Have 'Fitspo' Influencers Saved the Fitness Industry? A fresh breed of fitness influencers coined a new hashtag and approach to wellness, and how your health brand can benefit.

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, lockdowns began, and people began staying at home, many of them also fell out of normal workout routines and other physical activities. Virtual fitness quickly expanded to entice displaced gymgoers and bored quarantiners, with influencers leading the charge. This has turned out to be not just a stopgap measure, either. "Fitspo", short for "fitspiration" — defined by dictionary.com as, "Photos, videos, advertisements etc., intended to inspire a person to get physically fit through rigorous exercise and diet" — has transformed the industry. It gave budding influencers an opportunity to grow, and established brands a way to stay relevant. Fitness influencers not only leveraged social media to make virtual wellness a permanent market, but also carried the entire sector through the pandemic and into a post-COVID era.

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Fitness Influencers In the Age of COVID