Wednesday, March 4, 2015

When Fitspiration Goes Bad

I recently shared a Buzzfeed article on Facebook that really got me thinking. The article took what the Internetpeople call Fitspiration memes and pointed out how they can go too far.

I had mixed feelings, because I've definitely posted things in this category on my Instagram and Twitter pages. At the same time, I completely, wholeheartedly, 100% agree that many of these memes take things too far:
  • They don't account for the challenges of real life.
  • They assume that motivation has to be aggressive.
  • They can be triggering for people with eating disorders and body issues in general.
Here are a few of the memes Buzzfeed corrected.


Photo Credit: Buzzfeed.com
 
I mean, seriously? Does anyone think it's a good idea to lose 10 pounds in a week other than the producers of The Biggest Loser? You gotta be realistic and safe if you want lasting change.
 
Photo Credit: Buzzfeed.com

I really appreciated this one. Last Friday I had a long run scheduled (preparing for a half marathon on March 15th!) and my body just wasn't feeling it - combination of not enough sleep, improper fueling the day before, and a weird back/neck cramp thing that I woke up with. I ran about 2 miles before realizing it just wasn't worth hurting myself.

Photo Credit: Buzzfeed.com
This one is particularly offensive. We all know that people come in different shapes and sizes. You can be in tip-top shape and not have a body that looks like this (and, maybe you not want a body that looks like this - where are the curves??). It scares me that young women are subjected to things like this online.

Moral of the story is let's motivate and inspire each other without putting ourselves down or being wildly unrealistic. Let's aim to be healthy, not skinny. That's the real "fitspiration"!

You can read the full Buzzfeed article here.

2 comments:

  1. I absolutely LOVE this post. I hate fitspo, because 1. it promotes unhealthy ideals 2. it's triggering for those in recovery 3. THEY ARE UNREALISTIC. I actually wrote a similar post and made my OWN edits, last year, guess I was ahead of buzz feed :) http://www.eatsandexercisebyamber.com/home/say-no-to-fitspo#.VPb3vEKzDlI

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  2. I think it is sad and scary that fitspo is even a thing. It goes so far over the top and it worries me when young and impressionable women and girls think that they can make themselves look in a certain way by over exercising and under eating.

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