2019 saw a rise of personalities who publicised their commitment to fitness and health using their IG accounts. Many of them are from Southeast Asia hailing from different industries like sports, music, and dance. They made it to our list for being versatile, fun, and creative in living a healthy lifestyle. Instead of promising us an overnight success, their stories prove that fitness goals are achieved with perseverance and sacrifice. A true #fitspo for all. Have you followed them yet? It’s never too late!
Here are the top female and male fitness influencers of 2019 we’ve shortlisted:
Not all intense workouts are done inside the gym. Some routines can flow as gracefully as shown by Lisha Chin on IG, a professional ballet dancer who gradually gained popularity from being a member of the Singapore Dance Theatre to being a cofounder of BalletBody Singapore. Her IG account displays her life in and outside the training ground. The figure and poses she posts will definitely inspire you to sign up for her fitness ballet and mat pilates class to achieve those long lean muscles.
UFC title holder Miesha Tate has a never-say-die mantra when it comes to fitness and fighting. She admits that training smarter is better than training harder, and her IG posts is a testament to that as you see her striking a balance between being a fighter, a mother, a wife, and a friend. Unlike the usual gym posts you’ll find on other fitness influencer accounts, this American Mixed Martial Arts fighter who is now based in Singapore will surprise you with her outdoor adventures and some of her best moves inside the UFC cage. It’s no surprise her 2M followers hailed from all parts of the world including Asia.
# 3 @saraweeruyu – Sara Wee Ruyu
People may know her as the lead vocalist of the Singapore band 53A, but did you know that this millennial also has a lot going on as a certified yoga instructor of The Yoga Mondala? If you haven’t followed her IG account yet, join her club of 20k+ followers and regularly sneak in on her profile to get free yoga and acroyoga (acrobatics + yoga) tips, advices, and the needed inspiration to keep going in your fitness goals!
# 4 @rriley – Sandra Riley Tang
Now nearing 100k followers on IG, Sandra Riley Tang paints her IG feed with entertaining, wacky, and colourful stunts from her workouts, dance videos, and training sessions with boyfriend. Aside from co-founding The Yoga Co. in Singapore, she used to be a member of the Singapore band Sam Willows and now going solo as @rriley. There are a lot of extra things she wants to do aside from music, so yes you’ll see her cartwheeling, doing yoga, and showing some Brazilian jiu jitsu moves on her IG account.
# 5 @iamthomasbeattie – Thomas Beattie
Thomas or Tom hails from England and a certified advocate of sports, health, and fitness. This lifestyle reflects on His IG account where you can see him flexing a perfectly-fit body despite being out of the football field for a long time. After 10 years of playing in England and other countries, a life-changing head injury led him to pursuing other doors, including entrepreneurship. Now he resides in Singapore inspiring everyone with his story and his never-say-die attitude to fitness and training.
# 6 @alyxcarroll – Alison Carroll
Alison is a constant #fitspo along with co-founder Lisa China of BalletBody. She started dancing ballet when she was four years old and has never stopped since then. Although she is out of the professional limelight now, this National Arts Council scholar continues to work out by teaching students of all fitness levels and gender (yes, ballet is for men, too!). Everybody just adores how she ages gracefully although she admits not following a strict diet. Discipline and mind-body connection are what it takes to keep fit and that really shows in her IG posts!
# 7 @maria_vaniaa – Maria Vania
Maria has 1.2m followers to date and we bet this will keep growing as she passionately curates fitness content both for her IG account and YouTube channel. From her daily workouts at the gym to Q&A sessions and weightlifting videos, you will surely find keeping fit a breeze as she makes exercise and training look easy.
# 8 @mad_aesthetics – Leonard Tay
His Instagram handle was a random thought seven years ago when he was just starting to hit the gym but the name matches his chiselled physique now more than ever. Leonard Tay, 23, is a student freelance trainer who started as a sports enthusiast when he was in junior college. His love for track and field eventually led him to taking fitness training to the next level, this time focusing on weightlifting and bodybuilding. Of course his muscles and strength speak volumes of what makes @mad_aesthetics, but commitment and dedication are his best assets.
# 9 @pressonpreston – Preston Sin
Preston Sin lives by the fitness motto, “Do what works for you.” He inspires his 40k+ IG followers to to train and eat to what suits their unique lifestyle and preferences. He is generous enough to answer questions related to fitness and finds time to post them on his feed along with an infographic. He also posts about his travel adventures on land and on the sea and yes, his topless photos always get the most likes. His motivational quotes and before-and-after photos will definitely push you to keep going in your fitness journey.
# 10 @thejasonchee – Jason Chee
He won the Manhunt Singapore in 2012 but his journey didn’t stop there; in fact, it was just the beginning. Jason went full blast in the fitness industry, gaining awards from various competitions in Singapore and a cover model for Asian magazines. Now he’s an A-Team Personal Trainer at Fitness Movement Gym. Follow him on his journey through his IG account and expect an overload of bodybuilding and training posts that will make you want to hit the gym everyday?
All these influencers have been strict and disciplined on their diets. Here is one good supplement, check them out at Sandra’s site Supergreens expert.
