Woman shows what 'gym bodies' really look like in photos taken minutes apart

24 February 2024 , 13:57

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Live wants to shed light on the reality of social media (Image: livlivinlife__/Instagram)

With filters and editing software readily available to anyone using social media, it's hard to know what's what's real and what's not.

It can be incredibly hard to be bombarded with beautiful, sculpted bodies on social media. While it serves as motivation for some people, for others it can make them feel really bad about their own bodies.

What makes it even more difficult is that you don't know if it's real. The lighting and angles could help the person look completely different than they do in real life - or it might quite simply be edited.

One influencer has now showed off what a real "gym body" looks like, shedding light on the reality behind social media - and it's probably not what you'd expert. Olivia Nevill shares her fitness journey online with her 164,000 followers, but it's not the 'before and after' pictures you might expect.

The pictures were taken just a minute apart (Instagram/livlivinlife__)

In a recent snap, Liv shared a picture of her natural tummy, to show that even those who train heavily might have a bump, curves and shapes. The two pictures were taken just one minute apart, and in the first one Liv can be seen standing with her front facing the camera, while tensing her muscles and showing off her flat abs.

Woman tells of losing 29 kilos and becoming a bodybuilder in her 60s

However, in the second image she can be seen relaxing, from the side, and while she still looks incredible, her stomach looks fuller and less lean. In the caption, Liv wrote: "I've trained four times a week for the past years, and I still don't have a flat stomach, bloat, have a lower belly bump, have insecurities, have stomach rolls when I sit down, have stretch marks.

"I used to constantly compare to each person on my feed but I've slowly come to realise just how the gym girlies look like regular, normal people! It's just about finding love in it all - and showing a happy, healthy body in both, just a split second apart, in a different lighting. That person you see online that you are striving to look like, feeling guilty over every meal eaten, constantly restricting to look that bit more like them.

Liv regularly shows what a bit of tensing can do (livlivinlife__/Instagram)

"They're simply posing for a photo, which means YOU are comparing your natural body to a posed, filtered and - in some cases - edited picture of your favourite fitness influencer. Now don't get me wrong, we all want to show ourselves off in the best light, but it’s important to keep things like this in mind!"

Liv explained that when she walks around in her day-to-day life, her abs "don't look extremely defined, my muscles aren't popping out" but they do when she poses, tenses and flexes. She added: "So here's your reminder to move AWAY FROM BODY GOALS & STRIVING TO LOOK LIKE SOMEONE ELSE! As it's not REAL LIFE!"

Her post has had more than 9,300 likes, with many congratulating Liv on having such a "refreshing" outlook. One person wrote: "You are so real. I love what you doing and showing people what is real and don't have to worry or hate our body because its normal if it isn't always 'perfect'," while another added: "So refreshing to see normal bodies existing on social media."

If you're struggling with how you feel about the way you look, you're not alone. The Mix offers free, short-term online counselling for people aged 25 or under. You can email using their online contact form. Beat offers information and support for anybody affected by eating disorders. You can email [email protected].

Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz