Comparisons to What You See on Social Media are Terrible!

Have you ever scrolled through Instagram so much your thumb literally hurts? Scroll, scroll, scroll….back scroll. Zoom in. Zoom in some more. Squint. Compare.

As a coach to all different types of people, it literally kills me to see social media full of cropped, air brushed, surgically enhanced, angled, and fake bodies. I’m endlessly sent photos of “make me look like this” wishes, and I reply, “I can’t because, those are implants, or I can’t because you two have completely different body types, but let’s work on your best version of you.”

I’m about to have a daughter, and although I’ve certainly struggled with my body like many women, I cringe at the thought of her getting her hands-on social media posts and scrolling like a zombie. (She won’t be having a tablet anytime soon.)

Growing up as an athlete, I cared about my sport, not my body. I didn’t care if my hair was sweaty and pressed against my forehead, or if it had dirt from the field in it. I didn’t mind the big ol’ bruise from a softball smacking me in my thigh from a wild pitch. It actually was kind of cool. If I had Instagram when I was 10-18 yrs old, that’s what I’d be posting about.

If you’re comparing yourself to social media, you’re spending time creating negative self-worth instead of celebrating your own body and working towards goals. Guess what, every woman has a stretch mark or three somewhere, so women who are posting their bodies with none, well, 99.9% of the time that’s just been filtered out or airbrushed out.

I’m 5’4”, 155 lbs., 32 years old. I have stretch marks all over my lower back, behind my knees, my inner arms, and my hips. They are faint, they happened over time just growing up as a real human being and having my body go from child to adult. I never even noticed them much. If I had been on social media when I discovered these, I would instantly be looking for a way to make myself ‘less ugly and like the others.’ Hold on a second, I look just fine, and I’m happy with whatever I have. It is what it is, but at least it isn’t fake.

Work with me and you’ll work on yourself. The focus is on you, no one else. You have one body and we have to work together so you feel healthy. I’m not giving you the butt you’ve always dreamed of; I’m just helping to make the butt you have stronger, which is just building some muscle. I’m not giving you anything new other than what you already have. Embrace it, embrace the changes that come with working out, but don’t obsess over it.

You want that outfit to fit better and feel confident, I’m all for it – but do it for you, and not for any other purpose.