Why there’s more to life than the gym, bro.

Contrary to what the near-naked “swelfies” might suggest, fitness Instagrammers may not be in rude health. According to a report by London-based trend forecasting agency The Future Laboratory, we’re “at risk of fatigue concerning wellness”, and ab-revealing, avocado-brunching influencers are having an overwhelmingly negative effect.

“The problem with wellness in its Instagram-friendly guise is that to achieve it, a person must eat correctly, exercise regularly and get plenty of sleep, and if they fail to then they’re demonised as lazy, feeble or weak-willed,” says Ms Jessica Smith, creative researcher at The Future Laboratory. “Perhaps it’s a tireless game which is making us worse off.” She refers to a quote by the American social philosopher Mr Eric Hoff: “The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.”

Certainly, the trend for wellness is making some unwell – chiefly, those excluded by income, class or location. “It’s novel that fitness is infiltrating the zeitgeist,” says Mr Joe Holder, New York trainer to Messrs Virgil Abloh, Heron Preston and Eugene Tong, among other tastemakers. “But fitness isn’t some fun activity that you have to pay an increasingly expensive price to gain access to: it’s part of human existence. Putting up artificial barriers, whether price or removal of physical education from schools, subjugates communities, which then suffer from lack of movement and proper eating.” The knock-on effect on young people’s development hinders the other kind of social mobility.

Far from fitspiring, influencers who are deficient in credibility – beyond a degree in bro science – can mislead their disciples into thinking that they need to fork out for expensive training programmes, diets or supplements, or demoralise them altogether. That’s not to say that their methods are necessarily flawed or their results impossible: just not always necessary or realistic when jobs, families and normal lives are factored in. Mr Holder advises his clients to observe social media rest periods throughout the day, and take what they see on Insta et al with a Salt Bae-sized pinch of sodium.

Speaking of high salt intake, @Wellness_Ted is a satirist with a drawn-on six-pack who cites fictitious research on frozen pizza’s nutritional benefits by Dr Oetker to his 24,000 followers. The sports bra-clad alter-ego of Mr Edward Lane, commissioning editor at the UK edition of Men’s Health magazine, began as revenge for having to take one too many photos of cacao porridge for girlfriend Ms Amy Hopkinson, digital editor at Women’s Health UK (@Wellness_Ed). Refocusing his mockery on unqualified crap-spouters, Mr Lane was surprised to find few parody accounts, with the notable exception of @deliciouslystella. Even more so when his take-off was seized on by the Daily Mail and Mashable, and featured as far afield as the Czech Republic and South Korea.

“There’s an appetite for someone to show this content for what it is: made up,” says Mr Lane. “Even the people I’m mocking seem to enjoy it, which hints at some level of self-awareness.” There’s a serious point though, such as the quantity of social posts lacking even a grain of scientific truth, and the limitations ­– even dangers – of a restrictive, cut-this-out approach to food. Shrink-wrapped poseurs who go too far the other way and insist that they subsist on stuffed-crust yet resemble superheroes when in fact they’re monitoring their carb intake down to the gram are no less pernicious.

Ms Smith and Mr Lane concur that, while these influencers might not go away, we’ll increasingly block them out. Wellness, meanwhile, will incorporate more diverse body types and social classes. “Already we’re seeing a rise in inclusive fitness,” says Ms Smith. That’s not to say that you should embrace the dad bod: excess belly fat can presage a slew of serious conditions from heart disease to diabetes. But nor should you feel bad about not having “sick” abs. There’s a healthier – and happier – medium.

“A lot of what wellness preaches is good for you, there’s no denying that, and it should be applauded for making better health something to aspire to,” says Mr Lane. “But also, chill out and have a pint and some cheesy chips, for goodness’ sake.”