As far as workout programs go, Kayla Itsines' bikini body guide (BBG) is arguably one of the fastest growing trends for women.

While there are plenty of programs from multiple fitness gurus, Itsines has been able to take the world by storm due to her presence on social media.

Itsines is a fitness and nutrition expert from Australia. With the help of her partner, Tobi Pearce, she developed workout guides and nutrition guides to help women all over the world.

The guide features a 12-week program where there are resistance weight training circuits, low-intensity steady state (LISS) cardio workouts, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) cardio workouts and recovery / stretching programs. These first 12 weeks are referred to as BBG 1.0, and then there is another 12-week guide for the experts commonly referred to as BBG 2.0.

With these guidebooks, customers can also purchase the nutrition booklet that helps educate women on buying and making food based on specific nutritional recommendations.

Each workout plan and nutrition plan is $67.97.

Because of her great success, Itsines took it a step further and introduced a workout app for mobile phones. This app allows customers to purchase the full nutrition and workout plans for $19.99 a month. Unfortunately, if someone already has the booklet, they still have to pay for the $19.99 a month, something Itsines' fans have been upset about since its November debut.

Regardless, the app offers all of the same training, except with timers and analytics such as steps and miles. There's a three-week rotating food plan that's easy to follow, as well as a grocery list and explanations for the diet.

The biggest difference between the app and booklets is the foam rolling circuit for recovery each week. An essential part of the program, the foam rolling circuit is usually sold as a separate booklet with a Kayla Itsines foam roller.

I came across BBG back when I was living in the Netherlands and browsing my explore tab on Instagram. Itsines popped up several times, showing transformation photos from her followers.

Instantly hooked, I followed her immediately, creating a whirlwind of jealousy and inspiration. I knew I had lost muscle tone and my athletic build was depleting, despite my active lifestyle with hiking and snowboarding.

Fast forward a few months later when I had the money, gym accessibility, and a Havasupai trip coming up in the beginning of August, I finally decided to join the BBG community.

And let me tell you, it has been one of the best decisions of my life.

I started out with the four-week pre-training because I knew I needed to ease my way into it due to my out-of-shape status (I could barely do a regular push-up).

At the moment, I'm about 10 weeks into the program.

I forgot how much I loved a sore body, and how amazing it feels to be fit.

One of the core elements to Itsines' program is staying away from the scale and focusing more on taking progress photos. Losing weight and getting in shape isn't necessarily about the number, but the appearance.

For me personally, I started out at 139 pounds. I weighed myself recently and I was shocked to look down at a big 145 pounds staring back at me.

And then I remembered muscle weighs more than fat.

Progress photos, on one hand, I've avoided. I'm too worried I'll be disappointed with a lack of noticeable improvement. On the other hand, I've had multiple people mention differences in my body.

In reality, there is a tremendous difference between what I looked like the first week of April to the second week of June. I can feel it and I see it when I look in the mirror, so why not take a progress photo?

At this point, I want to simply build the anticipation. Might as well wait until the 12th week and look at how far I've come.

In fact, thousands of women have turned toward Instagram to show off transformations and meals. Because of this, a community developed as more women turned to BBG and took to social media to share their journeys. Sometimes, Itsines will take those photos and post them herself on her own Instagram to inspire others.

The community itself is motivation enough for anyone to want to pursue a healthier lifestyle.

Millions of women have taken the step to better their lifestyles, and I'm one of them. If a female is hesitant to purchase the BBG program, I urge you to go for it. If you can't pay for it yet, then make sure you save for it on your next paycheck because in the long run, it's worth every penny (sorry for the cliche).