3 Hashtags That Help You Drop Weight

Break a serious sweat this morning? Tell your tweeps.

Using Twitter as a support network can help you drop weight, according to a new study from the University of South Carolina. Researchers split 96 people into two weight-loss programs: One group received informational weight-loss podcasts, while the other received the podcasts plus mobile apps to track their progress and interact with other group members on Twitter.

The results: After 6 months, both groups saw a 2.7 percent reduction in weight. But when researchers looked specifically at the data from the mobile group, they found that every 10 posts to the site resulted in a 0.5 percent drop in weight. Why? The researchers hypothesize that the online social support during the intervention helped keep people motivated and on track for their goals.

The link makes sense. Additional research from the journal Obesity shows that having social strong support and working out with others leads to better success with weight loss.

Want to reap similar benefits? Here's how to use Twitter to connect with other gym addicts, runners, health gurus, and nutrition specialists.

#RunChat
If you’re a runner looking for training advice, tips on refueling, or simply a new workout to try, fire up #RunChat. It's a Twitter chat that takes place from 8 to 9 p.m. ET on the second and fourth Sunday of each month. The chat’s founders ask the questions, and you provide the feedback to fuel the conversation. (Just follow along and tag your tweets using the #RunChat hashtag.) Check out @therunchat for more details.

#imagreatist
From avoiding fitness plateaus to overcoming injuries, @Greatist is your one-stop-tweet-shop for inspiration. Greatist is run by a plethora of fitness junkies, and its main mission is “to inspire and inform the world to make at least one healthier decision per week," according to its website. The company blasts out daily workouts and nutrition advice, and encourages you to tweet (via the hashtag #imagreatist) what you’re doing to better yourself that week.

#MHWeekendChallenge
Hey, a little self-promo never hurt anyone, right? If you’re looking for straightforward, intense workouts brought directly to your Twitter feed, follow @MensHealthMag. Every week we team up with killer trainers to bring you the Men’s Health Weekend Challenge. Whether we ask you to do sprints, burpees, spider push-ups, other bizarre moves, every challenge is guaranteed to make you sweat. We blast a tweet out every Friday afternoon with a link to the current challenge, and you have until Sunday to complete the task. Tweet us your score with the hashtag #MHWeekendChallenge to see how you stack up against other readers, or check out Men’s Health on Facebook to get in on the conversation.

If you liked this story, you’ll love these:

• 10 Things You Can Learn from Twitter
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