Fitness: How To Use Instagram As A Form Of Motivation And Accountability

Hey, hi, hello! I feel like it’s been a hot minute since I discussed my fitness lifestyle and how I use it on social media. Truth be told, without social media (mainly Instagram) I don’t think i’d be where I am now – in terms of motivation and accountability, that is.

When I first began my fitness journey (those good ol’ Jillian Michael and Kayla Itsine’s days) I used the social platform, Instagram as a drive for my motivation. You see, I began by following fitness accounts such as the likes of Kayla Itsines and Emily Skye on my personal Instagram mainly out of curiosity. I was intrigued and somewhat envious of these ladies who had managed to obtain a healthy and active lifestyle without making it look like a chore. As if that was possible?! I thought.

The more I came across these kind of accounts, the more I followed and became indulged in a completely different lifestyle to what I was known to. What I didn’t understand at first was that these accounts were mostly created as either a form of motivation (for not only the account user, but their followers too) but it was also created as a form of accountability too. These ladies were accounting their fitness activities to keep themselves on the ball and interact with other fitness goers to support and cheer on one another.

So, after a heavy stalking session one evening I decided to set up another Instagram account based on my fitness lifestyle. Why a seperate one? Purely because I didn’t want to bore my friends (who had no interest in health or fitness at all) with my new hobby. So alas, Hannah&Fitness was born. Although, not true exactly… who remembers when my account was named Hannah&Fit?

After my account was created I soon followed other fitness accounts, stalked beautiful, fit and healthy young women and became a part of Kayla Itsine’s bikini body guide community (aka, BBG). With that, I joined a massive and supporting online team of ladies from all over the world who all had one similar goal: To become fit and healthy. I suppose the rest is history because here I am now!

However, one thing I do understand is just how bizarre and over whelming the thought of talking to and communicating with strangers can be. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. I also totally understand if you’re thinking i’m nuts right now. I get that one a lot. “Wait, you’ve actually made friends from Instagram? You’re part of a ‘community?'” Yes I have! Some of  whom I meet up with regularly a few times a month. It’s great and truth be told, Instagram has completely changed my life.

So if you’re in the midst of starting a fitness account or you already have one but are somewhat clueless what to do on it/with it, then here are a few tips for using Instagram as a form of motivation and accountably.

Firstly, introduce yourself…

Once you start communicating with other likeminded individuals on Instagram then the chances of them checking out your profile is pretty high. They wanna see what your about. Aka, stalk you! In the least creepy way possible… So let your next post be a little bit more about yourself. Tell your followers (and followers to be) your fitness goals, tell them how you aim to eat more healthy, tell them your weekly workout schedule, whatever it is, just tell them. This way your not only increasing your own personal motivation but you’re also setting yourself accountable to the rest of Instagram.

Get used to posting pictures of your daily meals

Trust me, this tip is amazing for keeping your eating habits in check. So now that you’ve set yourself accountable with your meals etc, you can start posting images of what you eat throughout the day. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be restaurant pretty (in fact, choose your own style!). Once you get into a habit of posting your meals daily your followers will become aware to this and in someway you’ll feel obliged to keep eating healthy meals and staying on track! See where i’m going with this? 

Join a community

As I said earlier, I pretty much joined a community straight after I had my fitness Instagram account going. I brought Kayla Itsine’s bikini body guide and with that was an online community of other like-minded girls who were also completing the guide. The community itself was held under the hashtag #bbg or #kaylaitsines. So with each post, I made sure to include those tags so my fellow BBG girls could find me and roles reverse. Soon enough, I had other BBG girls commenting and cheering me on with each post. We also kept each other accountable too, asking when they one another would be getting in their workout for the day. It was great (it still is!) and personally, I believe it’s the main reason I still have so much motivation to this day – because I have an army of incredibly supportive women behind me.

So whether you have a plan or not, join a community of girls either under your guides hashtags or the most popular fitness hashtags out there. Here are a few of my favourite tags: #fitness #fitnesscommunity #girlgains #gainsforgirls #fitnessmotivation #fitspo

Communicate

It’s all and well having a fitness account but if you’re a silent sheep behind the screen then the chances are you’re not getting yourself out there! Nowadays, a simple ‘like’ isn’t enough. Not with todays algorithm anyway! Accounts with a big following are also less likely to see your one like so take some time out to comment on your favourite posts. It can be absolutely anything! I have to say, i’m a sucker for some good foodie photos so I’ll always show my appreciation by commenting on it with something related. Show that you care and you’ll soon be noticed and more importantly a conversation will be made!

Don’t be afraid to DM

I think this one is so important if you’re truly looking to communicate and make friends with other fitness pals. Please, please, please don’t be afraid to reach out to somebody who inspires you or whom you talk to frequently on posts etc. This is exactly how I met some people some of whom are my really close friends now.

I know just how lonely it can be when you start a healthier lifestyle (nobody in your ‘real’ life understands your passion, right?) so talking to other people can really have a huge impact on your motivation and happiness!

Post regular fitness updates

This one is similar to the point of posting photos of your meals daily. As well as that, try to include progress pictures of your journey – document your physique as you continue to get fitter and healthier. It’s easier said then done, believe me do this for you.

Progress pictures are so important. You may think that you’ll realise when the weight is dropping off, your body is toning up or your gaining muscle (which you might) but you won’t realise just how much.

I remember the first time I saw a progress picture from a holiday the year before and boy was I gobsmacked! I didn’t realise just how much my stomach toned up. Especially my love handles!

So yes, document your fitness progress in terms of photos (this doesn’t have to be you stood in your underwear. Try leggings and a sports bra instead), update your followers on how your week has been – did you miss any workouts or hit any pb’s? Also be sure to include your goals and what motivates you. Remember, your followers are following you because they want fitness/health talk!

Lastly, be real and stay frequent 

People on social media aren’t stupid. They know nothing is perfect in life. They know motivation isn’t 24/7 and they know slip up’s happen. So be real to your followers throughout your journey and I promise you they will love and respect you for it! In fact, it’s kind of nice knowing that you’re not the only person struggling right?

Lastly, stay frequent and post daily. Your followers aren’t interested in your journey once or twice a week. No no no. They want to hear every little bit! So keep your followers entertained frequently and that also includes commenting and liking your favourite accounts!

PS, do you have a fitness account? If so, does it motivate you daily?

PPS, be sure to follow myself on Instagram – @hannahandfitness

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