Fitness Influencers, Social Media and the Mind-Body Connection with Taylor Walker- EP061
Social media can be a source for good when it comes to health and wellness, giving us access to information, holding us accountable, and inspiring us make positive choices and live a better life. But social media also has the capacity to make us miserable, feeding us inaccurate information and making us feel badly about ourselves when we don’t live up to entirely unrealistic standards. So, how do you choose the RIGHT influencers to follow? Who will help you define your WHY when it comes to fitness and nutrition and inspire you to develop a strong mind-body connection?
Taylor Walker is a Wilhelmina fitness model and influencer based in Miami. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer, Barre Instructor, Spartan SGX and Nutrition Coach. Taylor has been featured in ads for major brands including Nike, Under Armour, FILA, and Champion USA, among many others. A former ninth-grade PE teacher, Taylor now advocates for healthy living online through her website and 32K-strong Instagram following. She has appeared in the pages of Fitness, Shape and Women’s Health Magazine.
Today, Taylor shares her journey from dancer to PE teacher to fitness model and influencer. She discusses the work ethic required to be a fitness model, describing what a day in the life looks like. Taylor explains her WHY around using social media as a platform, her take on choosing health and wellness influencers to follow, and how she makes decisions around which brands to represent. Listen in to understand how Taylor’s workouts have evolved over the years and learn about her mind-body approach to fitness and nutrition.
Topics Covered
[0:46] Taylor’s time as a PE teacher- Preaching health and wellness
- Not eating/sleeping well herself
- Didn’t realize how food affected body
- Followed husband to Oregon
- Applied to Sports + Lifestyle Unlimited
- Use skill set as dancer to create beautiful imagery
- Most are instructors (authenticity on camera)
- Must eat healthy, work out
- Able to perform rigorous work
- Nutrition coaching, personal training, teach group classes
- Events, photo shoot or creating social content
- Creates connection, accountability
- Afford access to those who can’t afford nutrition coach
- Rewarding to see transformation
- Just as powerful as blog post read by thousands
- Developed identity, audience and mission
- Only align with companies that fit vision
- Water, journal, stretch and coffee in AM
- Hot shower, read, stretch and deep breathing in PM
- Opportunities and friendships
- Time away from family, burnout
- Time to slow down and refocus, reevaluate goals
- Dive deeper into nutrition coaching, personal training
- Some promote inaccurate info, unrealistic standards
- Research qualifications and how they make you feel
- Conditioned athlete during dance career
- Workout once/week from age 25-27
- Workout 3-5 times/week now (variety)
- Decides on workout type based on body’s needs
- Eats clean majority of time, occasional pizza/donut
- Space will grow and change, but not going anywhere
- ‘Only thing stopping you is you’
Learn More About Taylor
Resources
