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Home / Lifestyle

Fitness guru Kayla Itsines says social media needs to change

news.com.au
12 Aug, 2017 09:46 PM7 mins to read

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Kelsey Wells, Sjana Elise Earp and Kayla Itsines. Photo / Instagram, @kayla_itsines

Kelsey Wells, Sjana Elise Earp and Kayla Itsines. Photo / Instagram, @kayla_itsines

By Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson

She's been named the world's most powerful fitness influencer, with a $46 million empire, worldwide stadium tours, the richest exercise app in Apple's Store, and more than 20 million followers online.

But 26-year-old Australian social media wunderkind Kayla Itsines is striving to change the medium that helped make her famous, and let women know there's more to life than faultless selfies, photoshopped bodies, and pretending to be perfect on the internet, according to news.com.au.

The Adelaide-based fitness celebrity, visiting Sydney with her app's new trainers Sjana Elise Earp and Kelsey Wells, said she was determined to ensure social media did not hold back or discourage women of different fitness levels and sizes.

View this post on Instagram

⭐️⭐️SO EXCITED to be speaking at the @Businesschicks 9 To Thrive event in Sydney this Saturday 12th August with the other @sweat trainers!! πŸ’›πŸ’› @kelseywells and @sjanaelise and I will be talking about some of the most important things we've learnt on our journey, social media, women empowerment and more!! We will be speaking on Saturday at 2:45pm, come say hey!!!! ⭐️⭐️😘

A post shared by KAYLA ITSINES (@kayla_itsines) on Aug 8, 2017 at 10:38pm PDT

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"We'll talk about everything and we'll talk about things that women don't want to talk about on social media like when we have our periods or when we feel bloated or when we miss a workout," she said.

"We all get bloated, we all have stretch marks, it's just completely 100 per cent normal. We talk about those things to make it more real."

And Ms Itsines, who recently spoke out about being branded "too skinny" on Instagram, predicted an imminent groundswell against negative body image messages online as more women rebelled against them.

"Coming in 2018 there's going to be a big trend focusing on body confidence," she said.

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"There are some girls on social media at the moment who are pushing this big (idea) that it doesn't matter what you look like, it matters what you feel like, and that's what we're pushing as well."

Ms Itsines said some of her favourite examples of inspiring women railing against online stereotypes included the joint account of Australian models Kate Wasley and Georgia Gibbs that showcased women of different shapes standing together, and mother Lexie Woodmansee who shared the unfiltered, sometimes unglamorous stories behind her fitness journey.

View this post on Instagram

"Beauty may be subjective to you, Variation is beauty to me." #LoveAnyBODY ❀️ #NoPhotoshop #WomenEmpowerWomen #EndBodyShaming

A post shared by Anybody (@any.body_co) on Aug 7, 2017 at 6:48pm PDT

Ms Itsines said exposing what goes on behind the scenes of a photo can help shut down unrealistic expectations and create more supportive online environments.

"It's really important to talk about why you took that photo ... or the hard work that goes into everyday life, or goes into yoga, or becoming a mum, or after you have a baby," she said.

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"You have to talk about those things. What's the point of social media if you're just going to upload a photo and say nothing? Our aim is to motivate and inspire."

The fitness entrepreneur is well placed to make an impact, having recently published a book, finished a worldwide stadium tour with stops including London and New York, and established a growing global audience for her Sweat app, which features workouts in eight languages and last year became the richest fitness app in Apple's Store.

View this post on Instagram

{{ Fashion Friday }} This weeks #ootd and #gymootd are live on the blog with direct links to shop;) plus this super cute and affordable white one piece! (Link in bio) . In other news...I'm playing in my first ever golf tournament today 😳😬 wish me luck πŸŒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈ . . #fashionfriday #fashionblogger #swimsuit #bikini #fashion #style #styleblogger #bodypositive #fitmama #confidence #selflove #golf #friday #flexfriday #white #shopping #bbg #bbgprogress #bbgcommunity

A post shared by ℒℯ𝓍𝒾ℯ π’²β„΄β„΄π’Ήπ“‚π’Άπ“ƒπ“ˆβ„―β„― (@lexie_woodmansee) on Jul 14, 2017 at 7:33am PDT

Ms Itsines said adding yoga and post-pregnancy workouts to the app from Ms Earp and Ms Wells - friends with their own online communities - was designed to expand its reach and give variety to her loyal followers, some of whom are now on "week 159" of her workouts.

While Ms Itsines has been building her fitness brand since 2014, and now boasts more Instagram followers than high-profile health commentators Gwyneth Paltrow and Jillian Michaels, she said more Australian fitness experts were "definitely" seizing opportunities to grow a similarly strong international following.

"And good on them," she said.

"There's a lot of communities young entrepreneurs have built up through fitness and that's the aim. That's how you keep your brand for a long time."

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Former Biggest Loser trainer Michelle Bridges exported her multimillion-dollar 12-Week Body Transformation program to the United States, for example, and former reality TV bachelors Sam Wood and Tim Robards have launched fitness training programs online and in apps to attract a wider audience.

Australia also boasts a growing number of social media fitness gurus with sizeable followings, including Reebok ambassador Emily Skye, and former Olympic pole vaulter turned yoga instructor Amanda Bisk.

FIVE RISING AUSTRALIAN INSTAGRAM FITNESS STARS

β€’ Sweat app and Bikini Body Guide creator Kayla Itsines
@kayla_itsines: 7.2 million followers

View this post on Instagram

Let the fire inside you burn brighter than the fire around you. No matter what is going on in your life, don't ever let go of what drives YOU. Remember WHY you started, remember how you felt...and don't let anything get in the way of that. ⭐️ See you ladies at @businesschicks today at 2:45 SYDNEY πŸ˜πŸ˜πŸ’›β­οΈ www.kaylaitsines.com/app

A post shared by KAYLA ITSINES (@kayla_itsines) on Aug 11, 2017 at 9:08pm PDT

β€’ FIT health program founder Emily Skye
@emilyskyefit: 2.1 million followers

View this post on Instagram

#15weekspregnant 🀰🏼 . The bloating & water retention I had for the first trimester is going away and my little baby is growing! πŸ˜ƒπŸ™ŒπŸΌ . What do you think I'm having, a girl or boy? πŸ’—πŸ’™ . .

A post shared by α—΄α—°Iα’ͺY α”•KYα—΄ | 𝘍π˜ͺπ˜΅π—‡π–Ύπ—Œπ—Œ + 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗍𝗁 (@emilyskyefit) on Jun 26, 2017 at 7:34am PDT

β€’ Personal trainer and fitnesswear designer Ashy Bines
@ashybines: 930K followers

View this post on Instagram

Good evening babes!! . @tonedbyashybines website is now REOPEN - restocked BLACK TIGHTS πŸ™ŒπŸΌ #limited amounts until late august for FULL RESTOCK AND LAUNCH OF NEW COLOUR ✊🏼 . www.tonedbyashybines.com . #tonedbyashybines

A post shared by Snapchat : Ashybines1 (@ashybines) on Aug 1, 2017 at 1:11am PDT

β€’ Australian pole vaulter and FreshbodyFitMind founder Amanda Bisk
@amandabisk: 678K followers

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View this post on Instagram

Let's do this Monday πŸ‘ŠπŸΌ @hm #hmsport I've been battling a bit of a flu this past week πŸ€’ so there's been a lot of recovery, sleep, vege soup, honey lemon tea, and not a lot of training (apart from the occasional walk with the weenies and an evening stretch! 🐢🐢) Excited to kick off this week easing myself back into training 😬πŸ’ͺ🏼 First session back..Hot yoga!! πŸ™ŒπŸΌπŸ”₯ #sweatsession ab❀️x

A post shared by Amanda Bisk (@amandabisk) on Aug 6, 2017 at 4:37am PDT

β€’ Base Body Babes training partners and sisters Felicia Oreb and Diana Johnson
@basebodybabes: 640K followers

View this post on Instagram

HEADSPACEπŸ’ͺ🏻Getting in the right headspace for anything that requires focus is important and we know it's not always easy to doπŸ€¦πŸΌβ€β™€οΈπŸ€¦πŸ»β€β™€οΈ Even we struggle to get motivated to workout sometimes. To combat this, we like to say no matter how demotivated you feel, just turn upπŸ’ͺ🏻Once we have trained, we always feel better, it's getting there that is often the hard part. Another part of the battle can be having to think about the exercises that you need to perform for the day, so to eliminate that we follow a program and stick to it. This takes all the thinking work out if it. We love feeling strong, fit and progressing every session, so we use our programs and the amount of weight we are lifting in the gym every session to really keep us motivated. Hope this helps keep you on track babesπŸ’ͺ🏻 If you are after a great program customised by us specifically for you, DON'T MISS OUR 50% OFF SALE ON NOWπŸ‘ŠπŸ» Link in bioπŸ”Sale ends tomorrow night. #basebodybabeslove #helpingothers #empoweringwomen #motivation #basebodybabes

A post shared by BASE BODY BABES (@basebodybabes) on Jun 15, 2017 at 3:41am PDT

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