I am seeing social media as a huge potential dampener to progression in a lot of people’s health and fitness journeys.
Yes, it allows trainers and coaches to showcase their work and advertise, potentially helping you “find” a place to train.
Yes, it has possibly allowed greater connection (in a false, often fleeting and virtual way, but still..)
BUT, it has also catlysed a huge a short term reward mechanism and comparison mindset thats halting experimentation, exploration, research, trial and error, and grit.
Recently my uncle turned up at our gym, he was a gymnast and then gymnastics coach. He was telling me how he learned to do a handstand on the rings in 9th grade. To learn, he just started trying. No videos, no tutorials, simply repetition, experimentation, tweaking, refinement over time. A natural feedback loop.
This approach is rare now.
Social media provides on-hand “how to’s,” “guides” and more.
For many, this makes it easier to search than it is to experiment.
At a more basic level, it also provides the perfect vehicle for comparison. How things, people, diets, bodies, movements should look.
So, whether we are just starting a health journey or are professional athletes, we need to be aware of this new companion, which, in many cases is slowing us down.
We can utilise its strengths, but we also need to be aware of the ceiling it can inadvertently create, the addiction that it’s bringing to many and the barrier this places in front of the experience itself.
