During the 2010s, fitness books and exercise manuals enjoyed a golden age, producing countless hits that became synonyms for healthy living. Perhaps the most well-known of these is the Bikini Body Guide by Kayla Itsines. It prescribes a competitive workout program of no less than six days a week. Experts were wary of this unprecedented practice. Despite appreciating these guides’ transformative effects on fitness culture at large, they noted the serious dangers associated with the practices they endorsed.
Dr Ben Singh, leading health and care expert, stresses the key importance of fitness guides. He argued that they’ve done the most to ennoble fitness in young, urban professional types. He acknowledged that while many individuals benefited from these programs, they required a cautious approach to avoid pitfalls such as overtraining.
The Rise of Kayla Itsines and Her Guide
Kayla Itsines’ Bikini Body Guide hit just as the fitness boom was taking off in the 2010s. That guide would later become the basis for his immensely popular Sweat app. Additionally, the guide’s format seemingly promoted high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and featured exercises such as burpees, commandos, jump squats and jump lunges. These types of intense workouts attracted anyone who wanted to see fast results, helping the guide become an overnight sensation with fitness junkies.
Itsines has been able to capture that popularity in the form of a holistic app. When she sold her stake in 2021, she was said to have made $400 million. Hundreds of women participated in live workout sessions with Itsines, such as a notable event in New York City in 2016, showcasing her influence on fitness culture.
“Do it for the after,” – Kayla Itsines.
The change from Bikini Body Guide to Sweat app wasn’t merely a superficial renaming. It released a new digital platform, featuring educational ebooks, cookbooks and innovative, interactive video content. This evolution is a strong indicator of the ways fitness influencers listened and responded to new consumer demands and trends.
Expert Opinions on Fitness Guides
Despite their widespread popularity, fitness professionals and experts have long raised alarms over the health implications of such fitness guides. Dr. Singh agreed and explained that these guides tend to neglect important components of exercise, like the need for rest and recovery. He further pointed out that HIIT is very successful at improving fitness in a limited amount of time. If adequate recovery days aren’t taken it can lead to overtraining as well.
Dr. Singh criticized the aesthetic emphasis found in most fitness plans, including Itisnes’ guide. He cautioned that the focus on promoting the goal of a “lean, toned” body might even counteract moves to remove stigmatizing pressures around body shape from society.
“The focus on aesthetics can create unrealistic expectations,” – Dr. Ben Singh.
Dr. Salis stressed that Itsines’ guide has very solid scientific support behind it. He pointed out that it inserts elements that go against basic nutritional science. First, he said, there’s the moral stuff, related to food accessibility and policy.
“Moreover, in several places the guide asserts ideas that are contrary to scientific research on nutrition,” – Dr. Salis.
Dr. Denniss didn’t mince his words in communicating these sentiments. He said the guides often overstepped by assigning moral value to food and promoting harmful restrictive eating behavior. He cautioned that cutting out food groups may foster disordered eating patterns. He was equally noted for sounding the alarm that such highly restrictive, low-calorie diets could be hazardous.
“Food is not simply energy and nutrients,” – Dr. Denniss.
A Shift Toward Holistic Approaches
Step 2: Continue professional development
In recent years, fitness influencers like Kayla Itsines have reinvented this narrative. Today, they focus on community-based, holistic approaches to fitness and nutrition. This change reflects increasing recognition of mental health and the need for work-life balance. Experts like Grace Collinson have noted that as understanding of health and body image evolves, it becomes crucial for influencers to reflect on past content.
Collinson highlighted that many individuals may not have recognized the potential harm caused by earlier messaging surrounding restrictive diets and intense workout regimens. She stressed that any guidance encouraging the avoidance or elimination of foundational foods would be harmful.
“Any time that there’s advice to reduce or cut out core foods, that’s always a really big concern of mine,” – Grace Collinson.
Dr. Denniss said influencers are partly to blame for the issue of misinformation with their previous content. He does think they should not be the only ones to escape criticism. He suggested that accountability should go further, to the overall industries of wellness and weight loss that contribute to racist and systemic harmful standards.
“We really like to, as a culture, demonise these influencers when really, if we’re going to hold anyone to account it should be the wellness industry,” – Dr. Denniss.
