If you follow me on Instagram then you’ll know that I spent about 10 years of my life not doing any exercise at all. Luckily, other than being blessed with a good set of genes, I have a relatively good understanding of my body and have always eaten healthily (without ever depriving myself of a good thing) and so throughout those 10 years, I kept the same weight.
When I finally resolved to become active again at the beginning of 2019 (for reasons expressed in this post), I was overwhelmed. The gym was intimidating and so was social media where I was bombarded by images of women with seemingly perfect bodies and lives — aren’t we all. I decided to join a gym that wasn’t too expensive and told myself that if I could be consistent, then I would invest more. I also decided that if I was going to follow fitness influencers online, I would only follow people that look like me, that I could relate with, that had lives and bodies that seemed attainable, and that were about more than just the fitness.
Without much ado, and in no particular order, here they are, some of the women who have changed my life without their knowing…
ONE CHARLEE ATKINS
Let me start by saying that I absolutely love Charlee! Previously an instructor at the famous Soul Cycle, Charlee started Le Sweat (a fitness blog) that morphed into something bigger than she’d ever imagined.
Since lockdown, Atkins has put together a Weekly Class Schedule for the 30 Minute IG-LIVE classes that she hosts, some of which are a NO JUMPING FULL BODY class, BODYWEIGHT CARDIO HIIT, FULL BODY WITH DUMBBELLS, and more…
Here’s a 5-Minute Full Body Stretch Routine of Charlee’s that I do often…
TWO ZAAKIRAH KHALEK
I was introduced to Zaakirah by a friend who summited Mount Everest Base Camp with her. I followed her immediately because finding inspiring BIPOC South African fitness influencers is rare. She is powerful, she is practical and is humble in the way that she relates to the average woman: me.
Here’s a 30-Minute HIIT Workout That You Can Do With Zaakirah from home…
THREE ANJULI MACK
Real, real, real — the best way to describe Anjuli who is originally from Auckland, New Zealand. Mack competes and takes us, her followers, along for the journey. I was convinced to follow her when I saw all of her “WHAT I EAT IN A DAY” posts. She eats a LOT, she eats PRACTICALLY, and she eats ATTAINABLY. I love following healthy food pages, but the challenge often comes when I have to go and make that food by myself — it is often, not sustainable. Other than the eating, her body weight and functional exercise is great for those
Do You Believe In Cheat Meals? Here’s Anjuli’s Answer — I love it!
FOUR MAXINE GOYNES
Based in Los Angeles, USA, Maxine Goynes has coined what she calls the MG Method — which is essentially a method of living that Goynes has curated painstakingly covering the following topics: “mindset, movement, meals & meaning.”
I’m inspired by her consistency, I love seeing little peeks into her personal training sessions (especially pre-COVID) and I’m most definitely sold on the MG Method.
Here’s the link to her GIFTED HOME WORKOUTS — I signed up and did a few of these during our South African lockdown period — www.mgmethod.com/the-list
FIVE DELIA
My sister told me about Delia. She had attended Delia’s classes at a Virgin Active here in Cape Town, and said, “She’s the most inspiring instructor I’ve ever had, and she has 5 kids!” — I was sold. YES, you read right! 5 whole children.
This unbelievably inspiring super mum is a fitness trainer that specializes in HIIT, Bootcamp, and Kickboxing, aiming to provide physical and mental motivation — and since lockdown, she has started giving online training on the Virgin Active
Here’s A 10-Minute Intro To A 30-Minute Cardio Kickboxing Workout — You’ll be able to tell how good she is in those 10-Minutes, trust me…
And, that’s all for today. I’d love to know who you follow — leave some recommendations in the comments section, or share this with someone who needs it!
Otherwise, read PART 2 of 5 BIPOC Fitness Influencers You Should Be Following, here.
Love,
Eden
#TravelLight
