I think it's safe to say that the surge in popularity of social media and fitness is nothing short of epic, but is it all good?
I myself use social media, a lot, for both work and motivation. Let's talk about the motivational side of Instagram.
Being able to open Instagram and scroll through hundreds of pictures of things that motivate you is awesome. Whether it's guys in good shape, women in good shape, athletes, transformations, celeb physiques, business success, video clips of tips and advice, the list goes on. That's a pretty incredible tool to have on your phone. I follow a select amount of people who motivate me, who inspire me, who pick me up better than a cup of coffee. I highly recommend people to follow those who inspire them, and turn on the notifications tab on profiles so you get notified when that individual posts new content, so you can have a 'pick me up' throughout the day.
Using Instagram in this way is positive and motivating, but there are some downsides.
It seems as though there are literally endless amounts of 'fitness models' on Instagram. This on its own isn't a problem. Not all of them will be an actual fitness model, but many that I see also offer nutrition and training plans, which can then be a problem. Selling plans when you're not qualified or insured isn't right, but many people get sucked in to paying for them because the 'fitness model' is in good shape. A lot of accounts also use other people's transformation photos, which is actually illegal, but it helps to sell their plans.
Don't always believe transformations or body pictures. There's one tool that many people use in order to gain likes, comments, followers, and to sell their plans. That tool is photoshop. It's very easy to edit photos and use filters to make your body look a lot better than it actually is, which can very easily fool people.
Do I sound like a moaner? Maybe, but I just don't like it when people con others into spending their hard earned cash. Faking pictures, stealing pictures, even copying other people's training and nutrition plans, simply to gain followers and to make money. It's simply not right. How do you spot those people? Well, if an account is only ever showing transformation pictures, their nutrition and training plans, constantly advertising their plans, and spending very little time in sharing valuable content for free and engaging with their followers (whether that's through live videos, youtube, replying to comments etc), those are the type of people who just want your money.
Using social media platforms such as Instagram is absolutely fantastic and can help you with your fitness goals, business success and well-being, but be wary of the vast amount of fake garbage that is on there. Only follow accounts that will better your life, and that way your Instagram stream will be nothing but motivation and feel-good content.
