For women, fitness can often be impeded and mired by societal expectations. Male preconceptions about the female form, coupled with a lot of fitness influencers and the like being ‘male-centric’ means that an already arduous journey to fitness is made even harder. Thankfully, more and more women are rightfully staking their claims and becoming huge household names in the world of fitness influencing and advice, and are spurring women on to be motivated, get fit and not worry about society’s expectations and judgements. Here are five such women who are really making waves right now.
1 – Michelle Lewis. With 15.1 million followers on Instagram alone, Michelle came from humble beginnings and was not always a fitness guru. She started out as a clinic technician in Venezuela, and launched a Youtube channel in 2011 which now has over 300,000 followers. Her husband is also a fitness trainer, albeit with a much lesser following. Her ‘everyday’ approach means she is relatable, and her chirpy, friendly attitude on her videos make her a favourite with people who want to see the ‘human’ side of their fitness trainer. She has launched apps on both the Play and Apple stores and has also branched into her own line of equipment and supplements. Her story really does say “if I can do it, so can you.”
2 – Kayla Itsines. This Australian born entrepreneur now has a staggering 14.8 million followers on Instagram, and an additional 10 million on Youtube. Unlike many others, Kayla has always had a keen interest in fitness, abandoning her plans to be a beauty therapist and becoming a personal trainer at a gym. Within a short time, her friend suggested she use Instagram to show ‘before and after’ photos of her clients at the time, who were simply friends asking for her help. This ballooned into the success story we now see. She has published several books, has co-designed an app and led fitness boot camps (for free!) across several continents. All this whilst juggling life as a full time mother. To come from such a simple beginning to a multi-million selling writer and trainer is an inspiration to millions of women the world over.
3 – Jennifer (‘Jen’) Selter. Many remember Jen as the woman who made famous the ‘ab crack’; the step up from a six pack to a straight vertical line down the abdomen. But she’s done so much more than that. Like many others, she started out as a run of the mill gym employee, but her love of fitness combined with a flair for social media meant she soon became hugely popular on the then new Instagram. She’s now got an amazing 13.5 million followers on there alone, and hundreds of thousands more across other platforms. Showing that the world of female fitness is interlinked, she’s now also a trainer on Fitplan, the app created by fellow influencer Michelle Lewin. She’s not just a fitness trainer though. She’s also an expert on healthy living, providing new and innovative recipes on a regular basis.
4 – Nicki Blackketter. Time to rep an underdog here; with a modest 724k followers on Youtube and 1.6 million Instagram followers, this California native has shown women the world over that weight lifting and intense cardio is not the domain of any one gender. In fact, she’s now also a hit on social media platform Twitch, and has partnered with Gymshark for four years to promote their products as well as an exclusive line named after her.
5 – Ashley Nocera. This top five ranked global WBFF bikini contestant hails from New Jersey and has racked up over 12 million Tiktok followers, as well as several million more across Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. She began lifting weights as a hobby at 15, but, unhappy with her appearance, began to get into fitness to tone up. By 18, she had developed her now well-known physique and this has served her through countless bodybuilding and bikini contests. This all started as she felt unmotivated and unhappy; now she’s an international hit and an internet sensation. How’s that for a story about motivation?