Harness the Power of Social Media to Fuel Your Healthy Lifestyle
By Shelby Hill
Real talk: Social media can be a black hole. It’ll suck you in and then minutes, hours go by before you reenter the real world. And you’re not alone, 66% of Americans use social media, according to Statistia.
But for all of the attention-grabbing posts and questionable trends (unicorn food and goth ice cream) social media brings to our attention, there are dozens of other pages, groups, and influencers that are aiming higher than the #trending list and using the platform to promote health and wellness issues.
Since social media isn’t going anywhere, why not channel its powers for good instead of evil? Here’s how we suggest changing up your feed to help maintain a healthy lifestyle:
Join a Community
Social sites, especially Facebook, are the perfect place to find likeminded people, even if they’re across the world. There are pages and groups for every topic, and even specialized groups by region, ethnicity, and career field. It might take some digging to find the ones that interest you, but asking friends who they follow is an easy place to start.
Here are some pages and groups we recommend:
- What Broke Vegans Eat: For plant-based meals that won’t break the bank.
- Vegan Travel: Request food and travel tips from fellow vegans in this active group.
- Girls Gone Strong: With meet-ups and sub-groups, Girls Gone Strong advocates strength and fitness for all women.
Follow Real People
It feels like all social media influencers live perfect, well-lit, rosé-filled lives, right? Not so; those accounts are well-crafted brands and businesses, built to keep you double-tapping. But they’re not real life.
So, stop the FOMO and drop the thinking that you need to keep up with the Insta-famous Joneses by following real people—the kind of people who show their flaws and talk about the unglamorous things. Here are some influencers to get you started:
- Ordinary Vegan: If doable plant-based recipes are what you’re looking for, this is your feed.
- @TayosPics: Follow this professional basketball player as he tries out a vegan lifestyle.
- Humans of New York: He may be a professional photographer, but the stories he shares are anything but picture-perfect.
- Brené Brown: This self-described researcher and storyteller studies courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy, and has written three #1 New York Times bestsellers on those topics.
- So Vegan: A little more produced than others, but the simple videos make recreating So Vegan’s recipes so easy.
- Self Magazine’s list of amazing fitness Instagrammers is chock full of follow-worthy accounts, but we’re crushing on @JessiKneeland and @Jessamyn.
Don’t Unfollow all the #Goals Accounts
Don’t unfollow those accounts who post too-good-to-be-true photos. Use them as inspiration, but don’t hold yourself to their standards. It’s not fair to think the meals you cook after a day of work, running errands, and answering thousands of emails will look like the meal a blogger carefully crafted and photographed in a studio with professional lighting.
Give yourself a break. You’re doing your best!
Follow Scientific and Government-Sponsored Pages
The news is not often dominated by health-focused stories, so take matters into your own hands. Stay up to date with the breaking health news coming from scientific or government agencies. Here’s who we suggest “liking” on Facebook:
