Life
The top 10 fitness and wellbeing experts to follow on Instagram and Pinterest
By Stylist Team
11 years ago
If you're anything like us, it takes a monumental amount of willpower to part from your duvet and get out and exercising at the weekend (or any day of the week). But motivation is to be had by way of a smattering of inspirational fitness experts and personal trainers, who've amassed substantial followings on Instagram and Pinterest with their empowering quotes, workout tips and beautiful photos of the kind of body you could have, if only you'd be prepared to work for it.
Here, we outline the top 10 fitness and lifestyle folk to follow on Instagram, from Kelly Rowland's personal coach to the professional ballerina and the self-made butt selfie queen. Got your own favourite fitness guru to follow? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter.
Happy exercising!
Ashley Borden
Celebrity personal trainer and lifestyle consultant
As the personal trainer of Christina Aguilera, Natasha Bedingfield and Ryan Gosling, with over 35,000 hours of training experience to her name, we're tempted to sit up and listen when LA-based consultant Ashley Borden gives advice. She's a big fan of the "Rolling Out" technique - using a foam roller or PVC pipe to tone your body muscles - and her Instagram account is full of impressive photos and videos of rolling out quads and bar bicep and tricep exercises.
Her approach: "I have witnessed bodies of all types reach incredible results both physically and functionally when integrating Rolling Out"
Follow for: Photos of women's incredible bodies (abs, biceps etc.) - along with jaw-dropping video clips that show how they got them. Also motivational sayings and the odd fun snap of a delicious-looking agave tequila cocktail.
Mary Helen Bowers
Professional ballerina and fitness guru
Mary Helen Bowers is a professional US ballerina whose Instagram feed is liberally sprinkled with beautiful photos of her ballet-based shoots and workouts. Arty, inspirational shots are very much the theme here (we love the candid lifestyle snaps of her and her adorable baby) but the whole concept sells her Ballet Beautiful fitness approach of targeted exercises and stretches to sculpt and tone sleek ballet muscles.
Her approach: "Ballet-inspired fitness for every woman"
Follow for: Amazing lifestyle photos and tips on cultivating sleek "ballet" muscles with beautiful posture, a strong, lean centre and increased flexibility.
Jeanette Jenkins
Jeanette with her most famous client Kelly Rowland
Nike athlete and founder of The Hollywood Trainer
Anyone who created a body as incredible as Kelly Rowland's deserves our attention. The Destiny's Child singer is a long-time client of this celebrity trainer, and her Instagram account is full of candid photos of the star (and her amazing physique). Jeannette's fitness philosophy is all about positivity and sexiness, and it's impossible not to be swept up by the sheer exuberance of her feed.
Her approach: "The sexy Abs workout is not just about looking good, it's about feeling good!"
Follow for: Meal plans, empowering quotes (- "the only person stopping you from achieving your goal is YOU!") and some truly gorgeous body photos.
Jen Sinkler
Fitness editor and heavy weights advocate
Fitness editor Jen Sinkler won us over with the words, "You know those articles offering a plan to melt 10 pounds of fat from your frame in 10 days? Yeah… I hope you didn’t come here for those." Her approach is witty, no-nonsense and practical, with an emphasis on making your body strong and "your own version of svelte" via heavy lifting. Her Pinterest feed contains all kinds of useful info, from weight lifting diagrams to healthy recipes, workout fashion and words to live by ("intelligence is sexy").
Her approach: "To make getting strong and living well as fun a prospect as possible"
Follow for: Kettlebell workout tips, muscle-building exercises and hilarious little nuggets of insight such as "four fitness secrets heterosexual men can steal from their lady lovers."
Liz DiAlto
Creator of the Wild Soul Movement
As the founder of the Wild Soul Movement, New York-based guru Liz DiAlto wants women to rid themselves of shame or feelings of inferiority about their bodies. While her New Age chat about self-love and nourishment can be a bit cringe, there's genuine inspiration to be had in her joyful collection of embrace-your-body quotes and sun-soaked photos of everything from movement sessions to "healthy" Californian wine.
Her approach: "It’s not about working out, it’s about working in"
Follow for: Motivational, feminist-minded quotes, fun photos and tips on movement, mantra and meditation.
Jen Selter
Butt selfie queen
If you want a fantastic, toned bum this is the only place to go. New Yorker Jen Selter squatted and lunged her way into the Instagram community, with a never-ending stream of photos of her awesome derrière. She has clocked up 3.5million followers with her unique take on bum selfies, and while they can't all be there for the fitness ideas, there are plenty of tips on glute bridges, hip thrusts and other ways of getting a perfectly toned behind.
Her approach: "I have a passion for fitness and helping others"
Follow for: Amazing bum photos. More amazing bum photos. And diet and exercise tips on how to get an amazing bum.
Tracy Anderson
'Celebrity personal trainer'
Gwyneth Paltrow calls personal trainer Tracy Anderson her "pint-sized miracle and the exercise genius of all time". The fitness guru and former dancer is credited with moulding countless beautiful celebrity bodies and her Instagram account is filled with envy-inducing photos of flawless abs and high-energy dance workouts.
Her approach: "Get your sexy summer body today!"
Follow for: Up-to-date info and expert advice on cardio dance workouts, muscle exercises, nutrition guides and a glimpse into the life of one of Hollywood's most prolific personal trainers.
Kelly Olexa
Founder of FitFluential, a network of influential fitness enthusiasts
Chicago-based expert Kelly Olexa is on it when it comes to social media, having founded Fitfluential, her hit network of health and fitness bloggers, in 2011. The nice thing about her Instagram feed is that it's natural, inclusive and honest. "You have no idea how many swear words are going through my mind during these trigger point therapy and foam rolling moments," she writes alongside one picture of her injured leg. "LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES PEOPLE - stretching and rolling is IMPORTANT. Y'all know how long I was sidelined with a PREVENTABLE injury! Ugh!"
Her approach: "Toning is for printers. I lift"
Follow for: Tips and tricks on healthy eating, warm-ups, lifting and yoga workouts, and the chance to share in Kelly's own fitness story. Plus, the occasional manicure musings and discounts on trainers and more via FitFluential.
Hélène Mikanović
Founder of myweightlossfr.com
Hélène Mikanović charts her journey to lose 135 lbs in this awe-inspiring and deeply personal Instagram feed. Her story (now being made into an eBook) stands out from the rest because she really delves into the reason why she was overweight and how she found the motivation to achieve weight loss naturally. Log on for delicious photos of her fat-free food options, outdoorsy pictures of her and her dog plus tips and ideas on healthy living.
Her approach: "I never give up. No matter how long it takes."
Follow for: Tips, ideas and motivation on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a personal insight into her own voyage of self-discovery.
Shay Mitchell
Actress and lifestyle adviser
You may recognise Canadian actress and model Shay Mitchell from the ABC show Pretty Little Liars. But the 27-year-old has also built up a nice little sideline in fitness and lifestyle advice on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Her feed is filled with snaps of her dog, her partying and her shoots, along with her high-octane fitness routines from hiking to late-night boxing.
Her approach: "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. Enjoy the ride..."
Follow for: Fashion, food and red carpet pics, along with tips on whole food nutrition and fun snapshots of Shay's varied exercise schedule.
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