Social isolation has sparked productivity in many people, and one of the trends that has come from that is getting physically fit. 

Influencers such as Chole Ting or Pamela Reif have their own versions of “quarantine workout regimens” that aim to help people lose weight or “get shredded” during quarantine. Many workouts can be found on YouTube for free, and working out can be a great way to keep busy during social isolation. 

While working out can be fun, and even important, it is essential to remember that it’s not a competition to see who can be the most productive. No one should feel like they have to work out or lose weight to feel beautiful. 

Too much of this new workout trend, unfortunately, aims to profit off of people’s insecurities, and make them feel ashamed of themselves.

This trend is nothing new. People feel pressure from all sorts of media to be skinny, with the false message that only skinny is beautiful and anything other than that is not. 

This is simply untrue: All bodies are beautiful and deserve respect. But the media profit off of telling people what is wrong with them, and selling them how to fix it.

Around 91 percent of women and 40 percent of men are displeased with their bodies, studies say, and social media influencers, the fashion industry, and advertisers feed off of these insecurities. 

The world is in the middle of a pandemic, and people’s lives are completely different than they have ever been before. It’s okay to gain or lose weight during social isolation. Your weight does not determine your worth. 

Influencers are always going to try to sell ”weight loss solutions.” Right now, it’s important to remember that they are profiting off of people feeling bad about their appearance, and in the midst of the pandemic it can be harder to avoid this pressure. 

The purpose of working out should be to celebrate your body, not feel shame about it.