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Happy new year! It’s time to fix everything that’s wrong with you in the next…um, week. And because analytics suggests that you, member of my YouTube audience, are likely to be American, Canadian, or British, and statistically that means you’re gonna wanna get in shape. A shape other than round. Ha ha, get it? Heard that one in an old Married With Children rerun. Uh, anyway, as you might guess, today I’ll be talking about fitness. Fittin’iss donut in my mouth I’ll stop now, sorry.
Obvious content warning, here: I’m going to be talking about diet, physical health, and fitness and how those may relate to mental health and fitness, so if you have some hangups about those topics, feel free to give this one a skip!
I’ve mentioned this before, but in full disclosure I spend every January completely sober and usually on a calorie cut. It makes me feel a thousand times better after the previous dionysian holiday season–I feel physically better, in part because I have severe chronic spinal issues that are exacerbated by carrying around excess fat, and I usually feel mentally better, too. I have to say “usually” now because as my patrons know, last year I was still MISERABLE, eventually figuring out that my birth control implant was on the fritz, leading to a long, drawn out depression, the likes of which could not be fixed with a healthy diet and moderate exercise, which I gave up after a few months of trying.
But still! Usually it gets my year off to a great start.
There are many ways I try to stay motivated to be healthy year round, but one popular method I tend to avoid is social media. I mean, I have to use social media for work so it’s not my usual go-to for relaxation. Back when I worked in an ice cream parlor I didn’t go out to Dairy Queen on my day off.
But i know a lot of people DO use platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok (RIP) for health and fitness inspiration. With that in mind, and with a larger ongoing conversation about the relative dangers of social media, I wanted to look into the research that’s been done specifically on whether or not these platforms are tools for good or bad when it comes to our collective physical and mental wellbeing.
It just so happens that after a week or two of research, on the very day I sat down to film this video, I stumbled across a study published just last month in the journal “Sex Roles,” which is honestly a delightful title that could mean so many interesting things if you include homonyms and homophones.
In “Do Images Speak Louder Than Words? Effects of Body Positive and Fitspiration Quotes and Images on State Body Image in Women and Men,” psychologists rounded up about 1,000 young adults (aged 25 and under) and first asked them questions about how they felt about their bodies. Then they showed them a variety of images of the type you might find on Instagram. The images were one of five different types…note that the study only describes the images, so I just found some similar images online to give you an idea:
fitspiration images, like “Women in a bikini with well-defined abs standing next to dumbbells on bar and the caption “stay focused, stay consistent…and then watch you achieve each and every goal one by one!” or for men, “Man taking selfie in bathroom mirror in shorts, defined abs and upper muscle (partial body shot)
Caption “strength is a byproduct of struggling every week. Let’s embrace it
fitspiration quotes, like “Pink and white lettering on black background
“I will workout even when I don’t feel like it, no matter what temptations come my way; I will eat clear so I don’t blow hours of hard work in the gym on a few minutes of pleasure in the kitchen; I will do this day after day no matter what life throws my way because I want results NOT compromise; No one will doubt me because my actions will be the evidence of my desire. It is not a matter of IF I will reach my goal, but only WHEN.
Caption: and I never believed it up in till now (typo original)
#bodypositive; #selfcare; #selflovejourney”
body positive images, like “women in black underwear of various body shape standing
Caption” Love this image so much. This was the first time I met these beautiful women and look at us all celebrating each other so effortlessly. Caution: Women we are strong on our own, as a collective we are unstoppable””
body positive quotes, like “Lilac background, female line figure “My existence is not about how desirable you find me”” or for men, “Black lettering on grey background “I am man enough handsome enough good enough talented enough successful enough & strong enough
Caption “I hope you’re feeling good today”
#selflove; #selfcare; #loveyourself; #selfrespect; #lookafteryou; #positivequotes; #bodypositive”
or just basic travel images as a control. I guess you’re allowed to post travel photos on social media without a hot person in a bikini in them. Who knew! I assumed the algorithm would just automatically trash those.
The researchers had each subject examine ten of the images in one category and answer some questions about them, to make sure they were really examining them. Afterwards, the researchers asked the subjects to again rate their own satisfaction with their bodies, as well as their aspirations for physical fitness.
The researchers found that fitspo content, whether words or images, made both men and women feel less satisfied with their own bodies, while body positivity content, especially images, made them feel more satisfied, especially for men.
So! Body positivity is good and fitspo is bad. Right? Well…maybe? This study only showed that in the very short term, body positivity content made people feel more satisfied with their physical appearance than fitspo, but it’s not black or white whether that’s a good thing or not. The researchers tried to control for physical appearance by using BMI, meaning that the results applied whether someone was underweight, average weight, or overweight on a population level. But maybe someone who is severely underweight, for instance, would benefit from being unsatisfied with their current physical state. Maybe that lack of satisfaction could push them to improve, whereas complete satisfaction might encourage them to continue doing what they’re doing.
But of course, if someone really wants to be severely underweight, regardless of the health risks that come with that, it’s THEIR body, so who cares if they choose to view images that make them feel better about it?
On the other hand, if fitspo makes you feel REALLY bad about yourself, are you actually less likely to do something about it? Maybe the image being shown seems so unattainable that you don’t bother trying, or maybe it makes you hate your body so much that you don’t see the point in improving it.
It’s a tricky issue, and one that this study doesn’t delve into.
Over on the science subreddit, I noticed one commenter relate the issue to a car: if you have a beat up car that you hate, you’re not going to put in the effort to fix it. But if you have a beat up car that you love, you are going to put in that effort. They didn’t mention the other side of that metaphor: if you believe that all cars have A/C that cuts out and a knocking sound in the engine, you may not bother to take it to the mechanic. But if you know that those problems are fixable, you will go to the mechanic. But if you don’t have the money or time to go to the mechanic or you just incorrectly think it’ll take too much money or time to fix, maybe you won’t. And if you’re driving a ‘93 Dodge Neon and every other car you see is a 2025 Mercedes Benz, maybe you’ll get the wrong idea that a simple trip to the mechanics is all your car needs to look like them…okay, I know we’re getting deep in the weeds on this metaphor but it is surprisingly apt.
I guess what I’m saying is that it’s complicated.
Here are some other interesting findings from studies on this topic:
Fitspo is more likely to encourage you to work out if you were already planning to work out. Otherwise, people just watch it for entertainment.
You’re more likely to work out with a fitness influencer if they’re hot and friendly. This may seem obvious but it’s actually been confirmed by two completely separate studies by different researchers. I have the feeling that a lot of psychologists were bored and watching sexy people lift weights on social media at the start of the pandemic.
And finally, I’ll end with a study that many people may find helpful if you’re still considering using “fitspiration” to reach your goals. Last spring, Australian researchers published a paper in BMC Public Health called “Hashtag fitspiration: credibility screening and content analysis of Instagram fitness accounts.” They audited the latest 15 posts from 100 of the most popular fitness influencers on Instagram and deemed them non-credible based on several factors: if they had “fewer than four fitness-related posts or portrayed nudity or inappropriate clothing, sexualisation or objectification, extreme body types, “thinspiration”, or negative messages.” At the end of their audit, only 41 of the 100 were found to be credible.
Considering the recent study I opened with, it may be worth noting that it’s not necessarily that “fitspo” is bad for you. Hashtag “not all fitspo” I guess? The study from last year offers some guidance on how you might be able to filter out the bullshit to focus on creators who don’t promise unrealistic results, who don’t hawk BS supplements, who don’t just make you feel bad about yourself. There ARE creators out there who have relevant education in sports science and physiology, who demonstrate beneficial workouts or healthy diets that the average person can maintain, and who don’t pair that with the objectification that might make you hate your body as it is. The researchers suggest that while “exercise exertion was not greater immediately after viewing fitspiration content [8, 9], exposure to screened credible content, as well as exposure over a longer period, might show different effects.”
In an article about this study on the New York Times, a therapist is quoted with a good check to add to the study’s audit: “Does this fitness influencer make you feel good in your own skin?”
Because for me, anecdotally, I’m at my best when I’m walking that line between objectively evaluating how I can reasonably improve my physical fitness while still loving my body how it is. It’s not always easy. I mentioned that I went through it last year, psychologically speaking. That led to a year where, overall, I put on fat and lost muscle and now my back hurts when I even think of twitching in the wrong direction. And now I’m working to fix all that, but I’ve only just started. And in about a week, I’m going on vacation to a tropical place. And I’ll be honest, while thinking of what I was going to pack I got a little depressed because my old shorts don’t fit right anymore and will I even be able to surf without my back hurting and oh god am I even going to want to see photos of myself? And so I had to actively tell my brain to shut the fuck up. I bought a new pair of shorts that fit my current body, and if my back starts hurting then I will stop surfing and go enjoy a taco on the beach, and if someone takes a photo of me then I will look at it and remember how much fun I was having in that moment, and how I only go to that moment because my depressive brain didn’t manage to beat my body to death. And when I get home, I’ll continue to watch what I eat and drink, and I will continue to move my body in ways that I find fun and rewarding, and eventually I will get back to the level of fitness I prefer. Because I love my body, and I love what it’s capable of, and I love that it’s gotten me this far.
