Currently, there are 3.6 million photos on Instagram with the hashtag #gymselfie and while this may seem like a harmless way to track your progress, you could actually be unknowingly causing harm and even putting others off going to the gym.
This is because, according to a survey of 1000 people done by the fitness experts at Velotric almost 1 in 4 people avoid exercising in public for fear of ,being recorded or photographed on social media, with women being 50% more likely than men to do so
So while you are getting ‘innocent’ pics, you could be putting people at fear of being ridiculed while they’re just trying to workout.
When you consider too, the survey found that over 1 in 3 people (34%) avoid working out in public due to body image concerns, with women being 56% more likely than men to have done so, it’s easy to understand why people may be a little overly concerned.
Gyms need to feel more accessible to everybody
Research by Samsung in 2021 found that a staggering 83% of people feel nervous about going to the gym and 50% of those expressing concerns that they would be judged by their fellow gym-goers for not being fit enough and looking weaker than others.
In fact, 30% of the people surveyed admitted that they were so worried about these things that they cancelled their memberships all together.
Personal trainer Ben Carpenter took to his TikTok channel last year to speak about these gym fears saying that people aren’t afraid of the gym, “an empty gym doesn’t actually scare anyone” but instead the way that they’re treated by others in the gym.
He added that while these people make the gym feel like a private members club, it’s not, and actually, no matter what you look like or what size you are, you have just as much right to be there as anybody else does.
Calling out to his fellow trainers he said, “as an industry, if we cared about people’s health, we would make a special effort to make sure everyone feels welcome.”
Maybe next time you’re headed to the gym, consider those around you and keep the camera app closed.