Social media platforms are popular for showing off beautiful bodies. The modern narrative suggests that this creates problems in society but can these images influence and motivate?

The message telegraphed can be toxic and have adverse effects, but the upside is that it can encourage the diligent follower to do good for themselves. Let’s be honest, there is nothing sexier than those hot sweaty bodies burning it up in the gym! Also, it’s the factor that makes one envision being as desirable as the person flaunting it on social media. Research has proven that these platforms are in fact instrumental in motivating many to make positive changes.

How Much we Trust Social Media for Advice?

This is where it gets sticky. So we have established that social media may get us motivated but can we follow what we see on other peoples as whole. The answer is no. We are all unique, as such we all have different weaknesses and strengths.

It takes years to get a ripped body and it’s not about how much you eat but rather what you eat. So if you are looking for motivation look for the type that encourages you to immerse yourself in the process because it is the success and the enjoyment of the journey that will get you to to your health and fitness goals.

So we eat with our eyes and it’s the fit and strong looking bodies on instagram that get us amped. It becomes our personal goal to have a great body where do we start? Here is a few ideas:

• Swap the car ride in congested traffic every morning for a caper on the bicycle
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Skip the pub for a evening fitness class at the gym

The first two points don’t sound that great but the idea here is to start small, why? So that the routine is sustainable and the chances of you copping out and quitting in the early stages are slimmer. Our favourite fitness influencers will be hard pressed to film themselves sweating on a flight of stairs so the chances of us seeing this attribute of their success is unlikely – but believe you me: Those who start small last the longest.

Is it good to Post Workouts on Social Media

The truth of the matter is that healthy living is a lifestyle and going about it the right way will produce results that will make you look and feel good. When you achieve this it is natural to want to flaunt it. For some, posting our workouts on social media is a means of self-motivation. So yes by all means go ahead and inspire those who are also on that journey.

Here is a caution: though people post pictures of themselves for different reasons. What do you want to get out of training, are you doing it for the instagram followers? A study has projected that many who post their fitness regimes for others to see tend to be slightly narcissistic.

Oops! For many this is no great surprise, but if we sift through those many – what amount of them actually engage in regular and successful routines. This is a worthy consideration. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting a jolt of fitness motivation from a social media profile, be mindful of your mindset as you grow.

Remember, you are doing it for you.

How do you know you are doing it right? If when you are looking good, you feel good too.

In Closing

Social media more often than not posts the results of hard work and as motivating as it can be, see it as little jump start, because motivation can be short-lived. That’s the reason why when you feel it, you should act on it.

Oh, and FYI it’s not Social media Influenced motivation that will get you all the way to that great body, but that is a story for another day.