Fitspiration is a combination of “fit” and “inspiration.” Otherwise, known as Fitspo, it’s a new and popular social media trend promoting
exercise, health, and fitness. Fitspiration involves displaying inspirational
body images and citations of healthy living, emphasizing the importance of
adopting exercise and healthy dietary habits to improve health and fitness and
achieve a fit athletic body.
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Fitspiration is a popular social media trend that promotes exercise, health, and fitness, to inspire people to live a healthy lifestyle and achieve a toned physique.
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While fitspiration has some positive benefits, such as providing a community of like-minded individuals and serving as an educational tool, it can also have negative effects, including increased body dissatisfaction, exercise addiction, and the use of unhealthy body-enhancing drugs.
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To address these negative effects, it is important to
prioritize health and well-being over appearance and to use social media responsibly
by setting boundaries, balancing life and social media, and undergoing a
digital detox if necessary.
Although fitspiration has inspired some people to
eat healthily and become physically fit, does the prevalence of hard-to-attain bodies promote maladaptive thought and behavior patterns? Let’s explore whether this trend is doing more harm than good.
The rise of #fitspiration
Popular social media platforms, particularly Instagram, are filled
with fitness-related content:
| Influencers | With millions of loyal followers, photos of women with slim hourglass figures. |
| Trainers | Men and women with bulky muscles and chiseled abs, work-out videos, before-and-after body comparisons, and inspirational quotes. |
| Promo accounts | With huge audiences, these accounts share photo and video content from hundreds of different fitness content creators — showing their diet and exercise regimen as well as their toned bodies. |
All these are characteristic of Fitspiration — a popular
social media trend promoting exercise and diet as strategies for achieving an
ideal physical appearance.
Fitspiration involves displaying inspirational body
images and citations of healthy living, emphasizing the importance of adopting
exercise and healthy dietary habits to improve fitness and achieve a fit
athletic body.
Fitspiration emerged several years after the #thinspiration
movement, a trend that considered a thin body an ideal body image, and it has since
gained a huge following globally. An Instagram search for #fitspiration and
#fitspo in April 2023 returned over 90 million relevant photos and videos.
The positive motive behind fitspiration
Fitspiration’s primary purpose is to inspire people to live a
healthy lifestyle and achieve a toned physique through various mechanisms.
| Inspiration | By showing before and after pictures of people who have undergone drastic transformations. |
| Community | It provides a community of like-minded individuals aspiring to be fit. This may help them feel supported in their quest to achieve their health and physical goals. In addition, being part of a community helps with motivation and accountability. In fact, one study revealed that individuals who received many likes on a photo or video post were more motivated to stay on track with their resolutions. |
| Education | Fitspiration also serves as an educational tool with video demonstrations of exercises, healthy meal preparation, and tips on adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. |
Despite the positive motive and many benefits of the #fitspiration movement, there is emerging scientific evidence it is doing more harm than good.
The dark side of fitspiration
While the original motives behind the movement are well-meaning, there are some significant drawbacks to consider.
Body dissatisfaction
One of the emerging problems is increased body
dissatisfaction, instigated mainly by constant exposure to photos or videos of
people with “perfect” body types.
For example, in a study of 246 participants,
there was a high level of consensus for statements such as “I am ashamed of how
I look”, “I worry about the way I look”, and “I am preoccupied trying to change
my body weight” amongst those who felt pressured by fitspiration content. Research
has shown that body dissatisfaction contributes to mental health problems such as:
- Suicidal ideation
- Low self-esteem
- Social isolation
- Depression
Exercise addiction
Exercise addiction or compulsive exercising is commonly seen
among fitspiration participants. Fitspiration encourages the idea of
“pushing over the limit” and using pain as an indicator of progress
toward the goal of achieving an ideal body. Although subtly, this encourages
people to exercise despite being injured, feeling sick, or faint. In addition, this
may trigger a sense of guilt when an exercise routine is interrupted, even by a
much-needed rest.
Unrealistic goals
The ideal physique pursued by fitspiration followers is often
unrealistic and difficult to achieve through natural means. Therefore, many opt
for dietary supplements and unhealthy body-enhancing drugs — such as anabolic
androgenic steroids — to boost their physical appearance. Although steroids are
effective for developing bigger and more defined muscles, they are strongly
associated with adverse side effects including:
- Heart attack
- High blood pressure
- Aggression
- Stroke
- Kidney failure
Excessive food control
Excessive control of eating habits, such as fasting, calorie
tracking, and restrictive eating, is a growing concern among fitspiration
promoters as they often lead to poor nutrition and increased susceptibility to
illness. Recent studies have found that people constantly exposed to
fitspiration content are more likely to have anorexia or bulimia.
How to fix the problem
It is apparent that many are pursuing an ideal physique at
any cost, even if it means engaging in harmful behavior. This suggests that
fitspiration fanatics are primarily focused on looking good rather than feeling
good and healthy. Therefore, educational programs highlighting the importance
of prioritizing health and well-being are necessary.
It is common for some people to use social media for
assurance, validation, and approval. These people are prone to being engulfed
by the negative aspects of movements such as fitspiration. To prevent this from happening,
experts advise people to exercise the habit of using social media responsibly
by setting boundaries for use, balancing life and social media, making
efforts to interact with people in real life, and undergoing a digital detox.
If ever in doubt or feeling out of control, seek help from a certified
psychologist who will provide evidence-based strategies for effective
management of life and pressures.
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