Top 10 Fitness Influencers Who Inspire Us To Get Fit

We need inspiration for almost everything; from studying to working and from remaining focused on our goals to exercising. The lifestyle that we spend these days is SMART. We don’t walk to our destination, we opt for cars instead. We don’t use pestle and mortar to grind and crush, we use blenders. When we miss people, we don’t go to meet them, we simply make a phone call instead. We use shortcuts in everything, as far as possible and we do things without really having to move. This tends to make us unhealthy and unfit. Remaining fit is a present-day need for which we seek inspiration from people who are addicted to fitness.

Here are top 10 Fitness Influencers who will keep you motivated to remain fit and fill you up on new ideas on how to remain fit every day.

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1.       Dwayne Johnson – If you smell, what the Rock is cookin’

Dwayne - the Rock – Johnson is what we can call an all-rounder. Previously a wrestler, now an actor and a fitness influencer, looks incredibly fit and handsome even in his forties (yup, you heard that right, he is in his forties). He is fit, owns a great bod, is achieving new milestones every hour, is one of the highest paid actors, people love him and is an ideal for us to follow when it comes to fitness.

Follow him:

Instagram @therock for fitness vids.

Youtube @The Rock

Twitter @TheRock

Facebook @DwayneJohnson

2.       Kayla Itsines – Sweat with Kayla

Itsines has taken over social media with her fitness videos and never-give-up attitude. She gives us new ideas on how to follow a regular workout with no excuses. She is a co-founder of The Bikini Body Training Company which was discovered back in 2014. In her fitness app SWEAT, which can be downloaded from the playstore, she guides you through different workout. She shares a combination of workout and recipes for women to follow and discover a more healthier self. In 2016, TIME magazine counted her amongst the “Top 30 Most Influential People on the Internet.”

Follow her:

Facebook: @k.itsines

Instagram: @kayla_itsines

Twitter: @kayla_itsines

3.       Cassey Ho – Fitness Entrepreneur Trusted Internationally

Cassey Ho started her career in fitness back in 2009 via her YouTube channel. Since then she has grown from 30 people to 3.9 million subscribers on YouTube. Each of her videos on YouTube exceeds 100K views with some even exceeding 4 million. The fans now get to enjoy her fitness DVDs, books, recipes and POPFLEX line of fitness accessories, apparel and yoga mats.

Follow her:

Facebook: @blogilates

Instagram: @blogilates

Twitter: @blogilates

YouTube: @blogilates

4.       Rachel Brathen – The Yoga Girl

She took away the social media unintentionally when she hit the road back in 2013. Today she is a New York Times bestseller who charges approximately $25k per a single Instagram post. Residing in Aruba, she is a well-known yoga teacher. She has more than 2.1m followers on Instagram (as of Jan 2018). You can connect with her on her social media and follow her blogs @rachelbrathen.com/blog.

Follow her:

Facebook: @rachelsyoga

Twitter: @RachelBrathen

Instagram: @yoga_girl

5.       Steve Cook – Hit the Gym Right Away

Steve Cook is a live example of fitness goals for all the men out there. He is a professional bodybuilder and took part in various fitness competitions held by the American IFBB. Other than looking good and absolutely masculine, he has some goals in life and he knows how to achieve them. In collaboration with Gymshark, he has started a chain of gyms to accommodate people who want to get fit and keep fit, beginners and enthusiasts alike. He also promotes the sportswear and gym apparel of Gymshark. For upto 40% discount at Gymshark.com you can use the discount codes and for further fitness inspiration you can follow him on his social media. His instagram is all about fitness with pictures and videos regarding squats, lunges, weight lifting, etc. where he also explains how each move helps in shaping and toning your body.

Follow him:

Twitter: @stevecook

Instagram: @stevecook

Youtube: @Steve Cook

Snapchat: @stevecookhealth

6.       Natalie Jill – The woman who took control

Her journey started post her pregnancy when she gained considerable weight and went through several personal and financial hardships. She started simply by taking pictures of the food she ate and putting it up on Facebook. From someone who was keeping track of her own health, she became a fitness expert whom people look up to on social media. She has 507k followers on Instagram (as of January 2018) and made it amongst the Top 10 Fitness Influencers on Social Media list of Forbes.

Follow her:

Facebook: @nataliejillfit

Twitter: @nataliejillfit

Instagram: @nataliejillfit

Youtube: @Natalie Jill Fitness

7.       Jason Statham – Like wine, he gets better with time

For some people age is just a number and they only get better with time. Statham is definitely one of those people who get better with every passing minute. As fit and effortlessly handsome he looks without shirt, it is hard to believe that he is 50. Known for his fast-paced action movies The Transporter, Mechanic Resurrection and many more, he was a former international diver who made his way in the 1992 World Championship (no wonder the athletic bod!).  He was born in Shirebrook, United Kingdom and you know what else is from UK. No wonder UK has so much of the good stuff!

Statham on his Instagram, is found doing a combination of workouts including Yoga, Stretching, and Lifting. He likes variety in his workout to keep himself interested and when asked about the diet, he rated himself a 95% with 5% margin for occasional here and there.

Follow him:

Facebook: @JasonStatham

Instagram: @jasonstatham

8.       Michelle Lewin – Fitness on Boom

Lewin is from Venezuela and within a few years has achieved milestones that people can only dream of. A single Instagram post of hers sweeps away $10,000 with 12.8m followers on her account. She is a bodybuilder with her own line of workout equipment, supplements and is a brand in her own might. She works in partnership with several health and workout brands. She is what we mean when we say “Look like a Beauty, Train like a Beast.”

Follow her:

Facebook: @FitnessMichelle

Twitter: @Michelle_Lewin

Instagram: @michelle_lewin

9.       Simeon Panda – Fitness Trainer cum Blogger

Simeon Panda is among those fitness influencers who has inspired people simply via blogging. He was a trainer since long and ever since he started fitness blogging, in 2013, there is no stopping him. His Instagram and Facebook followers have only grown since then and continue to grow. His single video gets about 500-600K views. Panda has his own sportswear line, workout accessories and e-books.

Follow him:

Facebook: @simeonpanda

Twitter: @SimeonPanda

Instagram: @simeonpanda

Blogs: https://simeonpanda.com/                                                                                       

10.   Joe Wicks – The Fitness Underdog

While many people judge success on the basis of Instagram followers, here is one online fitness coach who will inspire you to be fit and remain consistent through constant motivation and reminders of healthy recipes on how to eat right and remain fit with a regular workout. He has gained over 1.5m followers within 3 years and makes everything look so easy, you’d want to start right away.

Follow him:

Facebook:

Twitter: @thebodycoach

Instagram: @thebodycoach

Blog: www.thebodycoach.com

Stay Motivated, Stay Fit!

*This is a pre-written/guest post.

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How to Overcome Weight-Loss Plateau?

You are what you eat. That's a saying that often neglected. I, too, is guilty. Most of the times I don't mind what I eat as long I satisfied my cravings. Hence, I am overweight. 

Actually, I have been overweight all my life, although I am not obese. I grew eating what I want and didn't mind if I will gain weight. I am not that conscious when it comes with my physical appearance until we planned our wedding day. 

I had my lowest weight, closest to my ideal weight, few months before our wedding day. Here's a photo taken 9 years ago. 

That's my thinnest body already. But after 9 years of being happily married and having one boy, I again gained weight.

I think I am 10 kilos over my ideal weight now. Losing weight is really a struggle for me. I have lost 5 kilos just this year but after few months, I gained it back after reaching what they called weight-loss plateau. 

What is weight-loss plateau?

Weight-loss plateau is a period of time during which your body weight remains at the same level. You may notice that weight tends to come off fairly rapidly at first. Then at some point it seems as though your weight won't budge. This is because as the body lose weight, you are not just shedding fat but lean muscle as well. As the muscle mass declines, so does the metabolism.

How to overcome weight-loss plateau?

I know like me you want to overcome that weigh-loss plateau too. Good news is that we can overcome that dreaded weight-loss plateau by making tweaks to your routine. That means, we need to modify our weight-loss plan to reach our weight goal (ideal weight) . How? Let's enumerate.

1. Cut down carbs intake.

As the body lose weight, it's not only harder to lose but the metabolism also decreases and that's normal. So it's very important to reevaluate your calorie intake, every 10-15 lb weight loss, to ensure that calorie burning is higher than what you eat.

2. Track down calorie intake.

Sometimes we tend to have mindless eating or we eat at restaurants with huge food servings. Thus we eat more calories than what we think we are eating. Tracking your calories, as well as macronutrients - protein, fat and carbs, will give you information on how much you're taking in and will allow you to modify your diet plan as needed.

3. Increase protein intake.

Protein boost metabolic rate more than fat or carbs. That's because protein digestion can boost calorie burning by 20-30%, which is more than twice as much as fat or carbs. Also, protein stimulates the production of Peptide YY (PYY) hormones. PYY is a hormone concerned with hunger and the lack of hunger or appetite. PYY helps reduce appetite and make you feel full. In addition, maintaining a high protein diet can reduce muscle mass loss and metabolic rate drop, which is happening during weight loss.

4. Increase exercise frequency or intensity

Increase exercise frequency or intensity to burn more calories. Increase your exercise time by 15 to minutes and if possible, the intensity of your exercise. Add strength exercise like weightlifting to promote the retention of muscle mass. This will help offset the drop in metabolic rate that normally occurs during weight loss. 

However, I think increasing time may be a problem for a working mom like me. Time is always a constraint for me. And I must confess that not being able to keep track on my daily exercise is a big factor in not losing weight and worst gaining back the pounds I already lost! 

I should be back with my morning exercise regime and convince Daddy A to buy me more active wears from Fabletics. Haha, just kidding. But seriously, I would love to be as comfortable as Kate Hudson wearing those pair of leggings while doing my daily exercise.

5. Manage stress

Did you know that stress can contribute to weight-loss plateau? Stress can promote comfort eating and triggers food cravings, and also increase the body's cortisol production. Cortisol is a stress hormone that helps the body to respond to stress. However it can increase belly fat storage that has greater effect in women. Research has shown that learning to manage stress can help promote weight loss.

Those are ways to overcome weight-loss plateau. It can really be frustrating especially when you are sacrificing not to eat what you crave for and yet you are not losing any pound. However, weight-loss plateau is a normal part of the weight loss process. 

Following above suggestions may help reach our ideal weight but most especially, it's more of self-discipline. It's also important to make time and get inspiration for losing weight. Keep in mind that losing weight is not just for physical appearance but most especially for our healthy body and well-being.

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