I am going to make a not-so-bold prediction. Before or after you read this article, you were doomscrolling and/or will doomscroll during your day.
According to at least one study, the average person doomscrolls for roughly 3 to 4 hours per day. Obviously, some people doomscroll less, and some doomscroll more, but regardless of which group you fall into, you are likely as guilty as I am of doing this modern habit.
Chances are when you are procrastinating and not doing the cardio, weightlifting, or meal prep that you know you need to do, it is doomscrolling that you are spending your time on instead. Don’t get me wrong, doomscrolling is not always a bad thing in my opinion. After all, you can learn a lot about your friends, family, favorite topics, and the world in general while scrolling through your preferred platform(s). To be fair, you can also waste a ton of time doing it.
What you see while you are doomscrolling matters, which is why one of the first things that I recommend people do when they start their fitness journeys is to follow fitness influencers and educators on social media. There’s an old saying that when you want to get through to someone, you ‘meet them where they are at,’ and these days most people are on one or more social media platforms.
Part of the reason why people should follow fitness influencers and educators is to learn. I have personally learned a ton by following social media influencers and accounts dedicated to fitness and nutrition. Influencers like Ross Dickerson and 4-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler are putting out insightful content at a steady rate.
However, another equally important reason for following influencers and educators is that seeing their content in your feeds while doomscrolling serves as a reminder to stop procrastinating and do the fitness tasks that you know you need to do to achieve your goals. So much of fitness success is winning the mental game. Life will give you a seemingly never-ending list of reasons to ‘take a day off.’ That one day off then turns into multiple days off, which then turns into weeks off, and the next thing you know you are right back to where you didn’t want to be.
One thing about all social media platforms is that they will recommend similar accounts to what you already engage with. So once you follow one fitness-focused account, you will presumably see more of them. The more of them that you follow and engage with, even more will be recommended, and eventually, your feed will be saturated with worthwhile fitness content. That, in turn, will not only boost your knowledge about fitness and nutrition, but it will also ping your brain with much-needed reminders to not give up, to not procrastinate, and to stay on the right track.
Of course, not all fitness influencers and accounts are created equal, so err on the side of skepticism before you give their content a ‘follow’ or ‘like’ or whatever it is that your preferred platform uses. If you see something that resonates with you, research what is being recommended and try it out, and keep what seems to be helpful and discard what seems to be useless.
Older Muscles is on nearly every major social media platform under the handle @oldermuscles, and we post stuff regularly (a combo of inspirational stuff, how-to stuff, and sprinkles of nonsensical stuff). Feel free to give us a follow!
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Disclaimer: The contents of this article and this website are not meant to substitute for the professional advice of a doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer. This content is provided as an educational tool to help people on their fitness journeys. While we strive to research topics as much as possible and provide useful and accurate information to the best of our abilities, we also strongly recommend talking to your doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer before starting any workout, therapeutic, or nutritional regimen, as each individual’s needs and situations vary depending on the person.