Did you wake up early for your new spin class? Tweet about it. A new study shows using Twitter as a support network can help people shed extra pounds. Here are four ways to make Twitter your new best friend in the gym.

Pinpoint bloggers: Look up others tracking their own fitness journeys, and follow along. As a suggestion, first search for weight-loss bloggers online who also have a Twitter account. Then start by following them and see who their users are. Follow the users you find who are similar to you.

Interact: Don't just watch others talk health; dive in. Start tweeting. Twitter is an amazing way to connect with other people who are also attempting to start an exercise, healthy- eating and weight-loss program. Interaction is key. You want to feel like you're in it together with other users, not like you're alone on an island.

Update your status: No need to worry about making tweets witty or particularly newsworthy. The posts to Twitter were mostly in the form of status updates, so just telling people that you went to the gym or stuck to your calorie goals for the day was helpful. The nice thing about Twitter is it's expected that you will post multiple times per day, and you can be fairly anonymous. One study showed that participants liked having the ability to be anonymous and not have to worry about a friend knowing they were trying to lose weight.

Try Facebook: While Twitter's anonymity is certainly great if you want it, Facebook may also work, especially if you can join a weight-loss group or have real-life friends getting fit along with you. In a current weight loss trial that was conducted among women with polycystic ovary syndrome, they used private Facebook groups and had good success with them.