BEYOND THE FEED

In the final episode of Beyond the Feed, I was joined by Piedmont alum Anika Nguyen. Anika studied applied health science in her undergrad before receiving her master’s in human performance. She discusses her insight into nutrition, working in the health industry and the effects that making fitness content had on her.

Anika’s fitness-driven lifestyle led her to create a fitness account during college to share her insight and be a source of information for any friends or followers.

“I always loved helping people,” said Anika. “I just felt so high on life.”

It was fun for Anika when she first started. She posted meals, workouts or even day-in-the-lifes. This kind of content, and the reactions from peers, made her happy.

Anika started the account because she knew how knowledgeable she was about nutrition. She spends her free time researching new workouts and how nutrition works in different people. Her intention was to help others.

However, the “high” did not last very long.

Just a few years into creating content, she stopped.

“It just went downhill,” said Anika. “Why am I putting this image out and pretending I am happy on social media when I am over here counting every calorie of everything I ate?”

So, she stopped, reassessed her relationship with food and worked on her battles with the comparison trap.

Fitness creators like Anika are human. They experience the thief of joy just like the rest of us. And as easy as we may think their lives are, they are the ones at the helm of it all. They set the standard — they must live by it. The expectations for someone who puts themselves in a position to be looked up to are high.

So the next time you compare yourself to someone on the internet, remember they have the same struggles as the rest of us. They are human too.

How can fitness influencers change the narrative of perfection for both the consumer and themselves?