Newswise — A new study led by researchers from the University of Sydney has found young women’s engagement with social media plays a major role in shaping how they think – and act – in relation to their health.
The research, published in the peer reviewed journal Health Marketing Quarterly, studied 30 women aged between 18 and 35 during the 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns to understand the factors influencing them to adopt diet and exercise messages on social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Lead author of the study, PhD candidate Clare Davies from the Discipline of Media and Communications, said the initial findings suggest women are just as likely to accept health messages on social media – promoted by influencers – as they are from public health communicators.
“The women we spoke to were highly influenced to take up diet and exercise messages on social media if they felt a sense of ‘connection’, or relatability, with the source of the message,” she said.
“Social media influencers embody this connection by fostering relationships with their audiences and sharing anecdotes about their own lives and behaviours. This was amplified during the pandemic when many women turned online to seek connectivity and explore new ways of living a healthy life.”
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Although much of the world has emerged from COVID-19 induced lockdowns, Ms Davies said many of the women surveyed continued to engage with diet and exercise programs promoted by wellness influencers post-pandemic due to the sense of “friendship and community” they generated around shared health and lifestyle goals.
“Access to exclusive online communities, coupled with real-life ‘meet and greets’ with the influencers, are a big drawcard for women when deciding whether or not to take up specific programs or diets,” she said.
Participants also said they were highly encouraged to take up and maintain diet and exercise regimes if the influencer promoting them had similar life or health experiences to them, or even a similar body type.
“Women reported being drawn to social media influencers who shared intimate details of their lives and whose personal narratives they could relate to. This included experiencing a similar health issue to the influencer, like endometriosis, or discussing things like their fertility and relationship challenges.”
Similarly, the study found exposure to personal testimonials from other women and ‘before and after’ visuals in closed online communities were a major factor in shaping women’s understanding of and behaviours around health.
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One participant, who was part of a closed Facebook group associated with influencer Jessica Sepel (of JSHealth vitamin fame), reported being influenced to take a supplement for a condition “she had never experienced” due to the strength of other women’s private testimonials about the product.
Co-author of the study, Adjunct Professor Alana Mann from the Discipline of Media and Communications, said: “This study offers a snapshot into the influence of social media on women’s behaviour, particularly in relation to complex ideas about their health and wellbeing.”
“Our current findings, and the emerging body of research into social media and public health, demonstrates that health marketers and public health campaigners must recognise that social media influencers and online communities do present new opportunities for ways of communicating complex health messages to women.”
Ms Davies added: “This is a case of listening to the consumer. Women, and younger people in general, are increasingly getting their information from non-medical bodies, and this information influences their ability to make independent decisions in everyday life.”
“It is vital that those designing and implementing public health campaigns work with this knowledge to ensure people get the right information about health and how to live a healthy life.”
I love the clamshell exercise, too. I do this simple movement on the floor, from the comfort of my yoga mat (or carpet), and it’s done more for my hip mobility, core stability, and glute (buttock) strength than many other weighted exercises.
The squat certainly has its place in a strength training routine. There’s no denying this compound movement is a good one, strengthening multiple large muscle groups at once. But, it can be trying on the bones and joints, especially if you’re newer to weighted exercise or coming back from an injury, like me.
Jack Claxton has been at the sharp end of personal training for over a decade, yet even someone as well-versed in its benefits can occasionally lack the drive to exercise. “Motivation is huge,” says David Lloyd’s master trainer, who admits that his own motivation started to dip last year “even though I’ve been in this industry for 10-11 years.”
Despite committing his career to helping people fall in love with exercise, Claxton was falling out of love with it—hard.
Preity Zinta leaves no stone unturned when it comes to fitness, and her latest workout video is proof. Watch here.
Preity Zinta has shared her latest exercise regimen on social media.
Preity Zinta is known to follow a disciplined routine and consistent workouts, leaving no stone unturned when it comes to fitness. All thanks to her exercise regimen and balanced diet that she is truly ageing like fine wine. Maintaining a fit and toned physique, she has set a fitness benchmark at the age of 50. She recently took to her Instagram handle to share a workout video, proving that age is just a number. Let’s dive into her latest exercise regimen here.
Taking to her social media handle, Preity Zinta shared an inspiring working video, moving fans with her dedication towards a healthy lifestyle. She captioned the post, “It does not matter how long and how much you train over the years… One needs to keep changing it up so you can push your body further and harder.” She added, “Here I’m trying a new workout for a new project I’m working on with the one & only Yasmin Karachiwala (Celebrity fitness instructor). Hope I can inspire some of you to go to the gym now.”
Take a look at Preity Zinta’s workout video here.
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Wearing sleek black sportswear, Preity is shown in the video slaying several exercises while maintaining her distinctive natural shine and pulling her hair up into a high ponytail.
Take notes from Preity’s exercise regimen
Scrunches: To tone the abdominal muscles, perform core-focused crunches.
Cable curl: A technique for working the biceps with a cable machine.
Squats: Try this traditional bodyweight or weighted squat to work your legs and glutes.
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Crossover running plank: A version of the plank that uses a running motion to work the shoulders and core.
Arm pulldown: To strengthen the arms and back, pull down a resistance band or wire.
A side step to strengthen and stretch your inner thighs and hips is the side lunge stretch.
A few weeks ago, the Veer Zara actress shared another video from her workout session, writing, “A strong spine is a base for both good health & character (sin). Here is the hanging back extension on the Cadillac for spine mobility & strength. Joseph Pilates famously said, “You are as young as your spine is flexible.” So, whichever way possible, keep your spine flexible & keep pushing yourself the way Yasmin Karachiwala pushes me.”
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