Which documentaries or videos helped motivate you greatly in taking health/fitness seriously?

[savedsue]

I find that the “fear” factor that some productions have can help scare me enough into making healthier choices. It’s not ideal, but I need something to help kick me into gear after hitting a plateau with my health journey lately. I think visual aids could help.

Some examples from me would be this documentary we were shown in health class a long while ago which made me understand how much is added in our foods and what the meat industry looks like (I’m 70% sure it was that famous FoodInc. doc?). Another was this clip from the Biggest Loser that showed what some x amount of actual fat in pounds looks like.

I’d love to hear and check out which docs/vids have helped motivate you all in your journeys! Hopefully this post can be a library of references for those searching the same

 

[dawn16]

@savedsue Pumping iron! A lot of it is staged but it really gets me going on days where I don’t want to go

 

[dawn16]

@savedsue I like watching videos/podcasts from super tough endurance athletes. Always gets me going.

 

[testallthings]

@savedsue Hi, late to the party but i think this is a great topic. I hope you can forgive a dude who wants to share.

So about 7 Years ago i, 1,88m 120kg, at my parents home after dinner, sat on the couch and had my laptop out. The rest of the family talked and argued about some stuff. Me, on my laptop, browsing Amazon Prime. I found out that Pumping Iron was free to watch and wondered if i should watch it. Heard it was good, but something in me didn't want to watch it right away. It was this feeling of pre-shame(?). But i decided that i will watch it anyway. And it wasn't easy to, not because it was a bad but because of all those muscle bound dudes. I had seen all the Conans, the Terminators, Commandos and Predators. And never have i felt bad about myself. What was different this time? When i had finished the movie i had to pee. And when i washed my hand and took a look in the mirror i was confused. i didn't recognize myself. Who was that dude that was staring back at me? I think my brain made then a connection to what i had seen. You know when we watch movies and we play pretend. We play we are the knight, the warrior, the hero. And this time i saw why the hero looks like a hero. I saw those poeple working out, putting in the work. And that to me showed me for the first time, you are no hero without working for it. That night i made a promise to myself: new year new me. Yes, yes, i'm a filthy news years resolutionor. But my resolution wasn't i will lose x amount of weight. I promised to myself i won't lie to me anymore. The start wasn't perfect, i read a lot and changed a lot but i was always honest to me about where i stood at that time. And then, thanks to reddit and the fitness subs, i started with cico and it helped me to finaly lose the weight and crush it at the gym. I made lots of friends and acquaintances.

With almost 39 i'm in the best shape of my life and overall at a better place in life. I have gotten some nice compliments, not just about my body but about my character, which i hold dearest to my heart. So to end this, i have become swole of heart, mind and body and i hope you do too.

 

[keepsmiling]

@savedsue I'm a health care worker, enough motivation for me! A lot of the care ppl need is from inactive lifestyles, definitely not all, but enough to motivate me

 

[winbuildsend]

@savedsue Game changer on Netflix

 

[fallior]

@savedsue It's not really fear bait as much as it is hugely inspirational, but 14 Peaks on Netflix gave me so much motivation.

There was a scene where they stopped to help a hiker suffering from lack of oxygen. They stayed with him for hours, giving him their own oxygen even though they were in the death zone. They kept calling the nearest camp begging someone to come help them carry the hiker, but conditions were bad and no one would come, instead saying to abandon him. There's an audio clip afterwards of him crying on the phone to his fiance saying "He died in my arms. No one would help and he died in my arms"

Any time I'm ready to quit a workout I think about that scene. Would I be ready to give up on helping someone who needed it? Would I let someone die because I was too weak to go help? It really pushes me further than I thought

 

[rackfinity017]

@savedsue The Game Changers. Great motivator for eating plant-based (we still eat meat on occasion) a few times a week.

 

[freerangechristian]

@savedsue Fat Sick and Nearly Dead (doc)

 

[rosegold]

@freerangechristian I've seen it recommended twice in this thread now. In my family's case the juice fasting was a full on eating disorder and the happy testimonials were a fig leaf for obsessive behavior and uncontrollable binges. The weight loss was real but came at a price. Also again in my family's case it was something they pursued instead of traditional medicine and they're both fuckin dead now, in part due to treating real health issues with celery juice instead of talking to a doctor.

 

[carlamariecainoy]

@savedsue I'm a big fan of this YouTube channel!

WheezyWaiter:

Also, Laura Try: https://youtube.com/c/LauraTryuk

 

[leftout]

@savedsue I don't know if it counts, but the first time I saw The Fittest Man in History (a Rich Fronning doc) I was really inspired. I then went down a rabbit hole and watched a bunch of other similar crossfit docs and was just blown away by all these strong capable men, particularly the women. I think that's where I really connected with the idea of fitness to see what my body was capable of, as opposed to just chasing a number on a scale.

 

[lunamay]

@leftout Oh man me too. I will likely never do crossfit (I do not enjoy olympic lifting) and have never enjoyed watching any sport. And yet I became hyperfixated with the world of competitive crossfit. Those documentaries are so inspiring and motivating for this exact reason. Humans are amazing!

 

[davidschmitt]

@savedsue This obesity autopsy documentary from the BBC was really eye opening for me. Here’s a link

 

[bbg]

@davidschmitt I would recommend that anyone who takes the time to watch this, not do so while trying to eat your breakfast like I did earlier.

But, yes, while most of that was information that I already knew, being able to actually visualize the effects of obesity on the inside of the body was very striking.

 

[coffeecor]

@savedsue Going to sound weird, but John Green (Author of The Fault in Our Stars, 1/2 of the Vlogbrothers, guy from Crash Course) did a series called"100 Days" on YouTube about him committing to 100 days of exercise, tracking food, and meditating with a friend. Seeing a middle-aged author find an appreciation for exercise somehow was the best motivation I've ever had. I've been consistent ever since.

*Edit: I just rewatched a video or two and part of the reason I found "100 Days" so motivating his how honest John was about his mental health and how his journey had helped him face those challenges.

 

[johansen]

@coffeecor Oh thanks I need to go rewatch this!

 

[savedsue]

@coffeecor Not weird at all to me, the Green brothers’ work is great to me! I had no idea he did something like that, I’ll definitely check it out. Thank you for putting my attention to that, especially since mental health is still so underrated in lots of journeys

 

[coffeecor]

@savedsue Another Nerdfighter, nice! It's from 5 years ago and certainly one of their smaller projects (100 days compared to over 10 years of content) so it hasn't gotten as much attention. The community tab was newish when it came out too and a lot of the content is held on that tab which didn't do much for it algorithmically. Check out some of their posted routines, I remember really liking them for home workouts.

I kept up to date with "100 Days" as it was posted and in a way did the 100 days with John and Chris too.

 

[razel]

@savedsue I watch really inspiring stuff, instead of the scary stuff!

Banff Mountain Film Festival, Gutsy Girls films, all those outdoor adventure things - just makes me wanna get outside and train so I can do them too.

Related to this, I follow a really diverse range of fitness influencers, not just the super skinny Instagram perfect ones. When I see people who look like me going on adventures together or working out, it doesn't feel so unattainable.

One of my favourites is Unlikely Hikers. Another is Curves with Moves. There are loads, go down the rabbit hole.