With the festive season over and the Lunar New Year festivities burgeoning on the horizon, it’s time to shed those extra pounds gained during Christmas and get back into shape. If you’re not sure where to start, these top Hong Kong fitness influencers might just be the inspiration you need to break past your boundaries and push your workout regime to new heights…
@emiwong_
Emi Wong is among the first of local Hong Kong influencers to have made a niche out of workout tutorials on YouTube. In addition to her variations of HIIT workouts, her down-to-earth personality and candor about her past battles with alcoholism and bulimia are what won over her loyal fan base of 3.64 million YouTube subscribers and 587k Instagram followers.
@chaukeiyoga
Though breathing is an essential focus to practicing yoga, for Yogi and TedX speaker, Chaukei Ngai, breathing was abnormally difficult since the day she was born. Born two months premature and weighing merely two kilograms, she was diagnosed with chronic lung disease and spent several of her subsequent years in emergency rooms. Learning to gain control over her breathing and fear through yoga ultimately helped her conquer her respiratory problems and led her to open her own studio, YogaUp. Through her business as well as her strong digital influence, she continues to guide and inspire those still struggling with their own health and fitness issues on social media.
@bennyliu_fitness
Weekend warriors looking for motivation to make major transformations need not look much further than at Benjamin Liu, otherwise known as Benny Liu. The former bodybuilding champion has over 10 years of personal training experience under his belt, having won multi-national competitions and even ranked among the top five in Amateur Asia Olympia. Since then, Liu has co-founded One Personal Training, with his Instagram page showcasing his students all proudly flexing their achievements with coach Benny by their side.
@cceciliayeung
Celebrated local field athlete and Hong Kong high-jump record-breaker Cecilia Yeung Man-wai has been representing the national team since 2016. Her laid-back image and fun-loving personality complements the confidence and fortitude that has won her medals throughout her young career. An inspiration to many female youths, she encourages girls to not shy away from hard work, and to find success while breaking boundaries and challenging stereotypes.
@utahlee
Utah Lee is a Nike master trainer who embodies the athletic brand’s impetus motto, “Just do it”. She has been in the fitness industry for over two decades, initially as a model, then a dance instructor, and now is a master trainer for one of the most recognisable athletic brands in the world. When she’s not representing Nike in fitness conferences and media events, she is spreading her infectious energy with her daily cardio and dance workouts on her Instagram account.
@quacktieu
Spartan Race veteran and pro athlete Johnny Tieu is a force to be reckoned with. The Nike trainer has raced in every mentionable endurance competition there is, breezing past the finish line as if it were a walk in the park. Looking to jump-start your own athletic aspirations? Perhaps a gander at this sporty influencer’s videos of weighted uphill and burpee sprints will help you find your own grit and determination…
@coffeesweat_
Certified yoga instructor, Valerie Lam, is a well-known face across Hong Kong, not only for her television appearances but also thanks to her growing YouTube channel that is now backed by 1.29 million subscribers. Her 166k-strong Instagram platform also affords an impressive demonstration of her yoga abilities, where she also offers helpful fitness and yoga tips proven effective by the transformation photos her clients share on her page.
@ belinda_koo
Founder of the luxurious wellness brand, The Art of XYZ, the mother company of the eclectic spinning studio XYZ, Belinda Koo brought the two-wheel cardio revolution to the city, leading the way for other fitness studios to follow suit. After discovering her own health irregularities, she decided to enter the fitness industry while simultaneously continuing her career as a well-established managing director at a multi-national investment bank, an epitome of balancing career and well-being in living a healthy lifestyle.”