Perils of Insta-inspired fitness
People urged not to follow Instagram fitness influencers blindly who claim fast results in a short time
Hyderabad: When the lockdown closed down gyms, fitness trainers had to turn creative and move their classes online. While most were able to retain their clients they knew personally, some who were just starting out struggled to create a base.
A quick glance at Instagram and YouTube throws up a long list of videos and products that promise fast results within a month, some even go as far as saying that one can achieve their goal weight within a week with customised workout programmes. It’s lucrative for sure, but whether the person doling out that advice is certified or not is up for debate.
Many trainers and experts in the field agree that the lockdown and pandemic has led to a spurt in so-called ‘fitness influencers’ who having lost a large amount of weight, take it upon themselves to dole out their ‘advice with proven results’ to beginners.
“I have been seeing a lot of patients who have gotten badly hurt following such extreme routines that promise very quick results in a short time. One patient hurt his back while doing a deadlift and MRI revealed a disc protrusion in spine. Another patient hurt himself in a similar way and had to be given an epidural. If you are losing more than 1.5 kgs per month, there is something seriously wrong for you are losing muscle, not fat,” explains Dr Naveen Pappala, sports rehabilitation and exercise, physiology and nutrition.
Experts caution that following such self-proclaimed online trainers comes with risks as some of them don’t have any background in nutritional science and physiology and lack knowledge of basic parameters like body composition, diet, age and lifestyle.
Animal Flow yoga trainer Shikhara Baddam who is currently taking online classes for clients agrees that people, especially youngsters should be wary of claims of losing 15 kgs in four weeks. “It takes hard work and consistent effort to achieve a fitness goal. When looking at taking online coaching, see how much experience they have, find out how many people they have coached and their certifications. If someone says they are losing more than 2 kgs a month would mean they are following an extreme diet ignoring food groups which is not sustainable. In the long run, it can affect heart and bone health in older people, skin, hair, and monthly cycle in women,” says Shikhara.
Celebrity fitness trainer Venkat who has trained many stars in Telugu Film Industry and has been doing online fitness coaching for five to six years now says, “Online coaching is not just about coming up with a customised diet plan and workout routine, there is constant monitoring that goes with it. Motivation is a very big factor in personal training, human nature craves attention and when there is somebody telling you what to do and eat, that really helps a person stay on the course to their fitness goal. People should focus on long-term fitness rather than just changing the scales on the weight machine,” suggests Venkat.
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