Fitspo vs Thinspo

I’m amazed with Instagram, mostly due to the fact that I’m an incredibly visual person. I love the photos and quotes that users post. I try to post motivational things, photos that tell a story, progress of my own fitness & health, and simple things throughout my day that I find useful or interesting.

face the wall or face yourself. be strong. be confident. be fit. it’s never too late to make a change!

However, I have noticed an incredible rise in “thinspo” and other related tags. {“Thinspo” meaning inspiration to be thin, not healthy. Aspirations to see your spine instead of deltoids. Determination to restrict meals instead of eating to live well.} It makes me sad that females (some males too!) are so focused on numbers and getting “skinny.” Their pictures & posts include surreal images of waif thin models, hip bones, calorically scarce meals, and qoutes about failure & self loathing. I wish I would’ve had social media throughout my adolescence to inspire me to become healthy and fit, as opposed to turning pages in magazines and seeing images of models that have since forced society to live on a scale.  This realization drives me to motivate & inspire others that fit, strong bodies are healthy are healthy bodies.

these pictures make a powerful statement…

I am followed by a few Instagram users with headings that include ED Recovery & ANA. I like that they see my images of muscle gains, motivational life quotes & robust yet healthy meals. I want them to realize that they are chasing a ghost. I can only hope that the moment they begin to understand true health, that they’ll begin to let go of the control they feel they need to have over the scale. I want them to see the signifance if “Fitspo” instead of “Thinspo.”

thigh gap or squat rack?

Stop living by numbers! Feel good in your skin. Feel healthy. Treat your body well.

you can be sitting or you can be strong. “Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.”

 I often turn to pictures of strong, fit females for my “Fitsporation.” I am dedicated and work hard to gain lean muscle mass and eat healthfully. Yet I don’t beat myself up when results don’t appear overnight. I don’t self loathe if my weight fluctuates. I don’t restrict meals if I have an ‘off day.’ And I will never, ever again accept society or media pressure to be thin.

I am making it my personal mission to help social media users see that “strong IS sexy!”

*I was very picky while choosing the images for this post. I have been working on this for a while. The women I have chosen to feature all have one thing in common: HEALTH. The body was designed to be fed! The body was built to move! Muscles are meant to be developed and utilized! These women are strong and motivating! While they are models, I still find them admirable and follow these ladies through social media. These are the women that have guided me away from the ‘thin’ stereotypes.

*** THERE’S MORE TO LIFE THAN SCALES & NUMBERS ***

Don’t crumble under media pressure to be thin. If you feed it what it needs and activate muscles through exercise, your true health and inner confidence will shine through. You are better than just a number on a scale…