24 Fitness Experts, Authors, and Blogs to Follow in 2019

These fitness experts, authors, and blogs are trying to revolutionalize the health and holistic development of the body.

Here are the top 24 on our list:

upjourney-fitness-experts-authors-and-blogs-to-follow-in-2019

Dr. Joel Seedman

Joel Seedman

CEO | Founder, Advanced Human Performance

Recommended by Nick Rizzo, Fitness and Training Director, Run Repeat

If you are looking to get healthier, improve your physique, and take your performance to the next level, then Dr. Joel Seedman is someone to follow religiously.

His holistic approach to training, nutrition and focus on movement mechanics and muscle function is a breath of fresh air in an industry suffocating from overwhelming alpha-male bravado and rehashed advice.

He is an expert in the truest sense. Everything you read from him or the service his clients receive are backed by science.

Even though he has multiple degrees he continues to develop expertise with a long list of accreditations and certifications from top organizations. Ensuring that he is staying on the front line of evidence-based training, nutrition, and coaching.

As if his steady stream of informative and innovative content wasn’t enough, he also provides a massive library of video content.

It covers everything from training tutorials, unique exercises for specific body parts, how to develop speed and power, and more. His advanced training playlist will leave even the most advanced athletes drooling at this goldmine of knowledge.

Dr. John Rusin

John Rusin

Owner, John Rusin Fitness System

Recommended by Nick Rizzo, Fitness and Training Director, Run Repeat

I learned the hard way after 5 years of competitive powerlifting. Training for strength led to other results. Flexibility and mobility issues, back pain, wrist, and rotator cuff injuries, and the list goes on.

If you are taking training advice for a specific outcome like more strength, muscle, speed, less fat, or just to be athletic, you are missing a critical component that can drastically impede your performance and progress.

Enter Dr. John Rusin. This man’s work helped me overcome all of these issues I was experiencing.

This is because he is considered to be one of the leading experts on pain-free performance training.

Essentially, his training is the combination of elite strength and conditioning with clinical movement based diagnostic medicine.

Not only will his content have you performing at your highest level but also have your body feeling rejuvenated and functioning at optimal levels.

You don’t have to take my word for it either. The long list of achievements, accolades, and testimonials from MLB All-Stars, IFBB Pros, Ironman All-World Athletes, and a running list of experts in a wide variety of industries. Simply put, if you are using weights at all in your exercise routine, you need to be following Dr. John.

Alexandra Powe Allred

Alexandra Allread

Professor, Kinesiology Department at Tarleton State University

My biggest pet peeve and I just talked to my students about this yesterday is all the “fitness experts” who have no degree, no formal training or education, no certifications but become popular are Instagram.

We, at the school, actually use many of the Insta pics and videos used by “experts” showing fans how to “target train” as examples of negligence, possible lawsuits and certainly, new ways to injure people.

I would love it — on behalf of all coaches, trainers and kinesiology professors around the world — if you would put disclaimers that the majority of these “experts” are anything but!

Nick Mitchell

Nick Mitchell

CEO | Founder, Ultimate Performance

Nick Mitchell is an author, writer, fitness expert and founder of the world’s leading personal training business Ultimate Performance (U.P.).

He is widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost personal trainers and body composition experts.
Nick is the global CEO of the Ultimate Performance Group, which is widely considered to be the only truly global personal training business.

Nick launched the U.P.. business in the City of London in 2009, and it has now expanded operations across four continents, with an ever-evolving team of 250 elite personal trainers.

Nick is the author of a number of best-selling books including 12 Week Body Plan, Your Ultimate Body Transformation Plan, Principles of Muscle Building Program Design, and most recently Body Transformation Meal Plan Design.

He is now based in Los Angeles, California, where he is spearheading the expansion of the U.P. business across North America.

Drew Heisler

Drew Heisler

NSCA Personal Trainer, Heisler Training Systems

Drew Heisler is a speed coach to his athletes and a personal trainer to their parents!

He has 10 years of experience as a trainer and has owned and operated a personal training facility for the past 7 years.

His passion is to help his clients reach their goals, be it making the varsity soccer team or building an envy-worth butt, with minimal time investment.

Athletes need an individual approach to training, even in a large group setting. Too many developing athletes are robbed of speed and power improvements due to the generic training programs readily available on the internet and in school weight rooms.

Drew has a passion for ensuring each athlete he trains has a program built around the specific needs of that athlete, even in a large group setting. His Instagram and blog posts focus on explaining why we do what we do.

If you enjoy spending hours and hours in the gym, Drew is not for you!

His focus is on giving you exactly what you need to achieve results while stripping away anything that is not necessary.

He gives tips on how to build muscle with an emphasis on building a shapely set of Glutes. He uses social media and blog posts to break down complex training concepts into easily applicable program ideas for busy people who just want to get in and out of the gym!

It’s not all serious business as Drew also frequently pokes fun at himself, his height and his love of cats. Drew is a big fan of 90s hip-hop and, as a result, you might hear an inappropriate lyric or two in his videos.

Scott Burgett, CSCS

Scott Burgett, CSCS

Founder, Plant Based Scotty

I create delicious plant-based recipes and write about today’s most popular health topics. Some of my recipe creations range from Vegan Jalapeno Cheese to Cinnamon Swirl Protein Pancakes.

My goal is for is to discover how a plant-based diet can help you eat well and be well.

On January 17, 2017, my whole life did a backflip. As I was watching the critically acclaimed documentary Cowspiracy, the flip switched.

I finally understood the connection between meat and animals. Immediately, I raided my kitchen and promptly threw out all foods that contained animal products. In other words, I cleared out just about everything.

Since then, I’ve been on a mission to discover the truth behind how the food we eat affects our body and our planet. Being passionate about what I was learning, I began sharing through social media when a friend suggested I start a blog.

That seemingly inconspicuous suggestion has to lead to over 30 unique recipes and 11 in-depth blog posts, with much more to come.

So whether it’s for your health, the animals, or the environment, eating a plant-based diet is a sustainable solution for our future.

If you’re veggie-curious or simply want to eat good food, please subscribe to my blog. I send you a new recipe or blog post each and every week. You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Anita Perry

Anita Perry

Author | Yoga Professional, Yoga Anita

Anita Perry is an author, educator, yogi, and blogger and has been in the fitness business since 1978.

As the owner of Healthwatch Workshops, she trained individuals to be aerobic instructors, provided on-site corporate fitness programs and was a continuing education provider to the fitness industry.

Though her practice has students from all age groups, her core group is women like herself, in a certain group, going through challenges of self-worth, beauty, and relevancy.

She writes for her own blog, is a guest blogger and has been featured on Boston Voyager, Garagegymplanner, and Fitsmallbusiness.com.

Ms. Perry is the author of Yogaminute, Yoga Wisdom, and a frequent guest wellness speaker. Ms. Perry was voted Best Yoga and Meditation Instructor by Thumbtack, Inc. for the second year in a row.

“I was drawn to yoga after I experienced an injury,” she says, “And I’ve never looked back!”

Ms. Perry has a master’s degree in education, was a classroom teacher, and is a frequent presenter at professional development and education conferences.

She has taught all age groups from adult to elementary and brings her enthusiasm and classroom experience to the yoga community.

“My mission is to bring all ages and abilities to yoga. I want everyone to have a positive experience,” she adds.

Jennifer Bourque and Mirna Sharafeddine

Jennifer & Mirna

Registered Holistic Nutritionists | Founders, Naughty Nutrition

These nutrition mavens are on a mission to connect health seekers with the most accurate, up-to-date, science-based health resources.

Naughty Nutrition dishes up simple, delicious and healthy recipes and meal planning ideas — all without any of the BS attached to it.

Their approach is 90% nutrition + 10% chocolate, and 0% BS!

Naughty Nutrition started out of a desire to teach people how to fall back in love with the food on their plate, how to use simple ingredients to create delicious flavors and recipes.

Their platform not only shares delicious eats but also helps women make peace with their body and with the food on their plate. There is a huge focus on a balanced diet and lifestyle that doesn’t involve restrictive dieting, cutting out foods or food groups.

Naughty Nutrition is where delicious + simple recipes meet accurate nutrition information + absolutely no BS. You won’t find any of those scare tactics or misleading health headlines.

And these ladies’ personal mottos are:

“My motto is to SAVOR the moment rather than obsess about every single ingredient on my plate.” ~ Mirna Sharafeddine, R.H.N.

“Eat food cooked from scratch, enjoy your wine, eat dark chocolate, eat local, eat seasonally and enjoy everything about it. That’s my motto!” ~ Jenni Bourque, R.H.N.

Dempsey Marks

Dempsey Marks

AFAA Certified Personal Trainer | Yoga Instructor

Recommended by Ashley Sandberg, Triple 7 Public Relations, LLC

She grew up in an incredibly active family where fitness was never an obligation to her – it was a way of life.

She played softball and volleyball through her childhood and competitively into high school, spending up to five hours a day at practices, lessons, and games. But her active lifestyle came to an abrupt halt during her last year of high school.

After waking up one night with severe stomach pain Dempsey went on for weeks into months unable to ease the pain – which was aggravated by eating.

She went from being an active, happy teen to being so weak she was barely able to get out of bed in the morning. Though food was fuel for an athlete, for some reason her body was rejecting most.

Food had become her enemy. Months of meeting with specialists and endless medical tests brought no answers until FINALLY, just before starting her freshman year of college, she was diagnosed with stomach paralyzing Gastroparesis.

With treatments for the disease limited, Dempsey and her family were desperate.

Then game life-changing advice from one doctor who told them Dempsey had probably staved off her disease for years because of her active life.

He noted her condition deteriorated after her athletic lifestyle ended and told them exercise would help her digestive system. If she could fight through the pain and nausea to exercise, he believed it would help.

It wasn’t easy, but she did. And it worked. With the help of her doctor, Dempsey has used exercise and proper nutrition to keep her disease in check.

This experience fueled her passion for fitness and a realization that she wanted to help others embrace the importance of a fit, healthy life.

Dempsey is a certified personal trainer and has dedicated her life to help others find the joy and empowerment a fit, healthy lifestyle brings.

The programs she designed address the three challenges most met when it comes to getting healthy/fit: time, space and money.

Not one to believe in deprivation, Dempsey creates programs that allow for fun and indulgence – to truly enjoy all life has to offer.

Joey Foley

Joey Foley

Founder, Rhythm Ryde

Recommended by Alexis Coletta, JMG Public Relations

Being raised an athlete, Joey was All-American and an All-State Athlete in high school in three different sports (football, track, and swimming/diving) and a Division-1 Athlete in football and track in college.

He also played rugby in the MBA World Championships and was a USA Triathlon National qualifier in the Sprint and Olympic Distances.

He is also a Certified Functional Strength Coach. His natural athleticism and passion for fitness led him to the opening of Rhythm Ryde.

Eve Dawes

Eve Dawes

Founder, Fitness by Eve

Eve is a founder of the healthy lifestyle community Fitness by Eve where her holistic approach promotes, educates and inspires people to lead a healthy, balanced lifestyle by providing free resources to feel and look good from the inside out.

As co-host of Faviana’s ‘Glam & Gowns’ YouTube Channel, she continues to share her knowledge of fitness, fashion, and beauty. A certified NASM and REPS Personal Trainer, Sports MassageTherapist, Yoga, Spin & Zumba instructor; her unique combination of active leadership, extensive volunteer work, philanthropy, and coaching skills, allows her to empower and help others to achieve their goals.

Eve has always acknowledged the benefits of not only eating organic, unprocessed produce but also using organic, chemical-free products which is why she founded her own all-natural, cruelty-free, custom cosmetics line ‘Dawes Custom Cosmetics’.

Courtney Donaldson

Courtney Donaldson

Creator, One Fit Mom Fitness

You can buy a set of dumbbells, a set of resistance bands and a set of fitness gear but there’s only one set you absolutely need and that’s MINDSET.

My way of approaching health and fitness is to work on your mindset as you’re working on getting healthier, losing weight or whatever your goal may be.

You must go into this journey with belief. You have to lose the black and white all or nothing mindset because this journey isn’t always going to be easy.

Just because you have a piece of cake doesn’t mean that it’s game over for you. Tomorrow is a new day. Enjoy the treat and move on.

Your mind is just like your muscles, once you strengthen it, you can achieve anything you want.

Despina Pavlou

Despina Pavlou

Founder, PCOS Oracle

Despina Pavlou, the founder of PCOS Oracle, is a blogger, personal trainer and PCOS cyster who understands the daily struggles women with PCOS go through.

She created the PCOS Oracle website to raise awareness about PCOS and to support women with PCOS so that they do not make the same mistakes she did when treating her PCOS.

Her website offers well-rounded information and advice for a healthy yet balanced lifestyle. Despina serves up information on fitness, nutrition, self-love, self-care and positivity on PCOS and Nutrition.

Despina believes health starts from the inside out and when looking to improve one’s health you must first look at what food you are putting inside your body.

She firmly believes in the power of food and often refers to the quote by Hippocrates “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Fitness is a huge part of Despina’s life and as a personal trainer, she believes in finding a workout you enjoy because exercise must be enjoyable, not a punishment.

As well as this and most importantly, since recovering from an eating disorder Despina advocates living a balanced lifestyle.

Following fad diets for weight loss is not healthy or sustainable and therefore she urges her clients and followers to nurture a lifestyle that is sustainable over the long term.

Katy Lush

Katy Lush

Movement Mentor | Founder, Lush Living

Renowned Pilates instructor Katy Lush has transformed her Chicago-based studio into a nationwide online platform to help restore health, vitality, and mobility to women (and men) with her virtual training options.

Her REboot program features a six week, step-by-step whole body approach that builds strength and flexibility.

In less than 30 minutes a day, one begins at a fundamental level and progresses every week, culminating with an advanced workout. With two videos per week, REboot will restore optimal functionality to the body with mindfulness, proper alignment, less pain, and better overall health.

Katy Lush designed this program to help anyone achieve awareness surrounding daily movements, refine their body alignment, expose blind spots, address pain points, overcome injury, and improve overall mobility and strength.

The videos are convenient for any time and from anywhere. Katy also offers personally curated private sessions via Skype.

Celeste Rains-Turk

Celeste Rain-Turks

Online Fitness Coach, Celestial.fit | Instagram

Celeste Rains-Turk is not just another fitspo, she is the #1 Best-Selling Self-Help Author of ‘Believe your way to Badass’, Host of the “Confessions of a Bikini Pro” Podcast, a National Public Speaker, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and Student of Psychology (2019 Graduate).

Her Instagram, blog and Facebook page all strive to help others build more than just a body by aligning self-love and fitness.

She has one of the most vulnerable accounts in the fitness, lifestyle, and personal development space. Most people say that her profile is so refreshing because it is full of real and raw posts.

As soon as you watch her stories, read her posts, or go through her blogs, her high vibes and desire to make a real impact shines brightly. She has always grown her following organically and truly loves her followers because she gets to develop a deeper connection to them.

Her content focuses on her 7 step system to build more than just a body which includes: self-love, mindset, behavior change modification planning, well-being development, confidence, nutrition, and fitness.

She believes that the more love someone has for themselves then the more love they can radiate out into the world and thus the more love they can receive.

She also holds firm on her realization that self-love is the answer to everything because when we love ourselves we are naturally inspired to move, fuel, think, and do the things that support us on our journey.

She has been featured in more than 30 podcasts, blogs, masterclasses, stages, and workshops. As a young, 22 year old who started her business at 18, she also inspires other people who are launching into their passion and soul’s purpose full-time.

She coaches bikini competitors through the post-show blues in her 8-week post show personal development program. And she works with women who battle with self-loathing behaviors to build and establish self-loving behaviors.

Her passion as an Online Fitness, Self-Love, Confidence, and Mindset Mentor is clearly displayed through the inner (and outer) transformation of her clients.

Julie Lohre is a pioneer in Online Personal Training for Women with an incredible background and experience base as an IFBB Fitness Pro, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist, American Ninja Warrior Contestant, and Fitness Magazine Cover Model / Contributor.

With over 15 years experience in the fitness industry, Julie is a leading authority on women’s health and fitness issues and has helped thousands of real women achieve the body of their dreams in a healthy and natural way.

Julie most often works directly with women who want to feel & look great at any age.

Christel Oerum

Christel Oerum

Certified Personal Trainer | Author, Fit With Diabetes

Diabetes Strong started as Christel Oerum’s personal blog as a fitness enthusiast living with type one diabetes, but quickly grew to become one of the largest health and fitness websites for people living will all types of diabetes.

Christel is recognized as one of the most influential coaches and fitness personalities in the diabetes community and the information on Diabetes Strong always takes a positive approach to diabetes and follows Christel’s motto that “There is nothing you can’t do with diabetes.”

Back Intelligence

Leon Turetsky

Leon Turetsky, Founder

Unlike regular fitness blogs the articles on this site are focused specifically on helping people ease their back pain and correct their postures.

There are also corrective exercises and stretches recommended by fitness professionals and chiropractors. As we tend to sit more and more these days, we need natural solutions to help us get out of pain, gain mobility and feel better. This site’s content provides just that.

Dr. Drew Schwartz DC

Drew Schwartz

Author, For the Wellness Blog

For The Wellness Blog is a dedicated resource for desk workers and Esport athletes to improve their lives in the areas of health, ergonomics, and overall mental performance.

Dr. Drew started For the Wellness blog for the majority of people who sit for a living and sit during entertainment as well (Video games, Netflix, watching sports, etc.). Can you believe that almost 86% of people sit for their job during the workday (according to a U.S. News study)?! When we get home from work we tend to sit (once again) on the couch and relax.

Sitting this much throughout the day causes a lot of problems that usually get swept aside and put on the back burner of life’s problems. This is the reason I started this blog. I hope this site can give you the information and resources you need to address these issues that are present in your life.

Brie Shelly, MS, LMHC, CRC, RYT

Brie Shelly

Wellness, Social Media, and Travel Coaching Blogger, Adventures with Wellness

Recently, after countless adventures of my own and with clients, I formally launched Adventures with Wellness (AWW): a wellness consulting and coaching service plus a wellness and travel-focused blog.

My mission is to inspire individuals to implement wellness into their daily life and explore wellness and travel opportunities around the world.

Each week on the Adventures with Wellness blog, I share new content on various topics, including wellness tips, travel guides, and relationship and career advice. I also share these ideas via Instagram and Pinterest.

Whether you are contemplating a life change, pondering ways to improve your wellness, or already in the midst of your next adventure, Adventures with Wellness is here to share wisdom and energize you during every step.

Gina Badalaty

Gina Badalaty

Blogger, Embracing Imperfect

Fitness is attainable at any age and is important to help empower women as they pursue careers, raise families, and age gracefully.

If you are constantly sick, feeling depressed for no reason, or struggle through the cycles of life (postpartum, menstruation, and menopause), then the quickest way to get back on your feet is to exercise.

Join me as I take you on my health journey. Although I’d managed my diet well and lived a fairly nontoxic life, menopause brought many challenges, from excess weight to adrenal fatigue.

I thought Crossfit would be impossible, but I discovered it actually helped me. My tummy weight fell off and my fatigue vanished! Within a short period of time, I grew a passion for fitness – something I’d never had before!

Today, I run faster, I’m developing a beautiful, strong body, and I’m building relationships at my gym, where we all encourage each other.

My kids are now interested for the first in fitness too! I now believe that it’s never too late to get started with health and fitness as long as you find the right fitness routine that works to boost your spirit and your interest.

My mind and body have never been stronger or healthier!

Next year, I’m hoping to do my first race, even though I know it will take time. I’m also hoping to add kickboxing and additional weight training courses to my routine.

Len Saunders

Len Saunders

Author | Motivational Speaker

Len has been a leader in the US in the field of children’s health and fitness for almost 40 years. His 9th book will be coming out in 2019 called Generation Exercise.

Len has been responsible for helping millions of children understand the benefits of daily exercise through his national initiatives.

For example, each May, he organizes Project ACES where millions of children all over the globe exercise simultaneously each May.

Len has been featured on national shows such as Good Morning America and FOX News. He has also written articles for major publications such as FOX News, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, and USA Today.

Len has been invited to the White House on several occasions as well. His accomplishments in the field of fitness are endless. His website can list all of this for you.

KJ Landis

KJ Landis

Author | Creator, Superior Self Series

KJ Landis is her own first experimental success. Six years ago she lost 50 pounds in 60 days. Then she was intent on keeping it off.

The research and experience led to coaching others towards their best selves, their Superior Selves.

KJ is a wellness author with 4 published books so far in the Superior Self series. She has a blog and video weekly for motivation, scientific data, and interesting but easily prepared foods.

KJ facilitates wellness workshops all over the SF Bay Area. She has a personal training certificate, she teaches Pilates and Spinning as well.

Anastasia Sharova

Anastasia Sharova

Author | Happily Globalized Blog

She blogs about “living” yoga while leading active modern life.

It explores how to live consciously, unleash your personal potential and how to stay healthy in your body and mind. She also uses her blog to share first-hand experiences of other yoga practitioners with studying yoga and meditation in its birthplace, India.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

As you found this post useful...

Share it on social media!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?