An inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something. An influencer is someone who influences another person. Why do we follow people on social media? It's because we feel inspired or influenced by them. We might like their style, their work, or their lifestyle, and we want to incorporate that into our own lives. When it comes to fitness influencers, we
see people with those defined muscles or the flattest stomachs. We aim to achieve that, but sometimes we forget to reflect if it's practical enough. It's not IMpossible to achieve that type of body, but we have to know our OWN body and the different factors (mainly biological) that may challenge us into actually achieving the defined muscles or flat stomach. Social media is a major platform in following our inspirations and influencers, and that can sometimes be toxic to our minds & wellbeing. I used to look at Pinterest photos of girls who have the flattest stomachs and I always wanted to be like that. No matter how hard I worked out and how little I ate, I could never achieve that kind of body. I just couldn't, and that's because it's not practical enough for me to achieve. It's not realistic FOR me. This took a toll on my mental health as I felt ashamed of my body and it deteriorated my self-confidence. I wasn't happy and comfortable in my own body, and that is sad. I feel that our feeds on social media should be a visual representation of what we want to become and achieve realistically. We are on our phones a LOT and if we are gonna be spending time on t
hese media apps, might as well make our feeds be more uplifting and realistic for us to follow.
Here's some tips on "de-toxifying" your feed so that you can achieve your fitness goals:
Ask yourself, "Is this person that I'm following a realistic version of the fitness goals I want to achieve?" Like I mentioned earlier, you have to know your OWN body and realize that there are factors that makes you different from another person. Examples of these factors are genetics, environmental, metabolism, and lifestyle. For me, I know that both sides of my family don't have fast metabolism so it's going to take time for my food to digest and
that means that I will not be the skinniest. After knowing and ACCEPTING the type of body I have, I follow people who have a similar build. Gymshark has a lot of athletes with unique body types and they show realistic and inspiring representation of fitness goals. It's a good place to start if you don't know any fitness influencers with your build. If you do follow people who seem too impractical and can be at times "fake," then I suggest to unfollow them as you can subconsciously compare yourself to them and it can just go downhill from there.
Once you feel like you've unfollowed everyone you seem to be toxic to your feed, it’s time to diversify it. It's always good to follow a variety of fitness & wellbeing accounts that will help you reach your fitness goals. Follow people of color who post cardio workouts you are interested in. Follow accounts that spread positivity, inspiration, and motivation. Follow hashtags so you can be a part of a community that shares a common goal. Remember that you will be scrolling through this feed every day, so you want to follow a
ccounts that will benefit you, your wellbeing, and your willingness to achieve your goals.
Pay attention and save the workouts that you are interested in. These fitness accounts post workouts for a reason. They want to inspire you, motivate you, and challenge you. If you see a workout post that you would want to try, save it and ACTUALLY TRY IT. I keep a collection of workouts and dances that I want to do or make my own version of, and I actually do it. If it’s effective for the person posting it, then it’s going to be effective for you. And if you don’t like the workout, then at least you tried it and look for another one you like.
Post your progress. If you feel proud of the steps you’re taking to meet your goals, then share it. There is a community who will hype you up and motivate you to keep going. You are being an inspiration to those who want to get on that fitness grind. Also, by posting your progress, you are holding yourself accountable and it’s a good way to look at how far you’ve come. I enjoy looking back at pictures of myself when I was younger and then co
mpare them to how I look now, and let me tell you, I lowkey tear up every time because it’s been a journey that I’m proud to be on. And you should too. Celebrate those small accomplishments because you deserve it and it motivates you to not give up.
I believe social media is a great tool to utilize when working towards a goal, but only if it’s designed effectively. Make your feed uniquely yours. Make it so that you enjoy looking at it and it also motivates you to be active. Once you’ve received a sparkle of inspiration, you have to take initiative of actually working on your goals. You can’t just look at the screen and expect that you will reach your goals without the actual activity. Also, keep in mind that your mental health and wellbeing is so important to reaching your fitness goals, and it can be impacted by social media. So go on and de-toxify your feed and get fit!