You've seen them everywhere, from Instagram to Tumblr, healthy trends have become viral. Although I appreciate a good 'gram of an acai bowl just as much as the next guy, I do have a serious problem with how health has become something that is "trendy." As someone who lives a healthy lifestyle and has always cared about what I put into my body (within reason), I really have a problem with this latest trend. Health is so so so so so so so important. You have this one body forever, and you need to take care of it. It should be something you are always aware of and being a part of.
Now, that does not mean that you need to eat clean and take shots of ginger at every single meal. No. Eat whatever you want and whatever makes you happy. Exercise if you want! How you choose to take care of yourself is genuinely in your own hands.
Girl (or boy), if you want to post that picture of yourself in the gym because you are proud of yourself, I say go for it! However, if you are posting it because you want a lot of likes and are competing with some other girl you saw...honey.
Girl (or boy), if you want to eat that acai bowl because you think it's pretty and love how it is healthy. Go for it. If you're doing it just because you want to go along with this new "fad" and you believe that it is going to make you look cool....honey.
Through the usage of social media, health has become a competition. It has become something that can be so combative for the wrong reasons. Yes it can be motivating, but it can also be detrimental to your own sense of self and, frankly, your own sense of self worth.
We live in a society today where there is too much pressure regarding comparison.
Who can get the best picture of an acai bowl for the most likes? If I post this Boomerang Instagram video of me taking a shot of ginger do you think it will get a lot of views? If I take a picture in a gym in just a sports bra is that socially acceptable?
However, this new viral love for all things healthy, green and chock full o' six packs is not all bad.
In my opinion, the answer is simple. Post what you want. Live how you want.
From personal experience I have seen these trends really transform the mindsets of people about what health entails. These fads have truthfully inspired some people to change their lifestyle. I'll be honest too, they do make some pretty cute pictures for your Instagram as well.
I have a friend who has been against fruit since the moment I met her. She hated the idea of eating healthy because she believed that eating healthy meant that it was not going to taste good. I mean I get that to an extent -- a cheeseburger smothered in cheese honestly (to me) tastes much better than a smoothie made of kale and almond milk. However, when she saw appetizing pictures and heard me rave about some of these items, she was willing (with a tint of reluctance) to give it a try.
Guess what? She liked it.
"The acai bowl was so sweet. It had chocolate on the top too!"
See? Being healthy is not so bad.
I have also seen many fitness accounts on social media to be inspirational, rather than being demeaning. For example, Nikki Blackketter is a fitness icon for women. Through her YouTube channel, Nikki vlogs (video blogs) her everyday life. You get to see the ups, the downs and what it really takes. You also see, though, that she is human. You see that even with her incredible physique, sometimes the girl just wants to eat a pizza. Nikki eats the pizza and has no regrets.
Basically this entire article was a small piece of the sermon I could go on about fitness and what it really means to take care of yourself. To sum it all up: do what makes you happy, not because it is cool. In the most cliche (but honestly one of the most true statements I have ever heard), be yourself, everyone else is taken.
