The prob with Pinterest workouts
Back to the grind over here!
It’s always great to see these little pups again.
I enjoyed a morning workout (strength + Workout 4! oof.)
oh, and picked up some vegetables. It’s been a while.
Liv and I spent the morning running a couple of errands. We slept in and missed storytime, so we grabbed snacks at Whole Foods, hung out here at the house and she settled in for an early naptime. Naptime is blogging/work/chore time, but before I get started, I always have a snack + cup of coffee:
and browse around on Pinterest for 5 minutes. It’s my little “Zen” break before I get started on the to-do list. I love getting new ideas from Pinterest, especially when it comes to recipes and home decor, and by pinning outfits it almost makes me feel like I’m not wearing yoga pants and a wet bun. 😉
As a fitness professional, I have to admit that some of the frequently-pinned workouts on Pinterest irk me.
“Do this workout everyday in the shower for a 6-pack!” (Please don’t slip doing those shower squats, mmm k?)
“These core moves will get rid of your muffin top!” (clean eating will make the most significant impact on leaning out… and the words “muffin top” make my heart cry)
“The 18,208,308,530 rep workout!” (Focusing on quantity over quality could lead to injury)
Some thoughts:
-The quick-fix mentality. Many of these frequently-pinned workouts suggest a quick fix to fitness woes, when in reality there’s no such thing. No one wants to see “Eat clean, do cardio, lift weights, sleep well, and drink a lot of water. Do this consistently for the rest of your life to get the best results!” It’s more appealing to see a pretty picture and think that the posted workout is a quick ticket to six-pack city.
-It’s inspiration. Ok, so maybe the workouts aren’t the safest bet, but hopefully those who are serious about making a lifestyle transformation will do more research on how they set up their routine. If not, at least maybe they’re getting the ball rolling towards a healthier lifestyle. Also, the shower workout may be the only activity they get in the entire day, so for that case, who am I to say that’s a bad thing? Any activity or encouragement to move is a GOOD thing.
-There’s usually a hot bod in the picture. Back to the motivational aspect. It could just be an extra way to gather inspiration for the physical results of achieving fitness goals.
–Lack of form guidance. Even if you want to follow the workout, it can be tough to figure out proper form if you’re a beginner or unfamiliar with the movements.
-Some of it’s spam! I had NO idea about this one. I went to click on a couple of recipe pins and they were advertisements for non-related companies. Tricky stuff!
Have you found any tried and true things on Pinterest that you now love?
What’s something you had to learn the hard way about fitness or a healthy lifestyle?
When I first started working out, I had no idea that there was no such thing as “spot training.” I worked my abs every day, hoping that it would make a huge impact, but nope. Changing my diet helped the most.
Interested your hear your thoughts! <3
xoxo
Gina
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I wish people would stop putting out the quick fix workouts! My mother is 53 and currently does Crossfit. She spent her whole life lifting weights and walking 3-5 times a week. She always said that you have to be fit for life, not for a short period of time. I think people would see more success if they went into it with this mentality!
The hardest things to learn are (1) in the words of the Marshawn Lynch, “It’s a lifestyle, boss” and (2) you may never look like the woman with the really super flat abs and no body fat–and that’s okay. Just because you’re thin doesn’t mean you’re healthy. I also like to remind myself that that woman probably doesn’t let herself eat chocolate; what a sad life.
I totally agree with this! My friend recently posted about the online challenges that have been all over the internet lately. There are so many misconceptions and dangerous situations that could arise from those posts! a lot of my workouts get pinned to pinterest, but they don’t include any hot bod pics, but are more like the workouts you post! I hope people click over to my blog for the full post if they have questions!
I’m pretty much obsessed with Pinterest. I get a lot of workouts, recipes, craft ideas and pretty much anything else you can think of. I think it really aids in being healthy too because I stumble upon healthy recipes a lot!
I’m with you on the exercise quickies! It’s not only Pinterest, but all over the internet and social media. Do people actually use that stuff? I don’t know, it’s strange to me. Being fit requires more than a pretty document posted on your blog or pinterest board.
oooh those quick “skinny” tips that give awesome advice such as; “Do these 5 ab exercises everyday for 7 days to get rock hard abs” uummm NO! I see this all the time! it’s I totally agree with you. Most of this is just giving terrible advice to people who are “new” or as you mentioned before about “spot training” – the average person doesn’t know they shouldn’t waste their time on these things. Eating a healthy diet along with exercise is the best way!
Here’s a post I liked about the fitspiration on Pinterest and other sites… I agree with you and think a lot of those fitness pins promote damaging ideas about body image. I personally think it is best when people are not primarily motivated to workout by aesthetics (but most people in my fitness class seem to be there to lose weight)
http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/05/fitspiration-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
I have never been on pinterest – sounds like I’m doing the right thing by stearing clear 🙂
steering
The most I’ve ever tried from Pinterest is a plank challenge! I lasted 10/30 days.
I totally agree with ya on the Pinterest workout craze. While it can be great motivation, especially for someone who was previously NOT doing any activity, the hot body pictures, and workouts that “spot train” with little instruction can be a little frustrating for those of us in the profession…also the SPAM! I am still shocked every time I click a pin and it doesn’t lead where I thought it was going to. So frustrating!
I agree as well about Pinterest and any other “quick fix” workouts – or weight loss supplements for that matter! I cringe when I hear or see these advertisements. Sometimes I think to myself, how are people still falling for this?!?
It’s so true that it requires a lifestyle change and discipline. It’s hard, but the sooner you start, the sooner you will see changes!!
I totally agree – I used to attempt spot training all the time, and it never worked, because as you said, it doesn’t! Once I started looking at my body as a system, things got much better. What you put in it to fuel your workouts that target overall strength does WAY more than doing a bunch of ab workouts everyday!
Gina, I don’t mean to ask this to be mean but are you prego again? I know you had said previously that you wanted to be prego by the end of 2013 and in the pic above you look like you may have a little baby bump! Congrats if its true.
No, my shirt was hanging off my belly kind of weird. it’s polite to ask if a woman is pregnant if she’s in active labor
RUDE! Why would you ask that!? Especially since the hanging shirt was definitely a possibility.
Rest day
I actually like some of the Pinterest workouts. :-/ It gives me some good ideas when I’m in the gym or in my bedroom. People can always use Google if they don’t know the proper form. I think there’s something wrong if people think that they’re going to get some sort of quick fix from Pinterest, but I definitely think there’s some value to it.
Yes!! Seeing those muscular bodies and those promises of amazing bodies from a “quick fix” are super annoying. People seem to eat it up, though, because it’s telling them exactly what they want to hear — less effort for amazing results. While I don’t think form guidance is always necessary since people can use external resources, it never hurts to emphasize its importance. I will admit, though, that hidden beneath a lot of those “quick fix” routines are some decent workouts — just need to have a realistic mindset.