Two words: Kayla Itsines. Three more words: bikini body guide.

If you know me, or even if you’ve read my articles, you would know that I’m not the biggest fan of exercise. I usually have to force myself into the gym every day, and actually doing something while I’m there is a different story. So when I was browsing Instagram one day and came across Kayla Itsines, I still wasn’t intrigued. What impressed me, though, were the hundreds of genuine before-and-after pictures (with the subject’s real Instagram tagged). Even more incredible were the comments.

I’m a bit of an introvert -- I like to keep to myself, and until recently, I wasn’t the most active online. Well, I’m always on my phone, but I never contribute. No one really knows I’m there, but I am. A ghost user, if you will. I still am, somewhat, in the sense that I don’t have conversations with strangers online unless it’s about my writing, but I have certainly been internally involved with the Kayla Itsines community for a couple of years now (despite my hesitation for real virtual interaction).

Kayla Itsines (pronounced its-seen-ess, though I will always say “its-zines” in my head) is a 24-year-old Australian fitness guru and Instagram sensation known for her 12-week Bikini Body Guides. She also has a following of over 10.5 million women. This group of women (and even a few men) is better known as the BBG community, and they’ve sort of made a name for themselves.

Essentially, I came for the exercise and stayed for the people.

The best thing about Kayla Itsines is that she didn’t intend to become so popular, or even extend her business beyond Australia’s borders. But today, she has a few world tours under her belt, an iPhone/Android app, 5.4 million Instagram followers and is currently working with Cosmo Australia on something pretty big, we can assume. I think she’s resonating so deeply with all of these women because she truly wants to give them the experience she had -- not only to feel better about the way they look, but how they feel physically and mentally. She promotes strong bodies, not slim ones, and has even admitted that she regrets the name of her acclaimed workout regime, for obvious reasons. (Though, if I’m being honest, that’s probably what drew a lot of her clients in, myself included.)

Because of this, and her positive attitude, the BBG community has grown to a capacity that I, personally, can’t really comprehend. Speaking from personal experience, I’ll go to the gym with my roommate and see three other separate groups of people in the same room, all working on different levels of the same guide. It’s fun to use that as an excuse to take a break, saying hi and making comments about how much we hate our lives at that moment in time, but you walk away feeling different -- not just in your muscles, but in your bones. There’s just something about looking to either side of you and seeing a stranger doing the same raised reverse lunges you know all too well that makes it a little less difficult. It’s a damn good workout (and by good, I mean miserable), but it’s not the only reason to push through.

Any fitness article you’ve ever read probably tells you to work out with a buddy because it holds you accountable in some way. This is very true, and largely why I never exercise alone, but the BBG community goes about it a different way. They tell you to work out alone -- whether that's in the gym or in your home, because the guides call for both -- but come back and share your experiences. Post a sweaty selfie on Instagram, or create a blog and tell them what you ate that day, because they’re here to support you. I will probably always be ghost member of the BBG community, but it’s nice to see this group of people come together with a common interest and be so supportive, especially during a time where everyone seems to either hate themselves or each other.

And even though I shamefully admit that I’ve never completed all 12 weeks, I know it’s an attainable goal. I have bursts of

motivation that come in varying lengths of intervals, and I always turn to Kayla when I’m being particularly active for several reasons. If she can get my lazy ass out of bed, or at least give me platform to motivate myself (and others, if I wanted to), I think she’s worth checking out, at least on Instagram.