Forget #Fitspo, FitKey Shows Us Fitness is For Everyone with #BodyLove Campaign
Contrary to what you may have seen online, there’s room for everyone in the fitness industry. While #Fitspo and other get fit tags might be pushing out images of seemingly unattainable super ripped bodies and quotes about how “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” the majority of active people probably don’t relate to this extreme form of motivation. In fact, rather than being super ripped, most people are more concerned with wanting to enjoy their workouts and stay fit, strong, and healthy. But who is speaking for this majority? Local fitness company FitKey is on a mission to let people know that it’s OK not to subscribe to these messages through a new campaign focused on loving your body, no matter where you are in your fitness journey. The FitKey #BodyLove campaign encourages us to stop hating our bodies for its tiny imperfections and start practising a little self-love and we say bring on the love baby! We sat down with Tamrin Feldman, FitKey Regional and Marketing Manager to find out more about this exciting campaign.
What inspired the Body Love Campaign?
I have been wanting to do a campaign like this for quite some time, I was just not quite sure how to approach it. Then, whilst scrolling through Facebook one day, I saw an open letter written to the fitness industry from a guy who felt like he (and many others) are very much left out when it comes to what the fitness industry promotes. His letter spoke about how the messages we see are all about being as buff and/or as skinny/ripped as possible. He also spoke about the fact that he isn’t really concerned with getting a six-pack but was really just interested in doing exercise that is enjoyable and which keeps his body healthy – like most of us!
So many people related to what he was saying by sharing and commenting their support, and it was then that I knew now was the time to start a campaign like #BodyLove. At FitKey, we have never just been about promoting the ‘perfect’ body image (whatever that means) but instead we have always cared more about the way exercise makes people feel.
Why is loving your body important?
I think it is important that we speak to all kinds of people and that we convey the message that FitKey is INCLUSIVE of all types of bodies and not EXCLUSIVE to only one type of image. I also personally believe that if you truly love and appreciate your body, then you also generally tend to want to take good care of it! And at FitKey, that is what we want. We don’t want to send a message that makes you feel dissatisfied with your body and then you end up doing exercise you hate and jumping onto the next diet bandwagon because you feel you don’t look good enough. We want you to take care of your body in a way that makes you happy and which is healthy.
How have your ambassadors gotten involved in the campaign?
We are very lucky that we have some very awesome fitness ambassadors a part of the FitKey family. Most of them have shared their stories with us and what makes it so special is that each story is unique and different. That is exactly what we wanted – to promote diversity as something positive and inspiring and share stories from ordinary people who are on a fitness journey and loving it.
What are you hoping to achieve with this campaign?
My hope is that the campaign will spark a different kind of conversation in the fitness industry and that people will start to realise that exercising is not just because you want to look like the fitness girl/guy on the cover of the magazine, but that keeping fit is also about keeping your body, mind and soul healthy and happy. I also want people, especially woman, to learn to have a healthy respect for their bodies. They need to know that they are perfect just the way they are, regardless of whether they look like so-and-so on Instagram or not.
How do you believe your members will benefit from the campaign?
I hope our members will be inspired and motivated to book more classes on FitKey and try out an even bigger variety of classes at our partner studios! I also hope to inspire our members to not be discouraged when things don’t go exactly as planned in their training. Everyone is on their own journey and staying fit and healthy can be challenging at times. Being a part of FitKey is already a step in the right direction to living a more active lifestyle.
How do the FitKety studio partners fit into the campaign?
We have some incredible studio partners and each one of them offers a style of fitness which is unique and fun. Each studio partner also has their own philosophy on health and fitness which we respect as well, so we always want to make sure that we are giving them a platform to express their views as well. A few of our studio partners have been kind enough to share their #BodyLove stories with us and inspire our members showing them that even the ‘gurus’ have relatable stories to tell.
When will the campaign come to an end?
The campaign has been such a success that we want to keep it going for as long as we can. We will be running an exciting competition with a prominent health brand until the end of the month and then may continue the campaign throughout June. You heard it here first! Check out the FitKey Facebook page for more details on the competition and of course, to see all the incredible inspirational stories from the #BodyLove campaign.
FitKey understands that people come in different shapes and sizes – they love diversity and that is why their platform offers such a diverse offering of fitness professionals and studios to their members. It might be hard to believe but your one FitKey membership fee gives you access to over 160 gym locations and more than 6000 classes per month! With FitKey there are no joining fees and no contracts or obligations. For unlimited classes, you simply pay the monthly fee of R995 and you’ll have access from the day you pay to that same date a month later. There are also a range of other membership plans available starting from R295 for Fitkey 3 (3 classes a month) to R695 for FitKey 10 (10 classes a month). Momentum Multiply members get up to 10% off their monthly FitKey membership.Â
**BONUS: use this WomenStuff referral link to get an additional R50.00 off of your first month!**
Want to know more? Click here for more information on FitKey and to try it out now.
