Often vilified for its impact on mental health among young teens, new research suggests that social media could actually have positive effects on motivating young people when it comes to their fitness routines. Depending on how you build it, your Instagram feed could give you a chance to find a feeling of connection with other fitness-conscious individuals.What Did The Study Show?A recent study published in the International Journal of Information Management aimed to understand the effectiveness of various types of social media content in promoting physical activity. It took a look at how users interact with social media, their perceptions of fitness content, and their intentions regarding their own exercise after viewing such content.The study was divided into two parts. The first part analysed exercise participation as a result of fitness content on social media, based on existing online content and trust in information published on social media. The second part took a look at how content published on social media can generate a greater impact on promoting physical activity and motivating individuals to improve their current fitness levels.The results were insightful. It was found that social media users engaged more with fitness content when it featured actual people who deviated from conventional perceptions of thinness and muscularity. Content that highlighted the intrinsic benefits of sports and fitness practices, like how training makes us feel, resonated particularly positively with the participants. What’s more is that aligning individuals with content from those of the same gender was found to be much more useful for building engagement.How Can You Benefit From Your Instagram Feed?These findings provide valuable guidance for tailoring content to maximize its impact on users and enhance their motivation to get fitter. It also offers insight into what type of social media content is likely to give your motivation the biggest boost.The study concluded that users engaging with social media content focused on physical activity had the potential to increase intentions to improve their physical fitness.The study suggests that more intrinsically focused content, like how training feels rather than how it makes us look, is more likely to get us moving. This sentiment is echoed in several other studies from the past examining the value of intrinsic motivators versus extrinsic ones for exercise adherence.The findings offer valuable advice for tailoring our Instagram feed to maximize its impact on our engagement and also encourage the likelihood of us participating in exercise. We can do this by specifically following positive Instagram accounts that we relate to, focusing on the health benefits of exercise rather than just the looks of it. Don't forget that following a diverse range of different body types from different demographics also helps you understand what a healthy body image should look like.