Fitspiration: Motivational or Obsessional?

[ApfelStrudi]

I agree with Mitch Dee and Ceasefire.

 

Of course athletes put a LOT of effort into things - I didn't count them in there because I was just listing what motivates me personally, and I find it easier to look at someone who's just getting started, like I am, and going through the same things. I think if I looked at an Olympic athlete now and thought "I want to be like this" and then thought of all the effort they had  to put in to get where they are now, it'd likely demotivate me.

Of course they're an extraordinary example of athletes who give their all though! Just not my kind of shoe!

 

And Ceasefire! Yep, of course it's marketing strategy. But everything is. I'm not a native speaker so please bear with me while I try to express what I'm thinking - I'll give it another try  

What I mean is that I believe there are tons of people like me, who don't identify with those skinny super-athletes in sports commercials and ads. And that I believe sales would go up if they used "normal" people or a range of people at different stages in their fitness life, and can't understand why there's not a fitness brand (at least not to my knowledge/not that I've seen) that's used pretty much the same strategy Dove has used. 

Dove has some nice things. But of course it's all calculated to sell more products - it's just the kind of world we live in. But if it makes just one woman look at those women in the commercial and think "Hey... I look like that and that looks pretty fierce", then that's at least something good that came from it.

 

Of course that's all beside the point of the initial post, so I'll stop rambling now  

[DirtyLittleSecrets]

Why are women so defeatest?

 

"I'll never be, can't be, don't have the"

 

You are wrong.  Yes you can.

 

It doesn't take killing yourself.  Over time exercise gets easier, a lot easier.  Controlling your diet gets easier, a lot easier.  The first 3 months are far and away the hardest part.  From there on out all it takes is consistant effort and your eye on the target.  Little steps, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.  Let the journey become the end, not the means, and the path will lead you further than you ever thought possible.

Women tend to have a lower level of self-efficacy through socialization and different cultural expectations/norms. Generally women tend to have more of an all or nothing attitude. Getting the little steps part is key for a lot of women in getting into shape, it took me years to allow myself to make mistakes and be alright with slow gradual progress.

I fully agree with you but understanding that personal and social limitations are key barriers is important.

[whoiwas]

Is body image messaging really a significant problem (for which a solution exists)? I mean, while anecdotal evidence suggests that it negatively impacts individuals (and "everyone they know"), does promoting it do more harm than good? Do we actually create and introduce the concept in many more than we reveal it?

 

The overweight and out of shape fall into various categories - those who think they have a problem and wish to do something about it; those who don't so don't want to; those who think they have a problem and desire to change but are incapable of perserering to acheive the change...yes, there are more, and people move in and out of all of them.

[SkyeRose]

For me I find more inspiration from YouTube - looking at what others can do and wanting to be like that or achieve those movements. I normally give it a go or add similar movements to my workout.

If I look like a fitness model later by doing this, that's a by product, not the goal.

[Vintage]

A (very fit, very strong) friend re-posted this article on facebook the other day. I appreciate that the author acknowledges that the messages might be trying to say something positive, but that there are less positive interpretations as well.

[DirtyLittleSecrets]

A (very fit, very strong) friend re-posted this article on facebook the other day. I appreciate that the author acknowledges that the messages might be trying to say something positive, but that there are less positive interpretations as well.

 

 

That's the exact article I made this thread to talk about . I'm actually using it as my homework in my Health Promotion class on Monday to talk about being an enabler and how social networking tools can be productive or counterproductive in helping people achieve their goals.

[Vintage]

Haha, sorry DirtyLittleSecrets, I swear I did read your post... except for those two paragraphs apparently. I swear I suffer from pinball brain... my attention just rebounds around all over the place without regard for where I want it to go sometimes.

[DirtyLittleSecrets]

No problem! Just means even without the link you got the jist of what I was trying to say