BEYOND THE FEED

Freshman health science major and member of the Piedmont women’s golf team joined me in this week’s episode of Beyond the Feed to discuss her use of social media as a means of motivation. Polakowski and I talked about the impacts both of us have faced from consuming this type of content, including deceptions in our own body image.

Polakowski began her gym journey during COVID. Contrary to our nature versus nurture discussion with Lindsay Dilbeck, Polakowski found her interest in the gym from social media. She discussed how she was stuck scrolling through content and fitness influencers on TikTok as a means of motivation to look like them.

However, this constant desire to look like these fitness influencers has led to her being more calorie-conscious regarding both consumption and exercise. This has affected the way she thinks about food and herself.

“It consumes every part of my life,” said Polakowski. “Now I think that every time I eat something, it’s contributing to how I am looking.”

Polakowski is not alone. I share my own struggles with her. The desire to look like these people who have made fitness their job has taken over both of our lives and brains. It becomes a thought that plagues our minds.

When we are not physically eating or working out, we are still thinking about dieting because that is what our social media platforms have fed us.

This is when the impact of social media for health and fitness consumers shifts from physical health to mental health.

“Would I be happier if I kept eating the food I liked and kept the same body, or hating the body that I have and restricting myself?” said Polakowski. “I am not happy either way.”

Polakowski’s initial desire to get fit has changed the way she views herself and her mental approach to food, quite like myself. Whether or not it is the amount of fitness content consumed or the human nature of comparing ourselves to others, the mental health implications of heavy consumption of diet and fitness content have repercussions.

How do you combat comparing yourself to people on your feed?