Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock in the recent years, chances are you have at least one social media account – if not multiple accounts. Facebook, Twitter, Istagram, and now Periscope are all hot platforms that most people are using.

And, for many things, these can be great. They allow you to keep in touch with long lost friends, they keep you updated on what others you know are doing, and they can provide a great place to save memories that occur in your life.

But, at times, social media can also hinder your goals. When it comes to fitness, this has never been more apparent.

Let’s look at three ways that social media may be ruining your results.

The Distraction Issue

Think back to the last time you were in the gym. Did you happen to see someone snapping a selfie part-way through their workout? Or, perhaps it was even worse, they were on their phones while doing a set of an exercise.

In both of these cases, that social media stream is totally distracting them from what they are there to do – workout.

If this happens to often, it can not only take away from the results that you should be seeing, but it can also lead to a significant injury.

Social media is great, but consider putting the phone away while you are doing the workout. If you want a selfie, snap it after the workout is over.

The Comparison Game

Another big issue with social media is it may cause you to play the comparison game. Is that person slimmer than you are? Do they have larger muscles? Are they in better shape?

Remember, the only comparison you want to be making here is with yourself. Are you better than you were yesterday? That’s all that really matters.

If you get so caught up comparing yourself to others, it could leave you feeling discouraged and tossing in the towel.

The Misinformation Problem

Finally, let’s not forget the fact that there is a great deal of misinformation out there on social media. People choose what they are posting. So they may post themselves having their delicious full-sized pizza as a cheat meal, making you think this is a regular occurrence in their life.

But in reality, the fact is that it’s not. If this leads you to think it’s okay to eat pizza every week, you are now sabotaging your own results.

Likewise, someone may be posting misleading stats about their body weight or body fat percentage, slanting your views on what’s realistic and what’s not.

So while it’s fine to have a social media account and use it every so often, do be careful with how you are using it. If you aren’t, it may mean you fail to see the results you were hoping for.

[Image via Getty]