30 minutes on Instagram can negatively impact your body image, says study

Scrolling through social media platform Instagram for just 30 minutes a day can cause women to fixate negatively on their body shape, according to new research. 

Studies carried out by the University of New South Wales and Macquarie University discovered that increasing pressure to conform to the Instagram body ideal is creating a society where people are unhappy with their own physiques.

Participants in the study were also found to become increasingly unhappy with their body the longer they spent looking at celebrity “fitness inspiration” images. 

The heavily filtered “gym selfie” images depicted on social media were found to increase the pressure to hit the gym, but for many Brits, the time and effort required to achieve these unrealistic goals is unsustainable. 

How much Brits spend on weight loss methods

The 2018 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report found that one in seven Brits are gym members, bringing the country’s total membership to almost 10 million. However, research by Topcashback also showed that gym memberships are the most wasted monthly subscription, with 50% of members failing to visit. 

Brits also spend huge amounts of money on weight loss methods to achieve the “perfect” body. According to a survey carried out by MyProtein, the average person spends £124 per month on health and fitness, totalling £96,658 over the average lifetime. This includes fitness clothing, supplements, meal plans and personal training. 

A further study revealed that most women attempt three diets each year, totalling an average yearly spend of £485.25. If this was repeated every year between the ages of 18 to 70, the figure would reach £25,233 over a lifetime.

Although a healthy diet and regular exercise can eventually lead to weight loss, many dieters and gym goers are left demoralised when they fail to lose stubborn fat and are opting for more instant solutions such as non-invasive surgery – 62% of young Brits are expected to undergo an aesthetic treatment in the next 12 months. 

“Exercising and maintaining a healthy diet will undoubtedly create a trimmer physique, however, areas of stubborn fat – which invariably cling to the stomach, hips and thighs – can be almost impossible to shift through diet and exercise alone. Non-invasive body sculpting allows you to target hard to reach areas,” said Fiona Comport from body sculpting specialists SculpSure.