These 16 Fitness Trends Could Mess With Women’s Body Image

We all strive to look and feel our best, but fad diets and overwhelming societal pressures often make that goal even harder to achieve. Unrealistic beauty standards push us toward the idea of perfection, leaving us feeling inadequate and chasing an unattainable image. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of harmful diet and fitness trends that should be avoided—they can negatively impact both your physical and mental health. Rather than building confidence, these trends encourage unachievable goals that often do more harm than good. It’s time to tune out societal expectations and celebrate the beauty of your unique body.

Note: The content of this article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult with a qualified professional for advice tailored to your individual circumstances.

Thigh-Gap Training

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Thigh-gap checks became incredibly popular back in 2012. As the name suggests, thigh gaps are gaps between women’s thighs that several YouTube videos now promise you can get following certain exercises. Thigh-gap training sessions can be harmful to women as they promote unrealistic body standards instead of helping women focus on their health and well-being.

The 75 Hard Challenge

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The so-called 75 Hard Challenge is an incredibly hard challenge that is more likely to cause frustration and anger rather than help people achieve results. Its rules are simple. One, choose a diet and stick to it. Two, complete two 45-minute workouts daily. Three read ten pages from a non-fiction book daily. And fourth, take progress pictures as you go. As the name suggests, the challenge lasts 75 days, and it’s way too strict for anyone to stick to it in real life. 

Dry Scooping

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Another trend that became popular last year is dry scooping. This consists in swallowing a scoop of pre-workout supplements or protein powder without adding any water. The trend is quite dangerous as it can cause trouble breathing as well as lung inflammation if you happen to breathe some of the powder. 

AI Workout

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With the arrival of AI, plenty of people are now turning to this technology for the creation of a ‘balanced’ training plan. However, AI is not yet ready for such a complicated task, and following its directions blindly can be quite harmful. 

Magic Food For Weight Loss 

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Whether it is berberine or another natural substance, every year, influencers come up with a new food that will magically help you get rid of all fats stored in your body. The truth? No food will ever make you lose weight. It’s essential to approach weight loss with a balanced perspective, incorporating a combination of healthy eating habits, regular physical activity, and sustainable lifestyle changes rather than relying on quick-fix solutions or fad diets promoted by influencers.

Hip Dips Training 

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Hip dips are a natural part of our bodies, and no woman should ever be ashamed of them. They consist of a slight inward curve below the hip bones, and even though several YouTube videos promote exercises to ‘fix them,’ women all over the world should be aware of the fact that there is absolutely no good reason why they should do so.

Detoxes

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Despite what influencers want us to believe, there is no scientific evidence suggesting the build-up of toxins in our bodies. The idea that you can simply drink or eat something to clean your entire body and leave it spotlessly clean is a scam.

Train Them To Look Like Them

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COVID-19 also led to an increase in fitness influencers sharing videos of their training sessions and promising their followers that for as long as they train like them, they will one day look like them. This is, however, impossible as we all have different body conformations. 

Target Fat Loss

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Plenty of YouTube videos promote exercises that will make you lose fat in your arms, stomach, or legs. The truth is that while these videos may help you build muscle, you cannot order your body where to burn fat. 

Waist Trainers 

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Waist trainers also gained lots of attention lately. These ‘modern corsets’ are supposed to slim your figure by hiding excessive fat. However, when these are too tight, they may end up doing more harm than good as they provide your abs with extra support, therefore weakening your core. On top of this, they may put additional pressure on your internal organs, reducing their blood flow. 

Intuitive Eating

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While this sounds great in theory, intuitive eating may not be as glamorous as you may think in practice. Of course, nothing wrong in giving your body what it craves every now and then, but diets should always be about balance. Only people with the proper knowledge about nutrition can follow their intuition without adverse repercussions.

Copying Celebrities Workout

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We all want a celebrity’s body, but copying their workouts without adapting them to our needs is not the right way to get there. Celebrities have highly educated coaches at their disposal, making sure each exercise and meal is tailored to their specific health needs. Copy-pasting what someone else is doing is never a good choice and could even be harmful if it does not fit your current fitness situation. 

More Sweat Equal Better Training

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Many women believe they have a good training session only if they leave the gym covered in sweat, but this is surely not the case. First, some people naturally sweat more than others. Second, some strength training exercises won’t cause massive sweat, but this doesn’t mean they are ineffective.

Fixing Cellulite

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Despite what some influencers may want you to believe, you cannot get rid of your cellulite. But this shouldn’t worry you, as cellulite doesn’t negatively affect your body. However, it’s important to point out that activities such as cycling and running may improve the appearance of your cellulite while also having plenty of benefits for your health.

Sauna Suits

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We have already talked about the power of sweating, but some people are taking the idea of sweat even further. Rather than working out until they sweat, people are purchasing sauna suits, an outfit that causes the body to heat up drastically, causing you to sweat excessively. The idea is to lose weight through sweating, but this can be very dangerous. You can easily get dehydrated or pass out from pure heat exhaustion. It is a very bad idea to invest in a sauna suit, and you will not get the fitness results you are looking for.

Body Wraps

woman's body wrapped in plastic for weight loss
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You may have heard of the body wrap trend, as it is one that has been around for a few years, and we aren’t sure why it hasn’t disappeared yet. It is not a helpful trend! Body wraps for weight loss are treatments where your whole body or specific parts of your body are slathered with creams and then wrapped in materials like plastic, cloth, or bandages. The idea is that by wrapping the body tightly, you can temporarily lose inches or weight by sweating out excess water. People often use them hoping to slim down quickly, but the weight loss from body wraps is just temporary water loss, not actual fat loss, and the effects disappear once you rehydrate. Sure, they can make you sweat and lose water weight, but that’s just dehydration, which is extremely unhealthy.

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