Friends, how do you use social media? Is it a major source of information? Confusion? Connection? Thought provocation? Stress?

This year I find myself recommending specific accounts on Instagram regularly, so I thought I’d share them here on the blog. This post covers health and fitness entities I follow and recommend. I will share other topics in future posts. Which accounts do you follow and how do they serve you? At seven accounts, the list below is far from exhaustive. But whenever anything from each of these accounts emerges on my feed, I engage, and I am never disappointed. I have no financial or other interests in any of them.

The complexity of our world accelerates exponentially now, and we all have to learn how to filter and integrate all kinds of media assailing us all the time. Sensory overload is real and detrimental, and our management skills lag far behind their requirement. These accounts, in my opinion, help us cut through misinformation, inviting and guiding us to think for ourselves. They are facilitators of self-efficacy, which protects us from falling victim to those who would prey on our fears and uncertainties. I hope this list proves helpful and empowering:

Built With Science
Founded by Jeremy Ethier, whom I found on YouTube for his excellent videos on how to lift heavy in the gym safely, BWS is my first online recommendation for evidence-based and accessible information on fitness and high level performance nutrition. It is truly founded in science, applied honestly and practically. Posts include primary literature citations, which I have not seen anywhere else. I did the two week free trial fo the BWS app, and I would use it if I were not already in love with my gym.

Nikki Georgeson
Nikki is a former coach at my gym. She programs both exercise and nutrition, and I find her to be knowledgeable, honest, practical, and inspiring. Her advice is both relatable and evidence-based. Like BWS, Nikki’s posts educate, inform, encourage, and do not sugar coat or make false promises.

Sean Casey
This young man impresses me to no end. He shares his own health transformation, and now leads an international community of folks from all walks of life. Like Jeremy and Nikki, his approach is one of self-efficacy, practicality, and community support. His posts are focused but nuanced, acknowledging the complexities and challenges of living healthy in an unhealthy world. The Glean app also has a free trial period which I highly recommend.

Kasey McKenney
Kasey is the Director of Treatment at Ethos Training Systems in Chicago, my own gym. I share patients with Kasey and the Ethos team regularly. I most appreciate that Kasey brings together Traditional Chinese Medicine (which she has both mastered and can actually explain to the rest of us) and sports physiology. She practices a truly integrative and holistic form of physical medicine, and her posts reflect this philosophy.

Will Flanary, Dr. Glaucomflecken
Follow Doc Glauc for humorous and spot-on spoofs of all the medical subspecialties, lay explanations of the latest scientific research published in the New England Journal of Medicine as well as random medical topics we all had to study for our board exams, and strong advocacy for a more just and transparent healthcare system.

Dr. Jen Gunter
I need to update my menopause post from 2024, but for now let me just recommend that we all follow Dr. Gunter. Subscribe to The Vajenda on Substack to receive her weekly newsletter on all things women’s health. Her most recent piece, “The Attention Economy of Menopause Medicine“, describes how the pendulum of menopause ‘awareness and advocacy’ has now swung past useful education and application and well toward predatory hypercapitalist moneymaking. Her opinions are her own, they are strong, and they are evidence-based. She cites primary research literature and provides excellent context for her arguments and recommendations.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, ACOG
It is not an overstatement that women’s health is under threat in the United States. ACOG is the medical professional society at the forefront of protecting and advocating for autonomy and access for women and their healthcare teams. ACOG posts about policy and educates about what is at stake for women when legislation and judicial position changes.