8 Things Most Instagram Fitness Models Don’t Talk About

Many of us get hypnotized while looking through the perfect pictures fitness models post in their social media accounts. Whether we want to or not, we compare ourselves to them, often feeling guilty for eating junk food or hitting the gym less than they do. It turns out, however, that there is a whole list of tricks Instagram models use to make us believe they know how to get the perfect body.

1. Their pictures may be edited.

Karina Irby, a bikini model and designer, promotes body positivity by posting her unedited pictures. Now and then she posts collages showing the differences between a real body and a photoshopped one. “I feel like it’s so important to keep educating people on social media to remember that sometimes not everything is how it may seem. Girls can develop these unrealistic expectations of what they think is beautiful and achievable,” Karina said about retouched pictures.

Many fitness models cheat by posting their retouched pics in social media accounts, making their followers compare themselves to “perfect” people. The campaign for unedited pictures showing people the way they are has recently gained popularity. Body-positive models promote self-love and acceptance and try to tell people how important it is to respect yourself the way you are.

2. Poses and angles make all the difference.

Ideal pictures that fitness models post are carefully selected, even though it may not seems that way at first sight. Trainer Jen Widerstorm proved this by posting a collage of pictures taken 2 minutes apart. In one part of the collage she sits and her stomach seems to roll over her pants, while in the other part she stands and her stomach looks perfect. “We all look like this when we sit. Don’t stress about the way your body looks in certain positions,” says Jen.

3. They work hard on their “spontaneous” photos.

A working model Rebecca Pearson made headlines when she confessed that she was deliberately creating the image of a perfect life on Instagram to get a job. She revealed the truth about a few of her popular snaps. One of these pics shows Rebecca leaping spontaneously but in fact, it took her boyfriend half an hour and 300 takes to get that perfect “spontaneous” snap.

4. They may lie about their perfect shape.

Another picture of Rebecca shows her sitting on a chair, stretching her leg and showing off her ideal belly with ripped abs. The truth is, however, that she never had that toned stomach and it was all about her pose and the lighting. “Never mind that I don’t even have a 1-pack — this was Instagram gold! Predictably, as so many people love a #fitspiration tag, I got tons of likes and comments like ‘ABS GIRL!’ and ‘WASHBOARD’, which made me feel a bit guilty,” confessed Rebecca.

5. Their detox beverages may be faked.

Fitness models post tons of pictures of “healthy superfoods” they eat to look gorgeous and we often buy it. The truth is that they may only post it, but never actually eat or drink them — they may even fake those superfoods. This is true about this picture of a wellness smoothie that consisted of rhubarb, beetroot leaves, parsnip, and kale. “After taking 2 sips I heaved, threw it down the sink and had to make do with peanut butter on toast and some chocolate for dinner — a not-so aspirational meal that I didn’t publicize,” said Rebecca Pearson, a model who posted this on her Instagram account.

6. They don’t actually work out when they tell you they do.

Another way of cheating used by fitness models is posting pics of their workouts that don’t actually take place. The model confessed, “As a fun post, I decided to get a shot of me doing yoga, Dostoevsky in hand, with the hashtag #dostoyflexy. I didn’t do any exercise on that day (nor did I ever smile like this whilst reading that book), I just donned the workout gear for the 5 minutes it took to take the photo.”

7. Their “ideal” pictures only show the chosen moments of their lives.

When we look through the models’ Instagram accounts, their bodies and lives, in general, seem ideal. We should remember, however, that what we see is just a collection of carefully chosen pictures showing just one (the most attractive) side of their lives. “Me 1% of the time vs 99% of the time. And I love both photos equally. Good or bad angles don’t change your worth,” says a personal trainer Anna Victoria in a caption to the pic showing her body looking different at different moments.

8. They may just be naturally thin.

While some models post pics of green salads and wellness smoothies, others choose to show themselves eating junk food now and then to prove it’s possible to eat all those sweet and fatty foods and stay thin. Even if they manage to stay in good shape, occasionally eating hamburgers or pizza, it doesn’t mean this trick will work for the rest of us. We are all different, we have different body types and metabolisms, and some people may find it easier to combine perfect bodies with eating whatever they want, just because their body can manage it.

Don’t compare yourself to others, love and respect yourself, and be particular about the examples you follow.

What do you think of these “secrets” that fitness models hide from people’s eyes? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!