Free Fitness From Your Phone

A screenshot from Guterres' Instagram page

Yoga mats, dumbbells, headbands and water bottles are all very familiar workout tools. For young people like Caroline Guterres, setting up a camera has been added to the mix.

“I had always loved sharing my workouts and nutrition with my friends and family, so I figured why not start sharing it with people I don’t know,” said Guterres, who is a sophomore biology major on a pre-med track.

Guterres' account is in line with a new trend – fitsta’s, or fitness Instagram accounts.

Just five months ago, Guterres started @caros_fitsta, a fitsa, and she has since gained almost 500 followers who watch her workout routines, follow her eating habits and get an inside scoop into her lifestyle.

Guterres regularly posts her meals on her fitness instagram as a way to share healthy eating options. Image courtesy of Guterres.

“Social media provides me with the platforms to share my health, fitness and wellness journey with people who I might not have been able to connect to in real life,” Guterres said.

Guterres works out every day and films her workouts a few times a week so they can be posted or shared on her Instagram story.

Image courtesy of Guterres

Image courtesy of Guterres

Guterres isn’t the only young person who uses social media to encourage fitness.

Emily Shulze, a Pennsylvania teacher and former college lacrosse player, started @fitness_with_em_ in January as a way to share her love for fitness and connect with young girls.

“I wanted to share with everyone and make girls who maybe have low self-esteem or struggle with body image know they weren’t alone,” Shulze said.

Shulze played lacrosse at West Chester University, where she got a degree in early education. She is currently teaching fourth graders at a school in Pennsylvania and says her career ties into her fitness account.

“I am always learning and teaching,” Shulze said. “I am teaching women how to become the best version of themselves possible.”

Both Shulze and Guterres don’t just share workouts on their accounts; they also include the food they are eating and motivational messages.

“I feel like to live a truly healthy life it’s not just about working out, but also having a solid foundation in well-being which includes keeping a healthy mind and body with what you fuel yourself with,” Guterres said.

Shulze likes to say that “the abs start in the kitchen.”

Aidan Marshall-Cort is a certified personal trainer at Eppley and believes that being healthy doesn’t just mean working out.

“Self-care is very important. It’s what keeps our mental state healthy, keeps our emotional state healthy, and physical state healthy,” Marshall-Cort said, who is a senior neuroscience major.

During his freshman year of college, he discovered a passion for fitness and helping others. He became a personal trainer during his junior year.

“I design individualized fitness programs to help individuals reach their fitness goals,” Marshall-Cort said.

Most of his clients are graduate students or faculty members because undergraduates don’t always have the economic freedom to pay for a trainer.

“I definitely think fitness Instagrams are a good transition into developing the interest for fitness,” Marshall-Cort said, adding that fitsta’s are a great free resource for students.

“Almost everyone uses some form of social media,” Marshall-Cort said. “I think it’s good to be able to motivate people to start getting out into the gym and live healthier lifestyles.”

Guterres and Shulze both get workout inspiration from a program called Beachbody on Demand. In addition, both Guterres and Shulze bring their own experience from playing sports competitively to their workouts.

“Fitness means an opportunity and an avenue for an individual to not only learn more about themselves but about others,” Marshall-Cort said.