Doing It For the Gram: How I Changed My Relationship With Social Media

Written by Katherine Lacey

Katherine is a gym goer, yoga student and lover of movement. Her journey with exercise is an ever changing one. She believes for too long exercise and sport has been mis-sold to us & it is time for change where movement to be a celebration of everyone's body.

You can follow Katherine on Instragram @mymovementjourney and her blog can be found at realfitspiration.wordpress.com

Social media has evolved since the days of MySpace, and so has the reason why and how I use it. Sharing photos of sweaty nights out at the local Indie nightclub on Facebook have changed to sweaty red faced photos post-workout on Instagram. A lot has changed since those days trying to stay upright in a mosh pit, and so has my outlook of exercise and movement.

In November 2016 I started a new Instagram account. The main reason being that at the beginning of that year I began a well known bikini guide with the intention of losing weight for my sister's wedding that Summer. I did lose some, but not as much as the other girls I had seen on social media doing the same programme. I was looking at my progress pictures desperate to see some difference in my "before and after" images. I felt frustrated that my body wasn't "good enough" to class myself as someone who was fit and active. 

The health and fitness industry only has one version of women who exercise and I was not it.  However, doing these workouts, I realised that my motivation had shifted from exercising because I felt guilty for enjoying certain foods, to exercising because it makes me feel good. It makes me feel strong, confident and capable of things I once thought impossible. So where were the women like me in magazines and social media who were exercising because it made them feel good, regardless of their body shape? 

Exercise is not a form of punishment, it is a celebration of what our amazing bodies are capable of. Most of the fitness influencers who preach this message do so while posing with their pants pulled up to their middle to give the illusion of a smaller waist and curvier backside (insert peach emojji). I felt it was time for change which is how realfitspiration (now @mymovementjourney) came about. If I was struggling to find women to identify with, I hoped that some could relate to me.

Once I began this account I started looking for likeminded people to follow. My knowledge of people in the fitness space was limited to what I read in magazines and the main influencers. I started to digging through the hashtags and found one women whose account spoke openly about how exercise had helped her overcome anxiety and depression (@anxiouslyactive). Her content was not a food and exercise diary, it offered so much more depth and truth. A week later she posted the exciting news that she had been featured on a podcast now called The Strong Women Podcast. I instantly went on itunes and listened to my first podcast on my (some might call prehistoric) iPod. Finding and following people online I could relate to was like a domino effect, a positive chain reaction. I started following the creator of these podcasts (@thepilatespt) and then the amazing guests she spoke to who were spreading the word that exercise is so much more than what our bodies look like. I began to listen to the podcasts her guests created (Don't salt my Game by @laurathomasphd is amazing) and found even more positive spokes people. I have been introduced to books such as Eat, Sweat, Play by Anna Kessel and been made aware of the concept of intuitive eating and health at every size, something that isn't spoken about in mainstream media. 

As much as people use adjectives such as "toxic" to describe social media, my overall journey has been a positive one. Following and connecting with likeminded people has helped with my own personal growth and body acceptance.

As with any journey there are bumps along the way. In April I deleted Instagram from my phone. I had found all the noise of social media overwhelming and when I logged back in two weeks later I soon realised why. There were people on my feed whose content did not feel authentic or truthful (#doingitforthelikes) and their lives were different to mine. Its unsurprising that images of slim women balancing on one leg in stunning locations made me feel like my own life was not as fulfilling as theirs, while I am at my desk 9 – 5.30.  The phrase "comparison is the thief of joy" could not be anymore true when it comes to social media.

I removed over 100 accounts based on their images and captions. If they made me think less of myself they were gone. If they made me feel inspired, moved (emotionally and physically) and empowered they remained. As previously discussed, it is important to follow people you can relate to, but equally as important to follow people of all shape, size, colour and gender. The world is so wonderfully diverse and social media gives us an amazing opportunity to learn from people of all walks of life. My favourites to name a few are @nolatrees @scarrednotscared @chasing19 @gracevictory @bangsandabun

In some ways your social media circle is the same as your off screen network. You wouldn't endure a relationship with someone who tells you how you should look or what you should eat, so why should you tolerate it online? What has been key to my relationship with social media has been filling my time and space on and off screen with people who inspire and bring the best out of me, and make me feel as though I am enough.