Couple Life, Treadmills, and Social Media Body Pressure

Major changes in personal life almost always directly disrupt workout routines. In a conversation on Girls Who Run, Pietra Palma reflected on the intense transitions she experienced in 2025, marked by marriage and moving to a new home. After relocating, she found herself living further away from the park where she regularly ran outdoors, forcing her to adapt to a completely new training reality.

With the park out of reach, her running migrated to the apartment building's treadmill. In addition to adapting her workouts to unfamiliar equipment, Pietra faced a forced two-month hiatus due to a rib injury. The recovery period and temporary inactivity took a toll on her self-esteem, making it difficult and frustrating to regain her previous momentum with less free time in her day-to-day schedule.

The return of toxic body standards on social media

Another key topic raised was the heavy toll social media takes on body image. Pietra and the hosts discussed the recent wave of content glorifying extreme thinness on TikTok and Instagram, fueled by the widespread use of weight-loss drugs and the resurgence of restrictive fitness trends reminiscent of past decades.

Pietra admitted that even insecurities she had never cared about before—such as the appearance of her arms after upper-body workouts—began surfacing after being bombarded by online videos. To protect her mindset and manage internet-induced anxiety while not in therapy, she embraced journaling: writing every morning in a notebook to organize her thoughts and put daily worries into healthy perspective.