Even for a professional fitness coach, some days are harder than others. For Zahra Mourtada, who shares her fitness journey as @alivewithzahra on Instagram, it was a tough "body image day." As a public figure, she’s no stranger to criticism, but on this particular morning, the negativity was weighing on her. Then, a conversation with a stranger in the gym provided the exact affirmation she needed to hear.
In a video Mourtada shared, an older woman approached her mid-workout. Mistaking the battle ropes for professional equipment, the woman asked if Mourtada was training to be a firefighter, telling her it was "so cool." According to Mourtada’s on-screen text, the woman then "complimented saying I look amazing."
The two struck up a warm conversation. The woman shared a recent experience with her friends at a park, where they "were trying to do dead hangs." Admitting she could only last half a second, she set a new goal for herself: to reach three seconds. Mourtada, embodying her role as a coach, laughed and encouraged her. "I told her I’ll help her get to 10 seconds," she wrote, and showed the woman where she could practice in the gym.
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As the woman turned to leave, she offered one last piece of advice that resonated deeply with Mourtada. Looking her straight in the eye, she told her to "take care of THAT body." The simple, powerful statement visibly moved Mourtada, who wrote, "She made my day."
In her caption, Mourtada explained why the encounter was so meaningful. "Just like you, I’m human. I have my struggles, insecurities, and moments of doubt," she wrote. "The only difference is I have a large following, which brings both incredible support and relentless scrutiny."
She acknowledged that while she usually blocks or laughs off trolls, the criticism had been particularly difficult that week. "This past week was tough, and I had to remind myself that these skewed opinions mean nothing," she said. This struggle is common, as a review in the journal Women & Therapy highlights that adult women face a unique set of body image pressures related to aging and life changes that often go under-researched.
The stranger’s genuine admiration, focused on strength and presence rather than a filtered ideal, was the perfect antidote. "Her kindness hit me deeply," Mourtada reflected. "She saw me — the real me — not for some idealized standard but for my strength and presence. It reminded me of why I’m here: to help change the narrative about what fitness looks like."
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The interaction was celebrated in her comments, with user @lisaladida writing, "I don't want men complimenting me. I want an elderly lady to compliment me." Another, @carmelaaaaaaaaaaa, added, "She’s so proud of you and doesn’t even know you, it’s so cute."
Mourtada ended her post with an empowering message for her followers, inspired by the brief but profound exchange: "Your body, your story, and your value aren’t up for debate. Strength is more than aesthetics, and you are already powerful."
You can follow Zahra Mourtada (@alivewithzahra) on Instagram for more fitness content.
This article originally appeared earlier this year.
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Left, A woman cleans up manure; Right, a man driving
17 everyday things we do now that the future will find bizarre
A recent thread on r/AskReddit posed a fascinating question: “What’s something normal to us in 2025 that by 2075 will be seen as barbaric?”
With over 4,500 upvotes and thousands of comments, the responses ranged from hopeful predictions about medical breakthroughs to funny critiques of social norms. It’s an interesting thought experiment at how our everyday habits might age in the not-so-distant future. Here are 17 of the most memorable takes.
1. Wiping with toilet paper
Redditor u/Dramatic-Avocado4687 keeps it blunt: “Wiping our asses with toilet paper.”
Another user chimed in to roast our primitive ways: “They cut down trees just to wipe themselves?!” In the future, bidets—or some next-level cleaning tech—might make TP as outdated as outhouses.
2. Factory farming
Factory farming got called out repeatedly. User u/w0ke_brrr_4444 called it “the worst hell on earth that humans have ever created.”
Others noted the rise of lab-grown meat could render the practice obsolete. As u/AltEcho38 put it: “I’m convinced it’ll all be lab-grown by then, and we’ll be looked at as savages for raising animals for slaughter.”
3. Medical bankruptcies
The American healthcare system came under fire. User u/SarlacFace said, “Medical bankruptcies and for-profit healthcare leaving people to die if uninsured.”
If universal healthcare becomes the norm, future generations might shake their heads at the idea of choosing between chemo and rent.
4. Treating women’s pain like an afterthought
Many commenters didn’t hold back on this one. “Not giving anesthesia with placing IUDs,” wrote u/tt_DVM2011.
Another user, u/ThatRoryNearThePark, shared a harrowing experience: “Worst pain of my life… couldn’t sit upright for at least 48 hours.” If future medicine treats women’s pain with proper care, this era will look like the Dark Ages.
5. Eating animals
Some users went beyond factory farming to predict the end of meat consumption altogether. Redditor u/ciquta said simply, “Eating animals.”
Others, like u/Zetsubou51, lamented how disconnected people are from their food sources: “We don’t care because we don’t see it. Factory farms are awful for the animals and the people that work in them.”
6. Scrolling endlessly on social media
User u/cornylilbugger predicted: “Spending multiple hours, every day, scrolling mindlessly on social media.”
The irony wasn’t lost on u/Izual_Rebirth, who admitted: “Scrolled way too long to find this one.”
7. Single-use plastics
“Plastic everywhere, all the time,” wrote u/letthisbeanewstart, imagining future disbelief at how we let plastic infiltrate everything from straws to textiles.
U/MarkNutt25 added: “An even bigger problem is plastic textiles. Microfibers are evil.”
8. The 40-hour workweek
“Working a 9-5 just to survive? Barbaric,” said u/DeathofSmallTalk1.
User u/EvaMayShadee painted a grimmer future: “We’ll probably be working 60-hour weeks by then.” Optimism? Optional.
9. Drilling teeth
The dental industry might face a future reckoning. As u/llcucf80 put it: “Drilling teeth.”
One user brought hope with a scientific breakthrough: “If that new shot from Japan works, pull the tooth, get injection, grow a new tooth,” said u/nomiis19.
10. Chemotherapy
Redditor u/Helpful_Finger_4854 hopes cancer treatments will improve drastically: “Dying from cancer, hopefully.”
Another user, u/Vocalscpunk, put it more bluntly: “We still poison the whole body with chemo and hope the cancer dies first.”
11. Driving ourselves
“Driving yourself will seem barbaric,” predicted u/CranberryCheese1997, imagining autonomous vehicles becoming the norm.
12. Using fossil fuels
Redditor u/loftier_fish had a grim take: “If the answer isn’t ‘using fossil fuels,’ there will be a lot fewer humans to deem anything barbaric in 2075.”
13. Child influencers
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Using kids to generate content got roasted as a future ethical disaster. “Hopefully, monetizing your children for social media will seem barbaric,” wrote u/TheWorstWitch.
14. Modern healthcare procedures
Some users pointed out that many current medical practices could be judged harshly in the future. “Orthopedic surgery with drills, rods, and screws?” asked u/Orthocorey.
Another user joked: “So you guys just strapped them down and blasted them with radiation to cure cancer?!”
15. Animal captivity for entertainment
Redditor u/w0ke_brrr_4444 went in: “Drugged dolphins in resorts and whales at SeaWorld. Barbaric.”
16. Fast fashion and waste
Wastefulness came under fire. U/rabbity_devotee called out “fast fashion” and “overflowing landfills.”
17. The whole premise of this thread
Finally, some users argued that future humanity might not even have the luxury of judging our “barbaric” ways. As u/NapoleonDonutHeart put it: “By 2075, we’re gonna be way more barbaric… we’ll fight over everything once food gets scarce.”
Whether these predictions hold up or not, it's clear that what feels normal now won’t always be. And when 2075 finally rolls around, let’s hope they’re a bit kinder to us than we’ve been to the past.
This article originally appeared earlier this year.