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Fitspiration, or the mash-up of “fitness” and “inspiration”, has received a lot of criticism over the past years. Still, there’s no denying that the visual movement is a powerful means of motivation for women across the globe. As of this post, #Fitspiration has been hashtagged nearly 14 million times on Instagram, with the shortened version #Fitspo surpassing it at over 50 million posts.

The rise of #Fitspo

#Fitspo or #Fitspiration posts are images that aim to inspire or motivate viewers to exercise and eat healthy food. The Guardian explains that the movement was in part a reaction to “thinspo” or “thinspiration”, which was banned in Tumblr in 2012 and Instagram in 2013 for its role in encouraging eating disorders.

The focus since then has shifted from simply being thin to being healthy, an important distinction discussed previously here on Beauty Boss Network. As a result, people have been turning to Instagram as a means to share tips and find encouragement from other people.

In truth, the social media platform has been a huge driving factor with regards to the rise of this online community. Because of Instagram’s high engagement potential, it has become the center of conversations regarding what it means to be fit and healthy. For instance, yoga teacher Jessamyn Stanley has used the platform as a medium to teach others about body positive yoga.

On the other hand, groups like Weight Watchers, which was founded in 1963, managed to make a home under the same banner as well. The Daily Dot shares that weekly in-person meetings have transformed into an open community of people encouraging each other to achieve their fitness goals. This is seen not only in the Weight Watchers account and its 659,000 followers, but also in the larger hashtags #weightwatchers (6 million posts) and #wwsisterhood (1.6 million posts).

The overall effect of the fitspiration community is the emergence of more fitness role models to look up to. These individuals not only share healthy recipes and workout regimens, but also motivation – a crucial element for reaching fitness goals.

Celebrity fitspiration

Aside from personal trainers and instructors, however, celebrities also play a huge role in fitspiration online. One of the best examples of such personalities is the international superstar, the Queen B herself, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. Aside from her killer voice, she’s known for her dedication to health and fitness as well. To maintain her hourglass figure, she eats a plant-based diet and is devoted to interval total-body training.

Another fitspiration celebrity is Alicia Vikander, the star of Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, and most recently, the new Tomb Raider reboot. With Lara Croft being her biggest action role to date, Vikander had a fitness regimen that included boxing, heavy lifting, and daily HIIT sessions.

There’s pressure from stepping into the shoes previously filled by Angelina Jolie, who is a fitness icon in her own right. Nonetheless, Vikander comes into her own in a franchise that has spawned three films, five novels, comic books, and over a dozen console spinoffs. The classic title even went beyond its usual gameplay in the Tomb Raider slots game on Slingo, where players can immerse themselves in Lara Croft’s world through a different digital experience. The mission is to find treasures and surprises in a setting backed by visuals inspired by the original Tomb Raider films. With such an iconic status and beloved character, expectations are set high for Vikander. But with her fitness, the star can clearly deliver. Her “insane six-pack” and ripped bod after training for Tomb Raider even went viral on social media. These traits exemplify her dedication to her job and wellbeing.

Last, but not least, is Nina Dobrev. She has her competitive gymnastics background, as well as strength training and group HIIT, to thank for her physique. The Vampire Diaries star also shows her fitness routine on Instagram, where she regularly uploads yoga and strength training fitspiration images.

Do you have any #fitspiration goals or celebrities? Feel free to share them with us in the comments section!