“One of the best transitions both the exercise industry and the public have made together over the last two decades has been moving from ‘exercise for looks’ to ‘exercise for health’,”
“Your body isn’t a trend,”
“Exercise should never be about chasing the latest social media ideal. It should be about improving your health…”
From worrying about “runner’s waist” to avoiding the gym for fear of getting “bulky”, the latest wave of social media fitness trends is encouraging young women to question some of the healthiest forms of exercise.
Exercise New Zealand says the growing popularity of appearance-driven fitness advice on platforms like TikTok and Instagram is undoing years of progress in helping people view exercise as something to improve their health, not simply the way they look.
ExerciseNZ Chief Executive Richard Beddie says one of the biggest achievements over the past two decades has been changing the conversation around why people choose to be active.
“One of the best transitions both the exercise industry and the public have made together over the last two decades has been moving from ‘exercise for looks’ to ‘exercise for health’,” says Beddie.
“For the vast majority of New Zealanders that’s still the case today. Health and mental wellbeing are consistently the two most common reasons people exercise. But these latest social media crazes buck that trend, often driven by online influencers with little or no formal training in exercise, health or wellbeing.”
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One of the newest trends, dubbed “runner’s waist”, claims that regular running will create a wider, boxier waist because of visible oblique muscles. Another, “cortisol face”, suggests that everyday exercise causes facial puffiness through elevated stress hormones. At the same time, the long-standing myth that women who lift weights will become “too bulky” continues to discourage many from strength training.
ExerciseNZ says these claims are not supported by scientific evidence.
Recent research highlighted in Healthline has debunked the “runner’s waist” myth, showing that while running activates the core, it does not provide the heavy resistance needed to significantly increase the size of the oblique muscles. Instead, running develops endurance, cardiovascular health and core stability, not a wider waist.
Likewise, medical experts out of Ohio State Wexner Medical Center say “cortisol face” is not a recognised medical condition. While rare disorders that cause abnormally high cortisol levels can change facial appearance, everyday exercise and normal life stress do not create the dramatic facial changes portrayed across TikTok and Instagram.
The belief that women will become “bulky” simply by lifting weights is another persistent misconception. Research also consistently shows that building substantial muscle mass requires years of progressive resistance training, carefully managed nutrition and, in many cases, favourable genetics. For most women, strength training develops strength, bone density, confidence and functional fitness, not an exaggerated physique.
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Beddie says the greatest concern isn’t the trends themselves, it’s the impact they’re having on how young women think about themselves. “We’ve gone from celebrating what our bodies can do to worrying about whether our waistline or face fits the latest TikTok trend. That’s a step backwards.” He further adds;
“The irony is that social media is making people fear the very activities that improve their health. Running, strength training and regular physical activity reduce the risk of chronic disease, improve mental wellbeing, build confidence”
ExerciseNZ is encouraging New Zealanders, particularly young women, to be cautious about taking health advice from social media personalities whose content is designed to generate clicks rather than provide evidence-based guidance.
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“Your body isn’t a trend,” says Beddie.
“Exercise should never be about chasing the latest social media ideal. It should be about improving your health, building confidence, feeling strong and giving yourself the best chance of living a long, healthy life. That’s something no viral trend should ever take away.”
Social media can be a great source of motivation, but it shouldn’t replace qualified advice. If you’re starting a new exercise programme or feeling confused by conflicting information online, talk to someone registered with the NZ Register of Exercise Professional (REPs) – who operate a searchable database @ www.reps.org.nz. They’ll help you build a plan based on your body, your goals and the science, not whatever happens to be trending that week.