all! I like to listen to music to distract myself as I build up my plank times.

Squats and lunges – Ah, the never-ending quest for a tight tush. Lunges and squats are an easy and free way to achieve enviable assets. Try doing lunges across the house and holding a water jug to make squats more challenging. Just don’t forget to not let your knee go over your big toe.

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You can buy cheap equipment like yoga mats, weights, pull-up bars and DVDs at places like Target, TJ Maxx, and Wal-Mart. And don’t forget to check thrift stores and yard sales for pieces of equipment that people have discarded. Their laziness can contribute to your sexy body.

Now, all of this will be a moot point if you don’t make time to work out. Do it in the morning before the rest of the world wakes up and obligations start to kick in. You and I both know that some “emergency” will always pop up and hinder your good intentions to work out, so plan for that.

If you really despise mornings, make working out a priority in your schedule. I’m talking physically writing it into your calendar, and keeping that appointment. You wouldn’t miss a meeting with your editor, would you?

And if all else fails, fit exercise in whenever and wherever you can. Waiting for water to boil? Drop and give me 20 push-ups. Putting away laundry? Lunge your way to the bedroom. Brushing your teeth? Do calf raises. If being fit and healthy is important to you, you’ll find a way to work out, even if you look ridiculous.

Tanya Sylvan,  a native of Kendall Park, N.J., Tanya currently works in marketing at CRC Insurance Services, Inc. and Moosedog & Co. and lives in Birmingham, Ala., with her husband Zack. She blogs about running at tanyasylvan.com.

Disclaimer: We here at See Jane Write Magazine are NOT doctors! Consult your physician before starting any new exercise regimen.