Reboot your wellness feed
If the health tastemakers you follow aren’t exactly diverse, it’s time to switch up your IG feed, says Maya Richard-Craven
The wellness world can seem as though it’s populated by people who mostly look the same. But as the Black Lives Matter movement grew last summer, many industries began to reflect on why they don’t represent everyone. “The wellness industry hasn’t always been welcoming to minority ethnic people – even though most western practices originate in locations where Black and brown people have lived for centuries,” says Chloe Pierre, founder of thy. self, a platform that focuses on diversifying wellness. Want to shake up your feed? Start with these accounts.
Toral Shah @theurbankitchen
Who? Shah has an MSc in nutritional medicine and works as a nutritional scientist, functional medicine practitioner and health consultant under the brand The Urban Kitchen, connecting her passions for nutrition, science and food. What’s her vibe? She uses her Instagram to promote healthy eating via deliciouslooking recipes (think spicy cauliflower wings and chilli with tortillas) and also offers one-on-one consultations. Shah is open and honest with her followers about having received a cancer diagnosis at 29, and despite what she’s been through, her posts spill over with gratitude and positivity.
Sohee Lee @soheefit
Who? Based in California, Lee is a PhD student in sports science, and also has a Master’s in psychology of eating behaviour. She is the founder and head coach at ELT Method online coaching. Her offering includes online fitness courses and mythbusting videos that tackle conversations surrounding fitness, nutrition, maintaining a healthy relationship with food and more.
What’s her vibe? Lee makes quick how-to videos on everything from hip-thrusting to paying someone a compliment that has nothing to do with their looks. If you’re a fan of the work-smarternot-harder ethos delivered via pithy tips and advice, following her is a must.
Kim Ngo @itskimngo
Who? Ngo left a job in finance to become an instructor at fitness studio 1Rebel and quickly emerged as a star, teaching top-rated workouts online – she was even named one of ClassPass’s Best Instructors of 2017. She is now an Apple Fitness+ trainer and is passionate about diversity in fitness. What’s her vibe? Ngo’s new HIIT workouts come out every Monday on Fitness+, and they’re all either 10, 20 or 30 minutes long. She was also recently featured on Channel 4’s SAS Who Dares Wins with Ant Middleton.
Elle Linton @ellelinton
Who? Essex-based fitness professional and blogger Linton started her platform to keep the momentum of the 2012 Olympics going, and she hasn’t stopped since. Her main focuses are cycling and running (she even hosted a Couch To 5k accountability group during lockdown), and she also runs fitness classes. What’s her vibe? “Step inside a fitness community where success is measured by how your body feels, not how it looks,” reads Linton’s website. Her Instagram posts show her stretching to prepare for runs, doing workouts on her yoga mat and giving her audience mini talks on everything from desk stretches to using foam rollers – and she’s always smiling. We also love her blogs on the business of fitness, with advice for exercise entrepreneurs.
Jenné Claiborne @sweetpotatosoul
Who? Meet vegan chef, author, YouTuber and blogger Claiborne, whose recipes fuse typical soul food and plantbased ingredients. What’s her vibe? Claiborne’s feed is like a sunbeam on a grey day. She posts recipes for salads, one-pot meals and African dishes – think spaghetti squash alfredo, tofu scramble and sweet-potato red-lentil curry – plus advice for new vegans. Her YouTube channel is similarly filled with eclectic recipes from across the world.
Ally Love @allymisslove
Who? Ally Love is a Peloton instructor, the founder and CEO of Love Squad – a health platform that unites people from all walks of life – and host of the Brooklyn Nets, a New York basketball team. What’s her vibe? After being seriously injured in a car accident aged nine and told she’d never become an athlete, Love has defied the odds – and then some. Her feed is a reflection of her many talents: you’ll find photos of her whipping up pancakes in the kitchen, on her spin bike or encouraging followers to work out. We love her video series, “Basics Of Bossing Up”, in which she discusses how to create a life you want.