By some estimates, Instagram has: 50,000 Many fitness influencers claim to know the secret to a healthy lifestyle. Some share helpful tips backed by science, while others promote fitness advice. Misguided Dangerous at best, dangerous at worst.
new studyResearchers found that nearly two-thirds of the 100 most popular “fit influencers” (a term used to describe influencers who post fitness-related content) lacked good advice or said, for example: I discovered that I wasn’t posting messages that could adversely affect people’s mental and physical health, such as. Promotes exercise as a tool for weight loss.
“A lot of what we call ‘fitfluencer’ content is really just ‘flimsy inspiration,'” says Lenny, a psychology professor at Northwestern University who studies the effects of media on body image. Engeln says he was not involved in the study.
some previous the study We show that exposure to images that promote specific body types correlates with lower body satisfaction, mood, and self-perception. sexual attraction.also linked to messed up meal.
Distinguishing between health-promoting and potentially harmful accounts can be difficult even for researchers, Dr. Engeln said.
“Influencers may post helpful tutorials on how to do squats safely,” she wrote in an email. “But then we follow up with content promoting ineffective (or even dangerous) weight loss supplements.”
So how do you go about finding trustworthy accounts? What should you look out for when deciding which Fitfluencers to follow? Here are four rules of thumb from the experts.
Check your gut and ask yourself one important question.
Stephanie Ross-Goldberg, a clinical social worker and therapist in New York who works with athletes, suggested asking yourself: “Does this fitness influencer make you feel like yourself?”
She said that if browsing an account makes you feel guilty or physically embarrassed, it should automatically unfollow you. Because these feelings are shown by research. Promotes unhealthy fitness habits and undermine both Physical and Psychological benefits of exercise.
If you’re the parent of teens with social media accounts, it’s important to guide them through the same process, according to a newly issued document. Recommendation From the American Psychological Association. The organization urges parents to train children to question the accuracy of social media content before opening accounts and to avoid comparing their bodies to what they see online. ing.
“One of the best things parents can do is sit down with their kids and start a conversation,” said Ross Goldberg of social media. Not only does this help parents understand what their children are getting out of each account, but it can also provide them with the language to describe how they feel about what they see. increase.
Find an account that focuses on what your body can do.
Take a close look at the images, videos, and text posted on your account. Exposing yourself to content that encourages you to exercise for functionality, strength, and mental health is more likely to lead to healthy relationships with people. our bodies.
Be sure to follow accounts focused on: find joy and confidence But be wary of fitfluencers who share before-and-after photos that highlight fat loss, or images that treat parts of your body like objects that need to be perfected, like glowing abs or disembodied legs. please give me.
Kelly K. Roberts, a New York City-based running coach and body positive fitness influencer with nearly 70,000 followers on Instagram, initially shared how running changed her appearance. I gained followers by posting graphed images. But when she realized that her own social media habits were causing her to obsess over her weight, she switched to posting about running for the fun of running.
“Anytime you post about your body, you’re giving people an opportunity to self-compare and self-objectify,” she said. “You will rarely see me talking about my body anymore. I just exist in it.”
To find movement-focused accounts, search for hashtags like #joyfulmovement, #intuitivemovement, #inclusivefitness, and #bodypositivefitness.
Look for an officially qualified fitfluencer.
Cedric Bryant, president and chief scientific officer of the American Council on Exercise, says it’s best to follow a professional who is formally trained in your area of interest.
“You can’t rely on the number of likes or followers a person has as an indicator of the quality of advice,” he said.
Instead, look for references to qualifications and experience, such as master’s degrees and coaching certificates. Dr. Bryant said beware of fitfluencers who offer unprofessional advice, especially on diet and nutrition.
“Even if you have a fitness certification, if you don’t have proper training in nutrition, I would be very cautious,” he said. “Make sure they stay in their lane.”
Look for influencers with different body types, ages and abilities.
Despite longstanding cultural misconceptions about exercise and body shape and size, fitness is different for everyone. “Seeing people of all body types engaging in fitness activities is an important step in moving away from the stereotype that fitness is only for young, thin and perfectly fit people,” says Engeln. said Dr.
The more diverse bodies we feature in our fitness feeds, the more ideas we have about what we can do ourselves, and the more open we are to trying new things, she said.
Daniel Friedman is a New York City journalist and author of Let’s Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshape the World.
