Not exactly sure what fitspo means? We’re breaking down what you need to know about fitspiration and why it might be more harmful than you think.“Transformation Tuesday” “Train insane or remain the same” “4 exercises that give you abs” “Fit is the new skinny” When you first read these messages, they sound catchy and motivating.You’ve seen taglines like this on social media from fitness professionals and celebrities.They have millions of followers and they look like they know what they’re doing.

You’re feeling inspired because it’s about pursuing health through exercise.Or, is it? These messages are code for fitspo.In fact, they came from a quick search on Instagram using the hashtag, #fitspo.

What is “fitspo”? The word “fitspo” is a popular buzzword derived from “fitspiration,” which is the combination of the words “fitness” and “inspiration.” The term first began trending in 2013 as a response to the thinspo trend, which were posts and mottos created to motivate weight loss.The internet quickly identified how harmful the thinspo trend was in relation to developing poor body image, and the fitspo response countered thinspo by trying to shift the focus to achieving fitness instead of thinness.Unlike thinspo, the fitspo hashtag is still widely used and socially accepted: it currently houses over 72 million posts on Instagram and garners 500 new Tweets every 4 days.

At first glance, fitspo appears different and like a posi

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