The body-positive Instagrammers we can't get enough of

Lifestyle Wed Oct 11 2017 by Eilish Emery

It's that time of the year where swimwear has started to creep its way onto the shelves. Oh yes, summer is very well on its way which has left us torn between dread and excitement when it comes to imagining ourselves meandering along the beach.

Sometimes we need a little extra motivation (and even a little bit of advice) when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle that will leave us not only looking our best, but feeling our best.

For that added extra dose of motivation and inspiration leading up to the warmer months, we've curated a list of five body-positive Instagrammers we're following and feeling good about.

Give these superwomen a follow on Instagram and each day you will be subject to refreshing messages of motivation, reality checks and most importantly, self-love.

1. Riley Hemson, aka @healthychick1o1

21-year-old Riley Hemson is truly an inspiration to us all. Self-described on her Instagram as "Just a huge girl tryna get some abs," Riley says she has always struggled with her weight. In 2015, she decided her health was in dire need of a change, which led her to create @healthychick101 as a tool to track her progress and to hold herself accountable.

On her Instagram you will find progress photos, workout routines, recipes and pictures of what she eats as well as messages of genuine self-love. Riley's motivation stems from a health incentive rather than appearance, one of the core reasons we find this lady so damn appealing and refreshing. She's also not afraid to post cheeky Instagram stories of her and her friends enjoying a few too many red bull and vodka's on the weekend, because life is all about balance, right!? #realitycheck

Gonna try and film an updated leg/glute workout vid in the next week for you guys as it's changed quite a bit. My legs have always been the part of my body that I would call my most problemed area I guess but I've recently noticed more tone and poppin in the booty department so ??
A post shared by ? (@healthychick101) on Sep 9, 2017 at 1:06am PDT

2. Steph Claire Smith @stephclairesmith

If there's one thing that is going to stop you from wanting to put off that Les Mills Body Pump class, it's this girl. Understandably a model, signed with Chadwick Model Management, the Melbourne fitness guru shows us a fresh and healthy image. Being called "too big" by a New York agency, she now uses her own experience to express the importance of maintaining a body that makes you happy - without restricting or hurting yourself. Her Instagram reflects her healthy lifestyle, including her favourite meals and healthy brunch spots which are often on her Instagram story. As well as this we get an inside scoop on her workout routines, favourite products and even her travels!

Thinking about our next trip @jmiller14 ?? something's coming guys ????/ bikini: @themidnightco
A post shared by Steph Smith (@stephclairesmith) on Sep 10, 2017 at 2:32pm PDT

3. Chessie King @chessiekingg

Bold, British beauty Chessie King is a living and breathing reality check. Using her social media as a tool to portray the falsification of images and lifestyles of Instagram, she shows us that she isn't afraid of angles considered unflattering, or indulging on too much cheese or even showing the dreaded cellulite, because that's life! Being a unique advocate of health and fitness, she teaches us that life is all about indulgence whilst creating a healthy well-being. Her charismatic and hilarious demeanor has built her Instagram into an inspiring platform formed around a wicked sense of humour and self-love with pictures and videos that genuinely make our day.

??|?? Left photo: Favourited out of the 8 taken & posted. Right photo: Immediately deleted & forgotten about. Both photos unedited & seconds between them. I do so many of these but this one is my scariest & most exposing so far. I was going through my recently deleted folder ready to 'delete all' but saw the right photo & recovered it. I felt this sense of guilt that I'd deleted it & posted the left one. A year ago I would've been left feeling so unhappy by how I look on the right & deleted it forever like it never happened but it was a huge reminder for me today that Instagram can be such a 'perfection trap'. I'm clearly super happy in the right one after @brontekingg had cracked a hilarious joke, I don't hate it but the lighting isn't 'flattering' nor is the way I'm holding my body or the angle of it but it's ME. Both of the photos are me ?? I am proud of how I feel about my body looking at these photos. I feel like I look healthy in both & look after myself but also live without controlling myself like I have done in the past. So your Monday Motivation all the way from Singapore: People post the best photo out of a bunch taken... I know it's said a lot these days but it helps me a huge amount too. If you see a photo of yourself in 'bad' lighting or an 'unflattering angle' just remind yourself how beautiful you are & that you're ALLOWED to look like that. We were not made to be Barbie dolls who LOOK insanely good 24/7, we were made to be humans who FEEL insanely good 24/7 ?
A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessiekingg) on Aug 14, 2017 at 12:37pm PDT

4. Cassey Ho @blogilates

Los Angeles based fitness instructor Cassey Ho is the praised creator of Blogilates on Youtube - which has become one of the most popular female fitness channels with over 3 million subscribers. For nearly a decade, this effervescent personality has been making a living from motivating us. If only we had her as our own fitness instructor in New Zealand! Combining fun, pop music with her own Pilates routines, Cassey created the famous POP Pilates, making workouts fun and enthusiastic. Who needs a personal trainer when Cassey Ho is available 24/7 on your screen! Along with her bubbly and fun personality, she has some serious and important messages to share which are highlighted in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsL7W-GHhJA

5. Jess Quinn @jessicaemilyquinn

Jess Quinn's Instagram bio says it all: "Showing cancer who's boss since 2001". Being only 9-years-old when she lost her leg to bone cancer, the now 24-year-old is using her story to inspire others. Her goal is to help anyone living with insecurities, whether they are male, female, young or old. Letting nothing get in her way from reaching her goals, Jess has become a keen runner training on a blade prosthesis.

Following her surgery when she was a child, she was unsure whether she would ever be able to run again. After setting a goal to run 10km last year but being unable to complete it, she didn't give up. Recently she decided to give it another shot and expressed on her Instagram, "It wasn't pretty, it wasn't fast but I was on the track where it all began as a kid putting one foot in front of the other. If that isn't running then I don't know what is." With her strength and stamina, Jess shows us that anyone of us can cross the finish line.