Why social media is not your friend for getting workout tips
[Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 12 seconds.]
How are those 2024 goals going? Remember to give yourself some grace for when life gets in the way.
Because life will get in the way.
Establishing Go Long’s social media presence has involved checking out what wellness providers have been posting to their followers. Most of it falls into the following categories:
Do this workout (or workout move) for X weeks so you can lose Y pounds
Follow this diet for X weeks to get rid of menopause belly
Take this supplement for Z years and you will never have to worry about losing weight again
Go Long is about your wellness, your way! Embrace a plan that is uniquely yours!
Pretty much every post has some jacked up person with a body that is incredibly well honed. Let me be clear. I’m not body shaming these folks. I want to call out the effort involved in achieving these results. The commitment is impressive. It likely required multiple years with lots of restrictions on food, working out and other activities.
A typical example of a fitness influencer on IG
In other words, they needed to lead a life that didn’t allow for “life” to happen.
What worked for them doesn’t mean it will work for you
Assuming you had an unlimited budget, both in terms of time and money, it is unlikely that you can achieve this level of body definition.
Can it happen? Sure. Some questions:
Is being ripped the goal? Again, I’m not body shaming - if this is your goal, great!
Do you trust that the influencer has been truly candid about how they achieved their physique (as well as where they truly started from)?
What I’m getting at - where they started from and where you’re starting from can vary significantly, especially as you consider age and previous fitness history
Are you clear on what lifestyle changes you would need to continue to maintain this shape after you hit the goal?
Courtesy: iStock
This is not an exhaustive list of questions. They are the 1st ones that popped into my head when this IG reel was sent to me by a subscriber.
Let’s assume that you’re looking to lose weight, which is the case for pretty much all of my clients.
This person obviously has lifting experience. The picture speaks for itself. But when they are giving advice, they don’t know anything about YOU.
They likely do not have the constraints that you have in just trying to allocate time to invest in yourself.
Useful advice requires nuance
It’s rare that situations are black and white. How your body works and how it got to this point today is a long and winding road.
If you’re going to take advice from anyone, you should be looking to chat with someone who understands you. It could be an in-person or an online coach. You’re going to want someone who is familiar with your injury history.
More importantly, you want someone who is going to be a partner with you in reaching your goals, whatever those may be.
You and your body deserve no less. After all, you have to live with the results as you get older. The social media influencer has no obligation to you. A coach does.
Consider the alternative
You know you need to get stronger. You know you need to lose weight. You know you want to be healthier and move better.
Are you “working hard” or “working smart”? One of those will get you injured and/or discouraged. The other will get you closer to where you want to be.
In many cases, we’re following a program that we have found on the internet and is “good enough”. Is it getting you to the next level of where you want to be?
Do you know the answer to the below questions:
Are you achieving your goals?
How are you measuring progress towards your goals?
Are you establishing good habits that will last for the long-term?
Why not ask for help?
You’re probably thinking that this is an expense you can’t afford. What you’re doing is good enough. Perhaps it is.
But if you end up at the physical therapist, chiropractor, orthopedic doctor and can’t exercise, that’ll cost you. Not just money, but time lost in achieving your goals.
This is where Go Long can help. We have found different types of programs for our clients ranging from fitness to diet to stress management that align to their history and to where they want their life to go. These encompass in-person, online and hybrid options.
Book a call now so we can do the same for you!
If you have a workout program you enjoy, Go Long also provides accountability coaching to help you strategize when “life gets in the way”. These can include situations such as:
Taking on a new job that will disrupt your schedule (and time to cook and exercise)
Unexpected changes to your schedule due to family commitments
Identifying opportunities to make time to incorporate new habits into your life
Whatever your need is, schedule a call.
Get in touch.
Go Long can help.
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