Fitspo

You’d have to have been hiding under a rock not to have seen someone post some kind of fitness inspiration photo somewhere on the internet recently.

You know the type. A photo of an extremely thin and muscular woman with the caption “strong is the new skinny”, or something equally cheesy. Fitspo as it’s known.

As a runner I understand the need for some kind of external motivation. However everyone is different. I get motivation from my running group and my obsession with my running statistics and always trying to better my times and distances. I don’t get it from a picture of someone with a body that is unobtainable to 99.99999% of the population.

Anyway, the above isn’t as offensive as some fitspo photos, I think it’s stupid but it’s not what I have the biggest problem with.

This is what I have an issue with.

That somehow we are not healthy unless we look like the above.

I run around 40km per week, I cycle, I’m very active. I do not drink alcohol, I don’t smoke, I eat pretty well 90% of the time. I’d say I’m extremely healthy.

Yet I don’t look like that.

Does that mean I’ve failed? Am I doing something wrong? Does it mean I’m not healthy?

I think it’s bullshit. Utter bullshit.

Sometimes I see things like this and I cringe. And lately, you see things like this everywhere. Instagram, Facebook, fitness websites, magazines ..

Why do we do this? Who creates these? I’ll tell you – marketers do. People trying to sell fitness clothing or services. Because obviously if you wear their clothes or take part in their fitness programs you’ll end up looking like the above. Obviously.

I don’t know anyone who looks like the above. I really don’t. So why do we create these images of people who are such a teeny weeny minority and then aspire to be like them?

Why do we do that to our kids? Why do we do it to ourselves?

And then it gets worse. Thinspiration .. is there a difference? I’m not sure about that.

I think this one takes the cake for disturbing images in my view.

And we wonder why so many girls suffer with body image issues.

Hate it. Just absolutely hate it.