These days, the chances of you opening up Instagram and seeing at least one person on your feed posting a photo of their fitness regimes, healthy meals or new workout attire is extremely high. Instagram’s popularity has soared significantly over the last few years, particularly within the fitness industry. Undeniably, whether you are repulsed or encouraged by it, Instagram has started a fitness revolution that cannot be avoided.
Our social media feeds have become flooded with images of ideologies which are perpetuated through society through a multitude of digital actions such as the ‘double tap’, share button and screenshots.
Why is Instagram So Popular Within the Fitness Industry?
Thanks to Instagram, there is a constant stream of motivation to draw on, with a plethora of fitness and sports brands capitalising on users ongoing quests for self-improvement. Instagram has provided personal trainers and fitness enthusiasts with a powerful platform to offer advice and support for other that are trying to reach their fitness goals and also the best social media for athletes who are trying to build their online presence.
People are drawn to the photographic evidence that Instagram provides them with that highlights progression and results which gives people the encouragement that everything is possible.
Whether you are working towards your bikini body, training for your next bodybuilding competition, or simply just trying to lose/gain weight and tone up, Instagram has become people’s go-to platform for fitness inspiration and motivation with faith that makes the impossible seem possible.
Promotes a Lifestyle Rather Than a Product
Some of the most successful brands on Instagram take a subtle approach to selling, focusing on posts that tap into the user’s desire for a certain lifestyle – not a product.
It’s highly likely that if a consumer is interested in sport, they’re also going to be interested in nutrition, health and general well-being too. Consequently, it’s important that brands view users in this light, ensuring that their posts aren’t too repetitive or dull.
How Powerful is Instagram?
With a staggering 1 billion monthly active users and over 95 million photos and videos uploaded every single day, it is no surprise that Instagram has an immense power to connect people from all over the world. Such power has enabled Instagram to become the ultimate platform for businesses and organisations to gain more coverage for their brand and products.
It has also become a powerful platform within app development that personal trainers, health experts, and fitness enthusiasts can capitalise significantly on. Diet plans, workouts, and health supplements are increasingly promoted across social media, particularly now public figures and influencers can promote such brands on their Instagram feed just by the upload of a photo and use of a hashtag.
Everyday, our feeds are showered with images of what is sought as to be the ‘ideal’ figure which promotes sculpted curves, defined abs, peachy glutes, and solid muscles. Although this can be seen as problematic as some deem it to be promoting unrealistic and unattainable goals, however, alternatively, the images can be used as a positive way to show off personal achievements or as inspiration to encourage others to continue living a healthy lifestyle in order to see such results.
Fitness Apparel
Instagram has also caused significant movements in the fashion industry by infusing the world style and sport, creating a hybrid we no know as ‘athleisure’ which is currently one of the hottest trends. Athleisure wear (the combination of gym apparel and casual wear) has transformed the world of fashion as more and more people have begun wearing them for both social and fitness purposes.
The explosion of athleisure has been fuelled by the Instagram lead cult of healthy living and clean eating. Influencers are constantly posting pictures and selfies of themselves modelling new protein shakes whilst wearing their latest gym apparel (which is often been gifted to them by the brand in exchange for promotion).
The Instagram Food Revolution
One trend that has proliferated recently is the obsession with food photography. It has now become the normality to sit and eagerly await your order, just to take a picture and upload it to Instagram, before getting stuck in.
Instagram has transformed societies eating habits by displaying millions of delicious pictures of healthy food and recipes that are promoted by fitness fanatics, encouraging people to eat healthy and stay fit.
Thanks to the accepted notion that the camera eats first, there is a lot of circulating knowledge and information out there about healthy eating which has turned vegetables which were once something people would try to hide under their fork, into delicious, vibrant dishes that we can’t wait to try.
Influencers
Influencers have become extremely popular in the world of Instagram. The concept of an influencer is only remotely possible because of how social media has changed how we perceive and process digital media.
Fitness influencers have become some of the most powerful across social media. Why? The fitness industry once claimed that achieving a dream body was only attainable for those that workout the hardest, like famous bodybuilders and professional athletes.
Now thanks to Instagram, this conception has been squished making the notion of fitness achievable for everyone. In order to make money from this, influencers are constantly manipulating their digital image and capitalize off frequent brand opportunities for public exposure and engagement (more followers and likes).
Will Instagram Continue to Grow?
If the abundance of high-quality content continues then the app is sure to continue to grow. So far, the app as successfully connected millions of fitness-minded users, as well as inspired people to live a healthier and more active lifestyle.
