a A new report commissioned by lululemon, the activewear brand known for Now exiled founder’s hatred of fat people – suggests that “the constant pressure to improve our health is actually making our health worse.” the 2024 Global Wellbeing Report Research has found that nearly two-thirds of Australians struggle with societal demands to stay happy ‘in a certain way’. Almost half of us say we feel pressure to pretend to be happy when we’re not.
It feels like there are countless reasons why we feel like trash, and some people point to social media as the culprit. Physical health is expressed online through bright staged selfies, constant Strava updates, and perfectly choreographed videos of squats. but For me, in a world where almost everything has gone to hell, I find joy in these posts.
It wasn’t always like this. Like many people born in the 1980s, especially women, I was taught that physical activity was not for me. Physical education class was hell. Even when I was doing something I loved, my body would start to feel weird, and I would get BO or periods. Sports were for other people. By the time I was in my 30s, that idea had changed. select Participating in sports was ridiculous, and “happiness” was like leaving your kids in someone else’s care so you could go to the spa.
Sometimes I would see a friend’s post about how to exercise. Usually I thought, “That’s especially unpleasant to me.” In my mind, there was no reason to share my workouts other than to feel bad about not doing my own. Appalled by their hate crimes (posting their getaway stats), I unfollowed them and returned to my favorite activity (feeling sick).
It’s hard to explain how committed I was to not going to the gym. There were days when my phone recorded fewer than 100 steps. But one day, as I struggled to get up from the floor after pulling out the remote, I suddenly realized that I was almost 40 years old. I thought maybe I should do literally any movement.
I’ve been taught to fear the gym. I imagined being publicly mocked by rip-off young men wearing influencer gear. They’ll probably record my terrible efforts and disgusting body as content. When I got home and logged on, I noticed that I was talking about trying to run one RDL in middle age.
Social media algorithms didn’t show me health-related content because I was integrated into my indoor clothes. We got a video of a cat falling off a bench and 38 ways to cook potatoes. If I were to compare myself to anyone else, it would be people who have enough money to try all the snacks at Costco.
Social media didn’t deter me from exercising. It was fear, guilt, and my imagination.
I was too embarrassed to try it in public, so I turned to YouTube. Avoid recommendations such as “H-bomb or cake?” I typed in “exercise habits at home” and ran it. I did one short training session. The algorithm quickly decided it needed more training. All my feeds were filled with gym content.
It was completely different than I had imagined. People of all levels, body types, and passions created gym content. I scrolled through the sweat, tears, accomplishments, and failures. I saw a woman wearing butt-shrinking shorts and lifting 100kg over her head, and people doing yoga with their dogs. I’ve observed women who can run for a solid 24 hours and men whose goal is to stand upright for one minute.
The message has changed a lot since 10th grade gym class. There are many ways to move your body and feel good. I was sold. If you can turn into an uncoordinated, red-faced, sweaty monster, you can definitely go to the gym. So I did. Most of the people I met were like me: enthusiastic, half-hearted, and happy to be there. I tried weightlifting, running, boxing, and Pilates. Every time I went, I shared my little Garmin chart on my Insta stories. Sometimes the reply guy would respond with a flaming response. I felt proud. More importantly, my health improved significantly and rapidly.
Lululemon’s report recommends “releasing the pressure to stay healthy and focusing on your own journey.” But they also report the overwhelming loneliness that many of us feel. It cites community connections as increasing our sense of purpose. If that suggests that 21% of people who “feel a sense of belonging when working out with others” also report higher levels of happiness, perhaps the problem isn’t sharing. .
It’s easy to point to social media and call it “pressure,” but that may be true for some people. But it can also be a source of connection. We are trying to achieve maximum happiness against the backdrop of some of history’s greatest failures, seeking balance amid cost-of-living crises, genocide, isolation, and climate change. My younger self might have seen Paula’s post about half marathon training and taken it as a personal insult. But now that I think about it, what a legend it is. Maybe your friend’s running stories are smug. Or maybe it’s easier to blame than the invisible devastation of our daily lives.
The truth is, very few people go to the gym with other people in mind. Few people take selfies of their fake workouts. They rarely post on Strava with the intention of offending others. The majority of health posters are not fitspo influencers. They’re just saying, “Hey, check it out.” There were a lot of things going on, but I did my best. ”
