Fitness and Social Media

**Key words**: Wearable Fitness Technology, Apple Watch, Fitbit, Wearables, Eating Disorders, Exercise Dependency, Social Media, Exercise, Physical Activity, Online Communities, Nutrition

Social media has allowed for a lot of benefits and advancements in the health and fitness industry. However, there are some possible negative effects that also need to be considered. New wearable fitness technology can be a great tool for tracking calories, workouts, etc., though it may be harmful to those who have a predisposition to an eating disorder or body dysmorphia. Social media can create an unrealistic expectation for exercise and body image, with many users looking up to an unattainable image, leading to a type of perfectionist trap. It can also have a major influence on what workouts users are doing, as well as the diets they follow and the food they eat.

## Effects of wearable fitness technology

Wearable fitness technology, i.e. apple watches, Fitbits, Garmin watches, is quickly growing in popularity. However, there are possible unforeseen effects from this new technology. A couple of studies have worked to determine a possible connection between wearables and eating disorders as well as exercise dependency. Since the technology is so new, it is hard to determine the long-term effects. One significant study determined no or little connection, however, this study's duration was only 10 days, therefore the long-term effects are still undetermined. Another study, conducted over a longer duration, concluded no direct causation, but it can raise the likelihood of those who are more prone to the symptomatology of an eating disorder to develop one. The national foundation of professional trainers reports that "as many as 65% of patients with anorexia nervosa admit to using calorie counting apps, leading to unhealthy increases of compulsive exercising"(Kronemer). The constant number counting can lead to an unhealthy addiction and create a feeling of control that is not really there.

Wearable technology can help promote weight loss, but one study by Mayo Clinic found that those who wore fitness technology lost 2-3 % less weight throughout the study. One possible reason for this is that the group who could see numbers were more likely to treat themselves afterward. This doesn't mean that every user will experience slower weight loss, it just suggests that the user should be wary of this possibility.

There is also a possible connection between the ability to share data on digital media platforms and over-exercising. There are benefits, such as the ability to have friendly and motivating competitions between friends, family, and coworkers. However, seeing other people's numbers can cause users to overwork themselves and not listen to their bodies. This doesn't apply to everyone and is most likely to only affect those who are prone to exercise dependency or body dysmorphia.

Although there are possible negatives from wearing these new fitness devices, they do not affect everyone. There are many positive effects as well, and some tips can be followed to get the most out of the devices. For example, users can use the fitness trackers as a baseline or guide, and not get too stuck on the numbers. Also, users can use them as a motivational tool; for example, after having a bad day they can go back and see all the good days and good workouts they've had. This can help keep users from falling into an all-or-nothing mindset. Finally, remembering that it is more important to listen to your body than a device is beneficial. It may help to take days off from wearing the device just to focus on how your body is feeling.

## Effects of Social Media on Exercise and Physical Activity

Nowadays, with people putting much of their day-to-day life on social media, it is easier than ever to gain access to people's diets, lifestyles behaviors, and exercise regimens. For many, this can be a helpful way to gain inspiration and stay accountable for themselves and their own goals. However, for others, this can be detrimental. Unreliable apps that could lead to harmful self comparisons, forming unrealistic expectations, exercise addictions, a bad relationship with exercise, or possibly even eating disorders.

One article, by “Breaking Muscle,” discusses the effects of health apps like the ones mentioned in the previous section above, briefly mentioning the positive aspects such as sharing ideas and “tracking our lives.” This could be interpreted as detrimental, though, if strict tracking like this becomes addictive or if it reduces the freedom of the user. It also mentions how social media sites oftentimes put up a ‘wall,’ which really only shows us and others “what we want to see, but not necessarily the reality and what we must see to succeed.” It is easy to fall into the comparison trap when social media is filled with edited photos or just pictures of people at their best, regardless of whether or not the photos are edited. The bottom line is that social media does not display the full picture and if people use social media as a guide for what they are supposed to be like or how they’re supposed to live, in regards to both exercise and other aspects of life, it will most likely not be attainable because it is not realistic in the long-term.

On a more positive note, some say that these health apps can be useful for motivational purposes to keep those connected through the app accountable for one another through online communities and virtual challenges, notifications, sleep tracking purposes (measuring sleep time and collecting information), exercise tracking purposes (monitoring daily activity and heart rate), and even nutrition (tracking calories, checking labels, etc.). Others said that “smartphone health apps have little to no influence on users’ health." Further others suggest that apps like these often dig people into the perfectionist trap, where if the calorie tracking goes away for one meal or snack, the whole day goes out the window and it ends up doing more harm than good, oftentimes leading to a worsening relationship with food or entering the restrict/exercise-binge/stop exercising-repeat cycle and never truly improving the user’s health. Similarly, these apps could lead to a negative relationship with exercise, creating a regimented exercise schedule around what the app tells you to do and not how you feel, which can lead to stress or negative thoughts and association with exercise or even physical injuries. This can also lead to a disconnect from the user’s bodily needs. Let’s say, for example, that you did a really hard workout yesterday, are really sore and tired, and stayed under the calorie limit that the app assigned to you for the day, but it says that today has another hard workout on the schedule. By following the app’s guidance, you (the user) are not listening to your own body, but letting the app make decisions for yourself. Many of these consequences also stem from app addiction, which is the root of many problems in our daily lives. Maybe the phrase “everything in moderation’ would be the best advice for social media users.

Similarly, other social media apps increasing in popularity, like Tik Tok, have been known to spread harmful exercise and eating habits, often in regards to undereating and the praise of extreme weight loss and unhealthy practices. Since you don’t need to be a professional or a doctor to post nutritional and exercise advice, it’s incredibly easy to spread fake news or inaccurate information that could ultimately contribute to unhealthy results. Social media has popularized negative communities that are based off of tag lines such as "pro-starvation." Natacha Oceane, a popular YouTuber, agreed with this in her research and evidence-based YouTube videos (1) (2), but also encouraged the fact that there are increasing numbers of professionals in their respective fields sharing accurate or myth-busting information on these apps as well, however slowly and in a small minority to other, less dependable accounts/sources of information.

## Eating/Nutrition

On the other side of fitness from exercise is nutrition, where social media can also have a large influence. Similarly to exercise, social media can be a place for inspiration and positive engagement with the content, or it can be harmful and comparative, leading to worsening relationships with one’s own lifestyle, food choices, body, etc. One study showed that “the more participants perceived Facebook users to consume fruit and vegetables, the more participants consumed themselves. While the more HED [high energy density] snacks and SSBs [sugar-sweetened beverages] they perceived Facebook users should consume, the more they consumed themselves.” This shows that social media has enough influence on our own actions that we feel the need to change our daily habits based on what we see others doing, even when their posts may not necessarily show what they are actually eating (remember: social media accounts present what they want their audience to see). The study goes further to say that participants matched their eating habits to those of the perceived norm; however, anyone could “perceive the norm” differently, and consequently, make their individual “norm” different from others’, which is most likely not what’s right for their own body.

That being said, there are also plenty of spaces on social media that foster a healthy relationship with food and build support systems around the users’ unique and individual goals. Social media also creates and fosters inclusive communities that are based off of body acceptance and health goals. Oftentimes, these communities will be focused around goals of recording what the users eat and giving/receiving social support to one another. Social media can help encourage healthy behavior changes like these ones, provide resources, and strengthen accountability.

## Action Items/Moving Forward

1. Keep in mind that it is more important to listen to your body and not the numbers, or what others are doing. Try using the numbers more as a base line and not a strict cut-off. This can help defend from the all-or-nothing mindset.
2. Who is the person behind the account? Is the advice being given by someone with no background in fitness or nutrition? Or is it a registered dietician or personal trainer? Before taking the advice from an account, look into the account owner and see if it is a credible source.
3. Are the people in the online community building you up and supporting your goals? Or are they making you feel worse and negatively affecting your relationship with exercise and/or nutrition? Check in with yourself to see how you feel before and after interacting with a certain social media account or community.
4. https://www.nerdfitness.com/ Is a really great website focused on building supportive communities to promote healthy, safe, and realistic diets, fun easy workouts for busy people, or really anyone, all while continuing to keep that supportive and influential community the number one priority above all else.

## Further Reading

Related wikis:

Mental Health in Digital Media

Body Image/ED/Body Dysmorphia

More articles:

Are Fit-bits implicated in body image concerns and disordered eating in women?

Calorie counting and fitness tracking technology: Associations with eating disorder symptomatology

The Benefits of Using Wearable Technology for Health Tracking

Do activity trackers help with weight loss?

The Effects of Social Media and Apps on Exercise and Health Habits of Millennial Women (scu.edu)

Health apps: do they do more harm than good? (medicalnewstoday.com)

Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women's body image concerns and mood - ScienceDirect

Do perceived norms of social media users’ eating habits and preferences predict our own food consumption and BMI? - ScienceDirect

IJERPH | Free Full-Text | Perceived Body Appearance and Eating Habits: The Voice of Young and Adult Students Attending Higher Education (mdpi.com)

How Your Social Media Feed Can Impact Your Diet (healthline.com)

JMIR mHealth and uHealth - Promoting Healthy Eating Habits for College Students Through Creating Dietary Diaries via a Smartphone App and Social Media Interaction: Online Survey Study

Officials say connection between social media and eating disorders is likely (msn.com)

https://www.nerdfitness.com/

## Work Cited

Gittus, Megan, et al. “Are Fitbits Implicated in Body Image Concerns and Disordered Eating in Women?” *Health Psychology*, vol. 39, no. 10, Oct. 2020, pp. 900–904. *EBSCOhost*, doi:10.1037/hea0000881.

Simpson, Courtney C., and Suzanne E. Mazzeo. “Calorie Counting and Fitness Tracking Technology: Associations with Eating Disorder Symptomatology.” *Eating Behaviors*, Pergamon, 9 Feb. 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471015316303646?via%3Dihub.

Kronemer, Cathleen. “Fitness Trackers and ‘Techorexia.’” *National Federation of Professional Trainers*, 1 Dec. 2020, www.nfpt.com/blog/fitness-trackers-techorexia.

Social Networkout’: Connecting Social Features of Wearable Fitness Trackers with Physical Exercise.” *Taylor & Francis*, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10810730.2017.1382617.

Chung, Chia-Fang, et al. “When Personal Tracking Becomes Social.” Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2017, doi:10.1145/3025453.3025747.Hawkins, Lily K., et al. “Do Perceived Norms of Social Media Users’ Eating Habits and Preferences Predict Our Own Food Consumption and BMI?” Appetite, vol. 149, 2020, p. 104611., doi:10.1016/j.appet.2020.104611.

“Health Apps Have Little Effect on Actual Health.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 11 May 2018, www.usnews.com/news/health-care-news/articles/2018-05- 11/health-apps-have-little-effect-on-actual-health.

Marcella. “How Fitness Apps Are Impacting Our Exercise Habits.” Northwest Primary Care, 24 Apr. 2020, www.nwpc.com/fitness-apps-impacting-exercise�habits/#:~:text=Exercise%20and%20personal%20training%20apps%20offer%20a%20vari ety,a%20plan%20catered%20specifically%20to%20your%20fitness%20goals.

Oceane, Natacha, director. TikTok Health + Fitness Is Completely WILD. YouTube, YouTube, 6 Apr. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAOHAWmeWms.

Oceane, Natacha, director. TikTok's Toxic Diet Culture Needs to Be Stopped. YouTube, YouTube, 27 May 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMybJCpr\_MI.

Stevens, Eric C. “Social Media and Fitness: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” Breaking Muscle, 17 Dec. 2017, breakingmuscle.com/fitness/social-media-and-fitness-the-good-the�bad-and-the-ugly.

Trejo, Karyl. “The Calorie Tracking Myth: How Fitness Apps Can Do More Harm Than Good [New Study].” Fit Trim Happy, 23 June 2019, fittrimhappy.com/effects-of-health-apps/.