Did you know that exercise is one of the more effective ways of combating depression and anxiety? Not only can exercise boost your confidence and improve your physical health, but exercising will release feel-good endorphins which is a brain chemical that makes you feel good and improves your sense of well-being. Working out can also get your mind off anything causing anxiety or other concerns, even if it is just for an hour.
Although working out has it many benefits towards mental health and well-being, social media can sometimes cause you to feel negative about yourself and have you compare yourself to others, decreasing your well-being and mindset about yourself. The majority of fitness influencers online have either been training intensely for multiple years or are taking performance enhancers which can create unrealistic comparisons.
A solution to the problem of creating unrealistic body standards on social media could be to create a new app that is created for the purpose of others to share their journey with working out and sharing their progress online for others to see. This can create not only motivation for other to go to the gym more consistently but it also reinforces the idea that you should only be working to improve yourself and not comparing your fitness journey with someone else.
Another solution to combating negativity is to find a gym buddy to help push you to get even stronger in the gym. Having a gym partner gives you someone else to share your workout journey with. Your gym partner can also help coach you on different exercises and give you tips on how you can improve your technique and mindset.
Overall, the gym is a safe place for everybody to improve themselves and their health. They should never feel any shame working out or letting others online create a negative image of themselves due to not having a perfect body.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495#:~:text=Regular%20exercise%20may%20help%20ease,Taking%20your%20mind%20off%20worries.
https://thedelbartoncourier.org/5935/news/the-benefits-of-exercise-for-mental-health/
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/what-to-know-about-gym-buddy