So I’ve been doing some thinking. Uh oh, here we go again. Yes, here we go again. Buckle up, friends. And maybe grab something tasty to snack on.
Plain Greek yogurt, banana, Weetabix, applesauce mess.
A few days ago, I brought up the issue of a reader’s responsibility to a blogger, and whether or not a reader should comment and bring to attention potentially disordered behaviours if a blogger is displaying them. Well, today we’re going to flip the coin and talk about what kind of responsibility a blogger has to a reader.
If you recall, yesterday I briefly mentioned the increase in heart rate monitor pictures that seems to be sweeping the blog world. These pictures include things like duration of workout, average heart rate, maximum heart rate, and what likely catches most peoples’ eye, the amount of calories burned – it’s like society has trained our brains to automatically hone in and pay attention whenever the word “calorie” flashes across our field of vision.
But I digress – back to HRMs.
When I asked you guys what you thought the motivation behind posting these pictures was, a few different answers popped up. One was to track personal progress. Another was to motivate. But the most common? “I have no idea, but it’s not useful and needs to stop.” Yeah. I’m going to have to go with the latter on this one.
If someone wants to use a HRM, then that’s their prerogative. I can see how they can be useful training tools, but I choose to avoid them simply because I try and keep my life as number-free as I possibly can when it comes to diet and exercise. No calories eaten. No calories burned. No miles walked. No minutes spent exercising. No measuring. No weighing. None of that. Do I feel good? Yes? Then that’s good enough for me.
But there I go digressing again. Back to the point…
How many calories a person burns is not only an extremely individual matter, but it seems to me like it should be a private one as well. Most people aren’t quick to share how much they weigh or how many calories they eat in a day, so why the extreme willingness to show how many calories they burn? Not only is it not helpful to anyone else, but it provides a perfect breeding ground for unhealthy comparison; and in extreme cases, it even acts as a trigger for those who struggle with disordered thoughts.
When a blogger projects a certain image in the public sphere, there’s always the potential that someone is going to want to emulate it. That’s something that I don’t think a lot of bloggers realize – how big of an influence they have on their readers, especially en mass. When a lot of bloggers jump onto a particular trend, readers begin to see it as the new normal and feel like it’s something that they should be partaking in as well; and if they can’t? That’s when the feelings of guilt and inferiority start to set in.
Personally, the HRM pictures don’t really affect me either way. I’m not interested enough to like them, and not insecure enough to dislike them. But I do dislike the effect that I know they have on certain people. I’m thankful to be comfortable enough in my own routines to be able to roll my eyes and move on, but this certainly wasn’t always the case. There was a time when seeing pictures like that would have triggered me into either trying to match those efforts in the gym myself, or restricting my intake if I couldn’t – justifying that with the fact that if I wasn’t exercising as much, then I didn’t need to eat as much.
See the problem? Because I don’t think a lot of people do.
Maybe I’m just extra sensitive because of my own past struggles with an eating disorder, but I think more bloggers need to become aware of exactly who their audience is and start acting a little more responsibly. There are a lot of readers out there who are struggling with either disordered eating or full blown eating disorders, and what they see on the pages of a blog has the potential to do a lot of harm. It’s all well and good to want to motivate others, but there are less triggering ways to do it.
Now, I’m not trying to step on anyone’s toes, and I’m definitely not pointing any fingers. Not at all. Like I said, I honestly don’t believe that most bloggers are even aware of the issue. It’s just that I’ve been on the other side, as it were, so I know first-hand the negative effect that triggering images like that can have on someone that’s struggling. Sure, one can argue that a blogger shouldn’t have to feel like they need to walk on eggshells when it comes to what they post, and that readers should be the ones to take responsibility and avoid the things that trigger them, but it’s not quite as simple as that. An eating disorder is a hungry illness, both literally and figuratively. It demands to be fed by seeking out the triggers that it knows will help keep it alive, so even though the person suffering knows they need to avoid certain things, sometimes it’s impossible to look away.
So once again, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Do you think bloggers have a responsibility to their readers? Is motivating one person worth potentially triggering another?
I’m glad I came across this post.
I’m one of those people who often (though not daily) posts my HRM pics. I have honestly never thought anything of it, likely because I have never struggled with any sort of ED. I, like Brittany, use my HRM as a gauge of how much I need to eat back to make sure I am not under eating for my activity level.
This is an eye opener for me! I really have never meant these pictures as a trigger. I don’t participate in WIAW for this reason, so I should have thought of this. I also happen to know that I burn a LOT more calories than the average person, so really I should have been more attentive. I will definitely be mindful of this going forward. Thanks for the post!
I was linked to your blog from another one I read and you have a new reader. 🙂 I really liked your post. I started reading blogs in general out of boredom and found a healthy living one I really liked and it went on from there. I am trying to adapt healthier habits and try new things. I thought this was more personal seeing the food that other people eat and what they struggle with. I found a lot of blogs that I felt were unhealthy but 180 degrees from where I am and I guess I was a little surprised by that. The biggest thing was the guilt – oh the guilt is so negative. Someone would post about how horrible it was that they had a bite of chocolate and my logical conclusion would be then I must be REALLY horrible because I ate a whole candy bar last week. Obviously I didn’t buy into that but the thought did occur. I just felt really disappointed because our country does have a problem with poor diets and lack of exercise and when someone actually decides to do something about it they find so many people who will teach them different unhealthy habits and make them feel worse about themselves in the process. If you want to live unhealthy or blog about it obviously it is a free country… I just don’t think they should be doing it under the guise of a health coach or healthy living or anything like that.
Wow I never thought of it like that! All I think when I see that is a. I wish my old clunky garmin watch’s heart rate monitor worked so I could keep at a decent heart rate and b. I wish I could AFFORD a new cute watch like that!
I think part of the reason people post those pictures is to, well, have a picture. I do that with my garmin watch when I go for a run, just to break up the post a little bit.
You are absolutely right though. I try but I need to remember that there are disordered eaters who read my type of blog as well as those who feel like they couldn’t achieve the workout or run I’ve done. A lot of times I don’t feel like my accomplishments are that great…because duh everyone is a marathoner and runs 5 miles on a regular basis…or so it seems like.
Thank you for this post! I am loving your blog!!
I am completely agree with what you are saying and even though I have a blog and used to work in the media I often wonder what my readers really think. I’m a completely average person. I’m a mom with two little boys trying to get back to healthy living. But even I see all these HRM stats and think dear GOD I’m not working hard enough I need to do more. But then I have a moment to consider the sources. Most of the CRAZY stats I see come from college age girls who may or may not have some issues when it comes to food. And also some growing up to do? Am I going to compete with them absolutely not until they show me they can own their own business, raise two kids, have a wonderful marriage and run a household, I don’t feel the need to compete. Are they irresponsible? I honestly think some may not know any better. They see others “killing” it every work out and get on board. As bloggers we run a slippery slope I don’t want to be regulated. I tell folks all the time look this is what I do I’m not suggesting you do it but here’s how it is. I love your blog and I think think is great post!
You know what? You are absolutely correct. I initially started following “healthy living” blogs when I had an eating disorder and needed someone to emulate; someone who could guide me to live the “healthiest” life I could. You know what following those blogs has caused? Me to feel like I will never measure up. I don’t get up at 5:00 am to squeeze in a workout. I don’t lift weights every day of my life. I don’t eat only baked chicken, sweet potatoes and spinach. And that is OK. Thank you for inspiring me to delete all of those blogs from my computer and my life. I love your blog and I think you are wonderful!
It’s perfectly okay! I don’t do any of those things either and I’m still kickin’ 😉
Wow! I had never thought of it this way. You bring up such a great point. I have been seeing heart rate monitors/watches EVERYWHERE lately (and you’re right – my eyes go straight to the calories burned.) As someone who struggles with disordered eating habits, I immediately think, ‘I need to rush out and buy on so I can burn that many calories! I’ll know exactly how many I’m burning so I won’t feel bad about my food binge later tonight.’
While I never thought of these pictures as anything but motivational – I think I have to switch my opinion. You’re right – these pictures are necessary and create unrealistic expectations/ideals for readers/followers.
Thank you for your honesty on the subject 🙂
This is an interesting question. On one hand, a blog is our little place on the internet to share whatever we please. On the other hand, we do have a responsibility to our readers to provide content that won’t hurt them. But then again, is it really right to filter content? Do we write for ourselves or for others? Is it maybe a combo of both? I don’t know the answers to these, but personally I write with some consideration and responsibility. I never want anyone to compare themselves to me or my life because my blog is just a small segment of my life. To your HRM point, I completely agree that there is absolutely no reason to post photos of it. None at all. To brag? Use as proof? Show how kick-ass you are? I dunno, but I agree that the # of calories burned are extremely personal and should be kept private, especially since so many different factors (heart rate, weight, intensity, etc.) affect the calorie count and shouldn’t be used as a comparison. Great post!
YES YES YES YES YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! One of the best posts i’ve ever read!! this is something that has been on my mind so much recently – comparison and pressure in blogworld. don’t get me wrong, i love reading blogs but sometimes the disordered behaviour of other bloggers has a negative impact on MY mood. i’ve recovered from anorexia but some things never go away and since i had my baby last year i’ve developed an aversion to people posting numbers and parading their bloody midriff in front of me!!! and all the weird trends in blogworld….they usually make me laugh….but if you’re having a slightly less confident day, as us girlies sometimes do, then the last thing you need is to put loads of imaginary pressure on yourself! this is brill!
Hi! I was thinking about your blog post on my long run today (thank you, BTW… I needed some interesting things to think about). Do you think readers can recognize the difference between numbers for celebration’s sake and numbers for obsessivenesss’ sake? I am not obsessed with numbers, nor do I have a problem with obsessing over calories, etc. However, I am a new runner and am in AWE of what my body can do right now. I’m running distances that I would have never thought possible. My desire to report comes from a motivational/”holy crap” standpoint. Can readers who are “at risk” differentiate between different writers’ motivations? hmmm…
That’s a really interesting thought, but to be honest, I really don’t think so. I think it mostly comes down to the fact that people who are struggling with disordered thoughts don’t really care about the motivation behind the numbers… they just see a number and it becomes an instant grounds for comparison.
Wow, what a thoughtful post! One thing that I found very early in my blog reading…. there were some blogs that I had to stop reading. If reading someone’s blog made me feel bad or inadequate I realized that I needed to move away from reading those blogs. I have never suffered an eating disorder so i really have no idea what would trigger people. With my very new blog I’m hoping to show people (especially my overweight aunt who is trying to lose weight) that living healthy can be fun. I think living healthy includes many things, eating good foods, eating ice cream when you want it, spending time with friends and family, and exercising to the best of your ability are all ways that everyone can be healthy and I would hope that those wouldn’t trigger people to go back to old habits or feel bad about themselves.
i agree with what you’re saying because especially with Instragram blowing up, it has gotten even easier for others to see what “healthy” “fit” people are doing. A bigger concern I think is, and I think you can relate from having an eating disorder, is these so called “healthy” people in reality I think have eating disorders themselves, just haven’t been able to recognize it, because they have not crossed that line of safety. One thing I learned in recovery is so many people with eating disorders can walk that thin line between “healthy” and “sick”. The bad part about this, is so many others see these behaviors as “healthy” and “normal” and want to emulate them. Freaking out because you MAY have to eat lunch out instead of your safe packed “healthy” lunch, is NOT normal. Going to the gym, sick, during dangerous weather, or freaking out because you can’t go to the gym due to an unseen complication in your schedule is NOT normal. Eating the same thing day after day after day to fit your micros and staying healthy, is NOT normal. But these behaviors are viewed as dedication, not obsession.
I also hate the ab shot pictures, yes you have defined abs, but it’s not because you built great muscles, it is because you have zero fat to cover them. I remember one defining moment at the worst of my eating disorder my boyfriend said to me “wow I’ve never seen anyone have such defined obliques”. At the time I was like woo hoo I have abs, now I realize it was because I was emaciated and had no body fat to cover them.
I could go on and on about how “healthy” bloggers portray an unreal image of healthy living, and I also took a break from blogging and unsubscribed to all blogs I knew the writers had eating disorders because it is so easy for ED to read them and say “look it’s okay”. But that’s a point of recovery, is realizing it’s NOT ok. What they’re doing is wrong, and what you’re doing is right.
(sorry for the novel)
It’s definitely scary to think of how many disordered behaviors pass off as being “healthy” and “dedicated” in the HLB community, and you’re right – people see them being labelled as healthy and want to emulate them, which only results in a completely skewed perception of what healthy really is.
I think bloggers do have a responsibility. In a lot of ways, bloggers (depending on how well read they are) can have the same influence as someone in the media. On the flip side though, it can be incredibly hard to predict what’s going to set someone off. I actually just recently posted an HRM pic after a workout and it never crossed my mind that something like that could be bad for someone else. Definitely something to think about.
It can definitely be hard to guess, which is why I mentioned that I don’t believe anyone does it with the intention to harm. I think it’s just one of those things where, unless you experienced those kind of triggering thoughts personally, it wouldn’t cross your mind that it could be a potential problem for someone else.
As I’ve mentioned in previous messages, I think there is a fine line between what should be shared and what should be kept personal. I am having a blast with my new HRM but not because it tells me how many calories I’ve burned [I honestly don’t care], but because it keeps me on track with training for my first half marathon. I cannot feel how many calories I’ve burned, but I can feel how hard I’ve pushed myself. It helps me know when I can push harder and when I’ve reached my goal. That said, I do agree that it’s a personal thing that the whole world doesn’t need to know. Oye… And in regards to a bloggers responsibility to their readers, I agree but I have some hesitation. I think that bloggers should have the right to share what they want because it’s *their* personal blog, but sharing is different than promoting. I can share that I got 3 hours of sleep the other night but I cannot promote getting 3 hours of sleep… Sheesh, IDK how to phase it haha 😛
No I don’t. Blogging isn’t (and I don’t think ever should be) a regulated medium. Where do you draw the line at what is acceptable or not? Who draws that line? I strongly feel that if you don’t like what you read or are triggered by what you read, don’t read it. Take it off your reader, block the site in your browser to stop yourself if necessary. I see no legitimate reason why people should have to edit their blogs because it may be troublesome to some readers. Nobody forces you to read a certain blog; readers should take responsibility for themselves and what they choose to read.
I totally see your point with this one, but I do think its pretty complex – if every blogger moderated everything they did for fear of ‘triggering’ a reader then I just think we would have no bloggers at all. We are all so diverse and have to do what we feel is right by us, but I do think we need to recognise that we have a responsibility but we can’t possibly think of every possible interpretation of what we post. There has to be a balance between blogger and reader responsibility – we need to be aware of what we post and readers need to know when to click away sometimes (me included!) – I guess its down to that ‘what works for one person does not for another’ – both blogger and reader need to understand that. Oh and I think disclaimers can sometimes be important too – I’d be interested in your thoughts on the disclaimers thing actually!
I definitely think it is a shared responsibility, with both sides being prone to error. As for disclaimers… I honestly don’t find them to be very effective. I think that every reader knows deep down that -most- bloggers aren’t experts when it comes to the things they post, but it doesn’t make much of a difference. We get influenced by what we see regardless, most of the time because we don’t trust ourselves enough and think that others know better.
Yep, I agree with you. Sometimes I think bloggers are trying to “show off” when they post their calorie burn. Like “hey look what I can do!” But then I think a bit more and realize, maybe they are just insecure. They feel like posting their calories will show to others their strength and will power. That maybe others won’t judge them when they see that they ate a piece of cake, because wow they burned 800 calories today!. I dunno, just my 2 cents 🙂
i try and keep calories off my blog. simple as that. i try and post a balance of workouts and emphasize the fact that eat cake (and a lot of it). but, i am also 30 years old and some of these bloggers out there (and readers for that matter) are sooo young. this bring about a completely different perspective, i think…
You know, I really don’t get the HRM photos… So you burned 400 calories with some unknown workout, and then refueled with some low-carb protein “cake” with a measured out half-serving of peanut flour – great for you… but so? Are you trying to show off your intense workout, or prove how far you can push your body even on your “fake” (I don’t get what’s wrong with eating honey, fruits, or carbs) food? I mean, do they even know that everyone burns/maintains on a totally different range of calories and that those HRMS are just a very rough estimate? Gah!
Like I mentioned in your previous post, I have been triggered by the HRM pictures, and I really think that no numbers of any kind should be posted if a blogger truly wants to be responsible. I know that for me, if I see any numbers regarding weight, calories, etc. I immediately hone in on that and start comparing. Not a good path to go down, but it can be extremely hard for a lot of people still struggling with disordered thoughts to just brush it off and move on, which is where blogger responsibility comes in. I think honesty is a big part of it, but ‘hiding’ the potential triggers (which is technically dishonest) also should be included because you never really know who’s reading your blog and what’s going through their mind.
I think bloggers have a responsibility to be honest to readers. To project that every day is full of veggies and exercise but leave out the day that you skipped a workout to watch Friends and snack on popcorn is very misleading. It’s a fine line and you can’t please everyone. Great post!
Thank-you for bringing up this topic! I have to admit I have compared myself to the HRM numbers posted on blogs and it left me feeling inadequate to say the least. Comparing is meaningless though and I agree living number free as possible is the most freeing for me 🙂
When I read this post last night I was just in shock.. good shock. The fact that you took the plunge to write a post that may cause so much commotion or disagreement, is just awesome. One of the main reasons I read your blog is for how truthful and honest you are. you aren’t afraid to hold back your thoughts, which to me is incredible & needs to be done more. I mean it’s YOUR blog, why not share what’s on YOUR mind?? I can’t even begin to tell you how much I agree with everything you wrote. I have fallen into some sort of HLB trap, I admit it, but I think knowing the cutting line & just believing in yourself & having the confidence is what should make you feel empowered, not the number on the scale or the number on your watch. Life is too short to feel like you need to impress someone other than yourself. To feel like you need to maybe one up them in calorie burned. I mean you could be burning more calories, but are you fueling and nourishing your body correctly?! I dont know, I’m with you though girl 🙂
I have to agree with you here. I think that this little corner of the blog world…well I wouldn’t know the exact stats but I’d say MOST bloggers have at some point suffered from some form of disordered eating/exercise obsession. It’s kind of odd that way, and I think if we took the first world population as a whole, HRM pictures would be more motivating than anything else – since in terms of the population as a whole, more people have issues being overweight and inactive. But that’s not the population of the people who write and read healthy living blogs, so yeah, people need to be more conscious of WHO their readers are and what could be potentionally triggoring. I stay on the fringes of the blog world because – to put it bluntly – I don’t have TIME for that shit anymore (that triggering/eating disorder shit) – so I guess my opinion isn’t all that informed, but it doesn’t seem like a good thing for people to be posting. Now….if I were in the middle of a marathon training cycle – because that’s what I do and I did originally start my blog to document my training – I would probably be using my garmin watch a lot and most of my posts would center on my workout stats. And I’d totally post numbers….because (when I can train) I do track numbers in my training. I do so because I have goals that I want to reach and I can’t do that without knowing where I stand most workouts. And I’d post those because I don’t really want to get all deep into the HLB world and I’d want most of my audience to be people who actually understand that and who’d be inspired by that. So as long as I made it clear WHY I post & keep track of numbers, I don’t think that’s wrong in the slightest.
However, posting your calorie burn? No. just no.
I think it depends a lot on the type of blog and the audience. If someone is writing a blog completely devoted to training and wants to attract a likeminded audience, then it makes sense to share stats. But a blog that simply promotes a “healthy” lifestyle while being everything but that? Yeah… no.
Hi Amanda,
I really appreciate that you bring this kind of subject up for discussion. It seems that too little bloggers (in the HLB world) dare talk about it, and then things like HRM and calories burned become normal, or it’s “taboo” to question it/raise against it.
Thanks to your blog, you have the power to lead a discussion and to disturb (in a good way) this world. I appreciate that you use this power wisely, and I wish all the bloggers would be that wise and responsible… 🙂
I love this. You are a breath of fresh air in this healthy living blogging world that has gotten WAY out of hand
Um you hit it again! Actually this fits more than a persons responsibility to comment or not comment. Because this is the internet and blogs are public. And eating disorders are out there and are fueled by so many things. I am consciously aware that what I say or post on the internet may trigger someone and I try to avoid posts that may do that. You cannot always avoid it but things such as posting HRM and weight and calories can certainly be avoided and should be because they are known triggers. A blogger may not even know that someone is reading their post and may not know the effect it is having on people. I know it is not on purpose, but we as individuals who care about others need to be aware that the simplest things can trigger.
Love this post! I sort of agree, sort of don’t. Yes, bloggers have a responsibility towards their readers, but readers need to take responsibility for themselves! Everyone is different and what works for someone might not work for someone else.
Not only am I kind of bothered by the fact that some ppl post their calorie burns, but often I am shocked at the numbers! Like holy crap some people burn almost a thousand calories in a work out .. It’s unsettling because from being a physiology major I know that our bodies are really not meant for the intense stress that’s being put on our bodies in such an intensive workout! I fear for their longevity, I mean they’ll probably see the manifestations of the harm they’re doing to their bodies as they age.
And I totally agree with you about the enormity of the influence that bloggers can have on readers! There’s a reason why there’s bans on certain books that have express a certain idea that would be detrimental, such as a racist idea or something. It’s a double edged sword when it comes to the internet and the freedom that everyone has in posting whatever they feel like.