It is hard not to come across "fitspo" on Instagram or other social medias these days. There are tons of accounts and pictures of toned muscular women showing off their abs and large butts scattered all over the web. "Fitspo" is short for fitness inspiration and is commonly used by those who do not currently have the body that they want and look to these fitness accounts as their inspiration. "Fitspo" is replacing the "thinspo"(thin inspiration) trends of the past and is helping people move towards realistic weight loss and body image goals. Gone are the days of thigh gap goals and welcome to the era of toned abs, bubble butts and bulking. Here are some ways "fitspo" is healthy and great for the future:

1. It is inclusive of different body types

"Fitspo models" come in all shapes and sizes throughout Instagram. The internet. Some have more muscular boyish figures, others have thick thighs and a small waist and some are just very lean and petite. The thing that is important here is that there is no one definition of what "fit" look like. All these women are considered healthy and fit despite their varying body typed and even level of fat percentage. This allows for a broader range of women to find a role model that they can aspire to be that is closest to their body types therefore giving them realist goals of what a healthy look will look on them.

2. "Fitspo" emphasized that weight loss and fitness is more than just a number on a scale

A big thing with "fitspo" is that your body will look better if you bulk up with lean muscle than by just having a very low weight and being skinny. This is so important because in the past people aspired to have this very skinny bony body with a low body weight but now people see that you can look even better at a higher weight with some weight training. Essentially, it helps people to become less focused on this magical number on the scale that we think we should me and moves us to focusing more on how we actually look in the mirror and how we feel in our skin.

3. Embraces the fact that your body will take time to change and that there is no quick fix

Gone are the days of quick fixes and fad diets. Well, not really, they are still lurking around but fitspo emphasizes that the one and only way to truly experience weight loss of fitness goals is to just eat clean and exercise. In fact, their before and after pictures can have a range of 2 years or more. This just helps people to understand that it is a lifestyle change not a diet. You can just work out for a month and expect to attain the body you want. You need to put the work in for a long time and you will gradually begin to see results. Once people accept this they become more realistic with how much weight they will lose per week/muscle they will bulk so it becomes more attainable.

4. Introduces healthy clean eating an exercise tips that everyone can do

While a lot of the owners of the accounts tend to spend all day in the gym, a normal person does not need to in order to attain that body. There are often examples of some exercises and clean eating recipes on the pages. Just by introducing some of these into your life gradually will help you to attain your goal. Sure you won't look like that girl in the account in a week or a month because you don't spend 5 hours in the gym a day but by following those tips and exercises you could potentially look like that in a year. If you are patient you will that yourself later.

5. It shows that women can be just as strong as men

These accounts just show that women can kill it at the gym just as much as men. They emphasize that weightlifting isn't just for men and that it can hold so many benefits for women. Women can lift just as much as men as well. There is just something very empowering about a woman being able to lift and show that she is in fact strong.

6. It allows people to adopt attainable fitness/body goals

I came across an article recently claiming that fitspo is societies new unattainable goal for women and I cant think of anything more wrong. The "fitspo" movement gets rid of the "heroin chic" gaunt, skinny beauty ideals of the past that was literally only physically capable for a handful of women and moves towards a more inclusive definition of what it means to be fit and healthy. You are no longer trying to be skin and bones with no body fat but instead trying to be toned, lean and physically fit and capable of making your body do more. It promotes different body types, a clean eating lifestyle, exercise and that these things take time. The bottom line is that in the past everyone aspired to look like Kate Moss or a Victoria Secret model but that just isn't possible for everyone. Now, if you truly have the dedication and work hard for a LONG time, you can actually look like the fitspo models you see. It is just up to you how much or how little work you put in, but it is possible.