The Fit-Fluencer Era: A Net Positive
A friend recently asked me if I’m bothered by this wave of fit-fluencers selling injury prevention guides and posting flashy reels like "POV: your knee pain is gone because you do this one move every day," and building six-figure platforms off workout videos. It’s not necessarily a simple answer, but I do think it’s a net positive.
Yes, there's a lot of unregulated, self-taught, and more often than not inaccurate (or at least incomplete) information out there (1). Many of these accounts are run by athletes, personal trainers, or people who simply started working out one day, maybe fixed their own injury publicly and built a following. And yes, a lot their content would make a physical therapist cringe (or at least sigh into their morning coffee).
But here's the thing: people are moving.
And not just a few people, a lot. There have been enormous increases in strength training globally, especially for women (2). That increase is also reflected in the number of branded workout spaces we see opening up every day. It’s profitable because people are interested. Women’s only spaces, LGBTQ+ only spaces, and body inclusive spaces join the scene as more and more people get involved in consistent exercise. People are stepping into gyms, lifting weights, and learning to trust their bodies. That’s a win.
To be fair, correlation doesn’t equal causation. One study titled "Is Fitspiration Truly an Inspiration?" didn’t find a direct relationship between following fitspiration accounts and increased exercise frequency (3). So while the cultural rise of strength training and fit-fluencer content might align, we can’t definitively say one causes the other. Still, it’s part of the current landscape and seems to be nudging the needle in the right direction.
Every day, more patients come to me asking about longevity and how to age well, not just how to fix short-term pain. They want to be strong, capable, and independent long into their later years. That mindset shift is profound, and I believe we owe a lot of it to the accessibility and motivation these platforms have created.
What’s more, this era of fitness has brought something else: representation and accessibility.
My social media feed is filled with bodies of all shapes, sizes, and abilities doing incredible things. Some of my favorite follows are @300poundsandrunning, @j7healthcentre, @katiebudenburg, and the hilarious, powerhouse Olympian @ilonamaher. These creators have made space for so many people to see themselves reflected in sport. As a provider, I can’t overstate how valuable that is. Movement belongs to everyone.
Additionally, access to one-on-one skilled movement science support is a huge privilege in many places. More people have more access to health sciences information with fewer barriers thanks to Instagram and TikTok communities.
That said, it’s not all praise and positivity. There’s a darker side to this glossy, curated world of fit-fluencers: the growing body image distortion fuels. Many of the most viral accounts promote physiques that are genetically rare, heavily filtered, or maintained through unsustainable regimens and lifestyles. When every scroll includes six-packs, sculpted glutes, and hyper-staged routines as the “norm,” it can create damaging pressure especially for younger audiences or those new to fitness.
And the misinformation problem is real. A recent study titled "You started working out to get a flat stomach and a fat a$$" found that over 60% of “fitspiration” videos on TikTok presented incorrect or harmful information (4). That’s not a small number, it’s the majority. When we’re talking about the health and well-being of a global audience, that kind of misinformation can cause real harm.
So while representation is improving, we also need to stay critical. We need to promote transparency, celebrate functional goals over aesthetic ones, and encourage people to tune in to how they feel not just how they look.
I definitely get frustrated watching creators make serious money selling over-simplified inaccurate content, especially when that content skips important nuance or perpetuates myths that take years to undo in clinic. But I also understand that not everyone needs a textbook to start. They just need a spark.
So here's the balance: at ROOTS we’ll keep doing what we do best, listening to people’s stories, treating ROOT causes, educating with depth and context. And if a 30-second Instagram reel gets someone moving, I can’t knock it. Maybe I’ll even channel my frustration into making more of them myself!
In the end, the fit-fluencer era is moving people. And movement is medicine.
Here are some accounts that I love with awesome, verified movement science information:
@drdan_dpt
@theprehabguys
@thephysiofix
@drmalekpt
@jasonandlaurenpak
Curtis, R.G., Prichard, I., Gosse, G. et al. Hashtag fitspiration: credibility screening and content analysis of Instagram fitness accounts. BMC Public Health 23, 421 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15232-7
Kraemer, W., Fragala, M., & Ratsames, N. Evolution of resistance training in women: History and mechanisms for health and performance, Sports Medicine and Health Science (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smhs.2025.01.005.
Bowles, A., Walsh, S., & Andre, T. Is Fitspiration Truly an Inspiration? Relationships between Fitspiration, Exercise, and Body Image, Health Behavior Research: 4, 2 (2021). https://doi.org/10.4148/2572-1836.1101
Pryde, S., Kemps, E., & Prichard, I. “You started working out to get a flat stomach and a fat a$$”: A content analysis of fitspiration videos on TikTok. Body Image, 51 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101769
