Here's Why Gym Selfies Can Boost Your Confidence and Eliminate Stress

© AMIHere's Why Gym Selfies Can Boost Your Confidence and Eliminate Stress

A few judicious pics can make you feel calmer and more secure—but think twice before sharing them with everyone. Spamming your Instagram feed with iPhone shots of your four-pack abs is a recipe for annoying your friends. But a few select, meaningful photos that make you feel good, sent to a few good friends? That might be the recipe for keeping up with your gym routine and unlocking new levels of self-confidence. Yes: Selfies, often mocked as a the epitome of smartphone-era self-indulgence since the term was coined in 2014, can actually be a good way to connect with people you care about and reflect on things that motivate you and make you happy, according to a new study from University of California at Irvine published in July in the journal Psychology of Well-Being. We know what you're thinking: Really? I figured they just made people look like jerks. And you have a point: Science around selfies hasn't always been so sunny. Guys who post "a lot" of selfies on Facebook or Instagram tend to score higher in narcissism and "self-objectification," according to a widely reported Ohio State University study published in early 2015. Men's Fitness readers tend to be annoyed by dudes taking gym selfies, particularly when the selfie-taker in question is walking around the gym shirtless while everyone else is just trying to get in a good workout. And our own surveys suggest that women are similarly peeved by gym selfies shared on social media. But here's the question: Assuming you're not fishing for compliments or desperately trying to impress anybody, how can taking selfies (not necessarily shirtless gym selfies) really improve how you feel about yourself?

How the Study Worked

Researchers specifically wanted to explore three habits that tend to make people feel happier: recording things that make you feel happy, giving to others, and smiling (yes, research suggests you can improve your mood simply by smiling). So the researchers asked 41 students at a "public university on the West Coast" to try adding one of three habits to their daily routines:  - (1) taking a selfie while smiling every day  - (2) taking a daily photo of something that makes them happy   - (3) taking a photo of something that would make someone else happy, and then sending it (via text, email, or social media) to that person. Using custom-built Android apps, the researchers tracked the students' mood for a week before trying any of the habits, and then for three weeks while practicing one of the three habits. The results:  - People in the selfie group tended to feel more "confident, comfortable, and creative" in their photos, although they noted that constantly having to take photos got repetitive and annoying. "As days went on, I got more comfortable taking photos of myself. If you feel good about yourself, then [a] selfie would be a way to capture that," one study participant said. (They also tended to take them in private places when no one else was around, the study authors reported.)  - People in the "happy photos" group felt "more mindful, reflective and appreciative," the study authors wrote. "Those are simple things that I never thought about before. Just like everyday objects and places in my room. They are places that made me content and stress-free at that time. Not big, but it does have an impact," one student said.  - The "photos for others" group tended to feel less stressed, and felt happy when the photo recipients responded to their messages. "It was fun to send stuff to my girlfriend to make her laugh," one person said. "Seeing her reactions will always make me smile."

So What's This Mean for Your Life?

If taking selfies are a good way to combat stress and make you feel good about yourself—particularly if they capture things that make you happy or reference inside jokes that you can share with your friends or family—then maybe it's not the worst idea to work them into your routine. Put more academically, "practicing exercises that can promote happiness via smartphone picture-taking and sharing can lead to increased positive feelings for those who engage in it," said Yu Chen, Ph.D., the lead study author and a scholar in UC Irvine's Department of Informatics. So while taking selfies by the squat rack can get kind of annoying for everyone else, a more private selfie can be a good way to track your weight loss progress and motivate you to keep going back to the gym. And although random gym selfies posted indiscriminately to Facebook for the sake of likes and building your #gymlyfe cred might piss people off, a (tasteful) shot shared with a friend, your trainer, or gym buddy can not only make you feel closer with that person but also help you feel better at the same time. Just do us all a favor and don't hog the bathroom mirror at the gym, okay? Okay.

• How the Study Worked

  
  © AMIHere's Why Gym Selfies Can Boost Your Confidence and Eliminate Stress
  
  

  Build muscle, burn fat, and transform your body with these essential moves.Every guy who’s into fitness has some methodology, piece of equipment, or program they like over anything else. Some like to circuit train every day, some follow bodybuilding protocols, and still others participate in any number of fitness trends and fads.But some exercises have withstood the test of time, no matter what your approach. These moves have become staples in every serious lifter’s plan. If you're serious about your gym routine at all, make sure you add these into your workouts.

• So What's This Mean for Your Life?

  
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  Every gym-goer in the world has been asked “Whaddya bench?” at least once. This move is responsible for developing powerful, well-defined pecs, shoulders, and triceps, which lead to a more commanding presence, with or without a shirt on. Combine with that the muscle-building effects of the testosterone this move releases and all you have left to do is watch your “little black book” fill up.The Perfect Bench Press >>>

• The 15 Most Important Exercises for Men

  
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  This could be the most important exercise there is for lower-back health and developing an impressive set of glutes. Any seasoned lifter will tell you they're truly impressed by a good set of legs, and a butt usually comes with it. Also, this move helps to make the hamstrings more flexible, meaning less back pain after sitting all day.

• BENCH PRESS

  
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  Often confused as a squat and front raise combo for the legs and shoulders respectively, this move is actually an explosive hip hinge, great for the glutes and conditioning. When done properly, the hip-hinge movement combined with the cardio due to the explosiveness of the movement makes for a strong, ripped physique any guy would be jealous of.The Perfect Kettlebell Swing >>>

• DUMBBELL ROMANIAN DEADLIFT

  
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  Trainers far and wide have touted the usefulness of suspension-training systems like the TRX for years, and the fitness population is starting to catch on. In a pushup, the instability of the handles leads to more muscle fiber activation, in turn leading to more strength and muscle development in less time than in other variations of the classic pushup, as well as long-term health for your shoulders.

• KETTLEBELL SWING

  
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  Nothing quite says “I’m big” like a wide set of shoulders, and a wide back is a big part of that. The best move for developing those big, fan-shaped muscles (latissimus dorsi, aka, the lats) that make your shoulders look wide is the traditional pullup. It’s a big, multijoint move, which leads to testosterone release, meaning strength and overall muscle development will be enhanced.

• SUSPENDED PUSHUP

  
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  Some guys work for a lifetime to develop a ripped midsection like the fitness models we see in magazines. Others know the secret of disciplined eating and the best exercises for abs out there, none of which are a crunch or variation. The medicine ball slam carves out gorges in the midsection, making your abs look like a street map of midtown Manhattan and adds a good amount of cardio to your workout so you can maintain that look.The Four Medicine Ball Moves That Carve Your Core >>>

• PULL-UP

  
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  Although very challenging, the Swiss ball rollout is an essential part of anyone’s quest for a six-pack. As you roll out on the ball, the abs are put under increasing tension, and any fitness expert knows that one of the secrets to building ripped, lean muscle is high muscular tension. Use this move in place of a crunch to carve out a defined six-pack.How to Get the Abdominal V >>>

• MEDICINE BALL SLAM

  
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  Although this move looks like it would hurt your lower back, it in fact has the opposite effect. The good morning is a great developer for the lower back, and the use of a band makes it more like a physical therapy exercise than a traditional lift. Not only that, but this exercise will assist you in the squat, allowing you to load up more weight on the bar.Fitness on the Fly: How to Do Good Mornings with Resistance Bands >>>

• SWISS BALL ROLLOUT

  
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  Yes, it's tempting to walk into the gym and immediately start tinkering with the most complicated machine you can find. But sometimes, the best workout you can do is just hefting around some heavy stuff.After your workout, try carrying a pair of 70-pound dumbbells around for more than 30 seconds; your forearms will be on fire. After a few weeks of this, you can expect your weights to start increasing faster than ever before.

• BANDED GOOD MORNING

  
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  Okay, yeah, it looks a little silly. But unlike the leg curl machine, a hamstring curl on a physio ball takes a lot of stress off your knees, and forces you to coordinate your upper and lower body as you hammer your hamstrings—without putting any major joints at risk. It’s a great finishing move for hamstrings, and the physio ball variant involves the glutes enough that makes it a great assistance move for bigger lifts like the deadlift.Hammer Your Hamstrings >>>

• FARMER'S WALK

  
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  More often than not, a move done with both sides of the body involved will not expose weaknesses or imbalance. This variation of the row is an exception—it will make your shortcomings seem even more pronounced. But keep your chin up, dude: A suspension trainer will help correct those imbalances or weakness, leading to long-term joint health due to correct movement patterns.Ask Men's Fitness: What's the Benefit of a Suspension Trainer? >>>

• HAMSTRING CURL

  
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  Some would argue that the standing barbell overhead press is a better upper-body developer than the mighty bench press itself. Because it demands huge effort from your abs and all the assistance muscles that get used to press the barbell overhead, this move leads to a set of shoulders that look like cannonballs and will develop the chest just as well as any other move.Two Tips to Increase Your Lifts: Overhead Press >>>

• SUSPENDED INVERTED ROW

  
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  The biggest set of muscles in your body (relative size) are the glutes. This move hits them directly. Strong glutes not only lead to a healthy back and flexible hamstrings—meaning fewer long-term strength and flexibility problems—but also do wonders for filling out a pair of jeans. And yeah: Women notice.How to Build Your Glutes >>>

source : Men's Fitness (http://www.mensfitness.com/)

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