By now, we’ve all heard of #BBG and Kayla Itsines. And if you haven’t, here’s the quickest rundown possible: she’s a fitness guru who created a fitness plan that people are obsessed with.
I’ve never been skinny. I have boobs, and a butt. And “child-bearing hips.” I am curvy. Which, during puberty, translated to “fat and out-of-shape.”
For so long, being stick thin was “in.” That was the thing, how skinny can we be? How much can we restrict our diets? How many calories can we burn on the treadmill? Remember when having a thigh gap was a trend?
And that made me feel so garbage about myself. I didn’t realize that my curves weren’t going anywhere, no matter how much I worked out. I could lose body fat, but my hips and my boobs were not something I could just lose.
With fitness Instagrams, the goal is totally different. The goal is to be fit, and healthy. And that is so inspiring. Fitness Instagrams don’t tell you to eat nothing all day and then go on a five mile jog.
So many of fitness Instagrams are learning how to eat right, how to cook delicious looking vegetables and proteins, and to work out a reasonable amount while challenging your body. It teaches us how to take care of our bodies, and that anyone can live a healthy lifestyle.
Kayla posts transformation photos of women who have often gained weight—muscle weighs more than fat, after all. It is so amazing to see how much someone’s body can change, without losing massive amounts of weight (sometimes staying the same weight or even gaining weight). She also posts photos of women after they have given birth, which is incredible! You can push a watermelon out of your cooch, raise a kid, cook healthy food for yourself and your family, teach your children body positivity, and build muscle? Okay, that’s amazing!
I love fitness Instagram trends. I love anything that encourages people to feel good about themselves, in a healthy, safe way.