Main image credit: Kayla Itsines Facebook
The wellbeing inspiration we’re paying credit to today is Australian fitness guru and creator of the ‘Bikini Body Guide’ Kayla Itsines, who’s shown us that if you’re willing to work hard and have a positive attitude then anything is possible.
Instagram’s number one fitness influencer, Kayla has an impressive 7.1 million followers. First coming into the limelight with her downloadable workout pdfs called Bikini Body Guides, her routines focused on the three issues most women want to improve: smaller thighs, flatter stomachs and toned arms. These workouts were quick and simple to do and Kayla quickly gained a loyal following within the online community. She built up a rapport with her fans by sharing the more intimate details of her life, images of her playing with her dog or getting a sports massage would feature alongside her fitness regimes. To newcomers to the fitness community this made her a friendly face in the otherwise quite competitive and often daunting space.
Credit: Kayla Itsines Facebook
This unique relationship with the users as her guide was the key to Kayla’s success. When women who had used Kayla’s workout plans would post before and after pictures on Instagram, Kayla would repost them and praise them for their hard work and dedication. Many of these ‘body transformation’ photos would go viral, further increasing Kayla’s follower count, and even more women would download the programmes in the hopes of achieving similar results.
A true example of the power of social media, Kayla’s story proves that with the internet anyone can achieve worldwide success. Previously a mobile personal trainer from Australia, Kayla has created a whole new generation of fitness fans who want to be slim and strong not skinny. By building up women who are working hard to improve themselves rather than mocking or ridiculing them like traditional media has previously done, her positive attitude has attracted millions to her brand.
Now Kayla has a best-selling app, Sweat with Kayla, which has over 10 million members in it’s community, has been featured on the cover of countless magazines, including a profile piece in Australian Vogue, and was named one of Time magazine’s 30 most influential people on the internet. An inspirational figure to all women in fitness, and business, Kayla is great motivation to stay dedicated and to help build others up on your way to the top.