Unrealistic body goals
When scrolling through your Instagram feed, you may be bombarded by ‘gym selfies’ showing your favourite celebrities and influencers flaunting their perfect physiques.
Constantly seeing these flawless figures on social media might make you feel guilty, especially if you’re sitting on the sofa eating ice cream out of the tub. But you’re not alone—many people dream of having these beach bodies and join a gym in an effort to achieve them.
But although these beautiful physiques can be motivating, they are incredibly hard to attain. You’ll need to spend hours in the gym each day to see the same results—something that a lot of us don’t have the time for.
And that’s without considering the cost. The celebrities you see on Instagram can afford to have a five-star personal trainer and a home gym, making it much easier for them to achieve and retain their figures.
The real cost of fitness
In the UK, a gym membership costs around £32 a month, on average (not including the joining fee.) The 2018 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report shows that one in every seven Brits has paid to join a gym, which equals almost 10 million people.
Although the number of budget gyms is growing quickly, the cost of achieving the perfect body doesn’t stop here. A survey carried out by MyProtein revealed that the average person spends £124 per month on health and fitness, and £96,658 over their lifetime. This includes fitness clothing, supplements, meal plans and personal training.
When you see an influencer posting their gym selfies on Instagram, you’ll notice that the posts often feature a sneaky ad, whether it’s the person wearing a certain clothing brand or drinking a protein shake from a branded bottle. These promotions can suggest that you need these products to achieve the same look.
Below is a table showing the average costs of everything you might need/want to attempt to reach your goals:
Many people also often buy pre-workout and meal plans. In fact, a study revealed that most women attempt three diets each year—an average annual spend of £485.25. Assuming they do this every year from the ages of 18 to 70, this figure would amount to £25,233 over the course of their gym-going life.
A realistic way to get results
The money spent on health and fitness is startling, but it’s even more shocking that 50% of people who get a gym membership fail to visit the gym. As most gym memberships are some form of ongoing contract, this is all money going to waste.
It’s really important to exercise and eat healthily to improve your overall wellbeing. However, it might be that you’re close to reaching your target weight but just can’t shift the last bit of stubborn fat. Perhaps you’re getting frustrated, giving up and comfort eating.
If the gym isn’t working for you—whether it’s because you simply can’t afford the costs, don’t have the time or can’t drop the last few pounds—this isn’t the only way. More instant solutions, such as non-invasive surgery like SculpSure, are becoming increasingly popular. The permanent effect that these methods achieve in just a few sessions is proving to be more cost-effective than unused gym memberships. Not only that, but the immediate results also help to make patients feel more confident about their bodies.
For more information about this article or SculpSure, please visit https://sculpsure.co.uk/.
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