We all have them: the #fitspo-obsessed “friends” on our Instagram feed that fill their profile with photos of their workout regime or super healthy meals.
And yes, it can be a little annoying, especially if you’ve opted to spend your Sunday afternoon with beer and pizza instead of at the gym (we don’t need the reminder that we could be doing more productive things with our day, thanks).
But, as highlighted by a recent article in the Business Insider, Instagram could be one of the biggest shifts to happen to the fitness world. As author Mallory Schlossberg points out, before social media, it used to be easier for us to ignore the need for a healthier, fitter, lifestyle. Now, there’s no avoiding it.
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Sure, pre-social media, we used to be bombarded by countless reminders though commercials, but we gained the ability to skip through them. And, by now, we’ve learned to approach heavily airbrushed billboards and chiseled-body-filled magazine ads with a degree of skepticism.
Photo: Livelaughbbg/Instagram
Today, the reminders that we could look more “beach-ready,” or should be working out and eating healthier come on the regular thanks to Facebook, and – more predominantly – Instagram. While the countless healthy shots may be annoying, they can also be inspirational, especially when you witness people’s body transformations ‘firsthand’.
For those documenting their own fitness journey, ‘likes’ and comments on a picture can offer all the motivation needed to continue. Not to mention, posting a picture, accompanied by message stating your fitness intentions holds you accountable to your goals – you’ve now put it out there for the social media world to see.
Offering further accountability and inspiration, as Business Insider highlights, Instagram has also helped cultivate fitness communities. This is something that is important when people are working out at home and can’t share their experiences and motivation with people the way they could in a gym or fitness class (not to mention, it’s also a lot more affordable).
Instagram has also helped personal trainers become fitness stars as thousands of people begin to follow them, turning to them for fitness inspiration and workout tips with the quickness of a scroll and double-tap. Not only do trainers share their own fitness tips, many share the results of their clients and the process of achieving such results.
This, according to Business Insider, is what makes Instagram such a great marketing tool for fitness-related businesses. After all, showing the results of actual people is more authentic than a model-filled ad.
“You can look though these hashtags and not only see people’s results, but see what they’re doing to get them,” said Autumn Calabrese, the trainer behind the hugely popular 21-Day Fix. “You can see the meal prepping, you can see them sweaty at the ends of their workouts, you can see them on days [when they’re] tired on the floor and [are] like ‘[I] don’t wanna do it’ [but still] push play [on the DVD].”
Calabrese has 338,000 Instagram followers.
“You don’t even have to go out and try to market you just have to go and show what it does … so I’ve seen amazing things just through like Facebook and through Instagram and [other social media outlets],” she told Business Insider.
As the warm weather approaches, Instagram could be the first step to looking your best come beach season.
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