Is Our Workout Obsessed Culture Warping Our Perception of Fitness?

Working out has always been a natural part of my life. I grew up watching my mom go for walks every single morning in her painfully '90s workout gear, long before the days of fitness selfies. She would come home and make a healthy breakfast without peering her smartphone over her plate, trying to capture the perfect angle. Suddenly we are now in a time when doing everyday workouts or eating good-for-you food needs to be validated by a post. You snap a sweaty selfie after a particularly hard hitting gym sesh, and as those likes roll in you feel like it is more rewarding sometimes than the workout itself. It becomes an addiction to getting recognition and further motivation from social media, and not from an internal force. You. The internet age has also caused us to compare ourselves to others. And while we think we are doing what's good for our body, we sometimes get caught up in striving to look like a celeb, a YouTuber or someone we follow on Instagram. I catch myself at times thinking, "I do the same routine as x, why don't I have the same abs/arms/legs/waist?" This is when fitness turns aesthetic, which shouldn't ever be the main goal. Being "fit" is about being healthy. It's what your body craves, not your mirror. Fit people come in all shapes, sizes and strength levels. Share your thoughts and opinions with us on your culture's new look on fitness!