According to some estimates, Instagram is home to around
50,000 fitness influencers, most claiming to have the secrets to a healthy
lifestyle.
While some share science-backed helpful tips, others promote
fitness advice that’s misguided at best and dangerous at worst.
اضافة اعلان
In a new study, researchers found that nearly two-thirds of
the 100 most popular “fitfluencers” — a term that can describe any influencer
who posts content related to fitness — lacked sound advice or posted messages
that could negatively affect people’s mental and physical health by, say,
promoting exercise as a tool to become skinnier.
Body image issues disguised as ‘health’“Much of what could be called ‘fitfluencer’ content is
really just ‘thin-spiration’ in disguise,” said Renee Engeln, a professor of
psychology at Northwestern University who studies how media influences body
image and was not involved in the research.
Several previous studies have shown that exposure to images
that encourage a specific physique is correlated with a dip in body
satisfaction, mood, and self-perceived sexual attractiveness.
It has also been linked to disordered eating.
Being able to distinguish between health-promoting accounts
and potentially harmful ones can be challenging, even for researchers, Engeln
said.
“An influencer might post a useful tutorial on how to safely
do squats,” she wrote in an email, “but then follow it up with content
promoting ineffective (or even dangerous) weight loss supplements.”
So how can you find credible accounts? What should you look
for when deciding which fitfluencers to follow? Here are four rules of thumb
from experts.
Do a gut check and ask yourself one crucial question.
Stephanie Roth-Goldberg, a clinical social worker and
therapist in New York who works with athletes, suggested asking yourself: Does
this fitness influencer make you feel good in your own skin?
If browsing the account leads you to feel guilt or body
shame, she said, that should be an automatic unfollow, as research has shown
that these feelings can fuel unhealthy fitness habits and undermine both the
physical and psychological benefits of exercise.
If you’re a parent of teenagers with social media accounts,
it’s important to guide them through the same process, according to newly
issued recommendations from the American Psychological Association.
The group urges parents to train kids to question the accuracy
of social media content — before they even open accounts — and to discourage
them from comparing their bodies to what they see online.
“One of the best things parents can do is sit with their
kids and open up a conversation” about social media, Roth-Goldberg said. Not
only can this help parents understand what their kids are getting out of each
account, it can also provide kids with language to describe how what they see
makes them feel.
Find accounts that focus on what your body can do
Take a close look at the images, videos and text featured on
an account. When we are exposed to content that encourage us to exercise for
functionality, strength, and mental health, we are more likely to cultivate a
healthy relationship with our bodies.
Make a point to follow accounts that focus on finding joy
and confidence in movement itself, but be wary of fitfluencers who share
before-and-after photos that highlight fat loss, or images, such as glistening
abs or disembodied legs, that treat body parts like objects that need to be
perfected.
Kelly K. Roberts, a running coach and body-positive fitness
influencer based in New York City who has nearly 70,000 followers on Instagram,
initially built a following by posting images that charted how her physical
appearance changed through running. But when she discovered that her own social
media habits were causing her to fixate on her weight, she switched to posting
about running for the fun of running.
“Any time you post about your body, you’re giving people an
opportunity to self-compare and self-objectify,” she said. “You’ll rarely see
me talking about my body anymore. I just exist in it.”
To find accounts that focus on movement, search hashtags
like #joyfulmovement, #intuitivemovement, #inclusivefitness and #bodypositivefitness.
Seek out fitfluencers with official credentials.
You are best-off following professionals who have formally
trained in the field you are interested in, said Cedric Bryant, president and
chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise.
“You can’t rely on the number of likes that a person has or
number of followers as being an indicator of the quality of their advice,” he
said.
Instead, look for references to their credentials and
experience, whether it’s a master’s degree or a coaching certificate. Be wary
of fitfluencers who offer advice outside their expertise, Bryant said,
particularly regarding diet and nutrition.
“Even if a person has fitness credentials, if they don’t
also have proper training in nutrition, I would tread carefully,” he said.
“Make sure they’re staying in their lane.”
Look for influencers who feature a range of body types,
ages, and abilities
Fitness looks different for everyone, despite long-held
cultural misconceptions about exercise and body shape, and size. “Seeing a
range of body types engaging in fitness activities is a key step in moving away
from the stereotype that fitness is just for young, thin, completely able-bodied
people,” Engeln said.
The more our fitness feeds feature a diversity of bodies,
the more we can expand our ideas about what we ourselves are capable of, she
said, and “feel more comfortable trying new things.”
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