#Insta Weight Loss

Harnessing The Motivational Power Of Social Media.

- Pedro van Gaalen

Social media has been a boon for the health and fitness industry. Platforms like Instagram and Twitter have given users direct access to fitness personalities, models and industry experts, which is not only hugely beneficial from an information sharing perspective, but the content can also be highly motivating for followers trying to emulate their hero.

Facebook and instant messaging platforms are also beneficial, especially their ability to allow like-minded people to form groups that offer support, or for trainers to give clients advice and motivation.

But the potential uses for these internet-enabled tools run so much deeper. Take Capetonian Tracey-Lee Lusty as a prime example. Instead of simply drawing inspiration from the svelte, toned and shapely physiques she saw on Instagram, she decided to harness the power of social media and use it as a type of commitment device.

Also known as self-binding in the world of behavioural economics, a commitment device is broadly described as a tool used to incentivise yourself to make an otherwise empty promise more meaningful; a way to get your future ‘self’ to stick to something your current ‘self’ wants or needs.

It is a concept closely linked with willpower and commitment to achieving a goal. The problem most of us face is failing to incentivise ourselves in any meaningful way, which is what we need to remain committed and see a process – in this case a weight-loss transformation – through to the end.

So, instead of merely making a commitment to lose almost half her body weight by simply writing it down somewhere where only she could see it, Tracey-Lee decided she would use the power of social media to broadcast her goal to as many people as she could reach.