Lifestyle: Top 10 People To Follow On Social Media

If you’re interested in learning more about health and fitness you’ll more often than not look to the internet to provide the information you’re after. However, we’ve all read articles online that say one thing and then five minutes later found another that says the total opposite. Figuring out who to trust and what information is relevant to you is not always easy. Today I’d like to share with you a few of the resources I use. More specifically, the people who I feel are particularly good at presenting information, whether it be focussing mainly on training, food, supplements or lifestyle hacks. These people may not tell you that something is gospel truth, but will give insightful thoughts behind their reasoning and use science and the latest research to back up arguments.

1. Ben Greenfield

I heard of Ben Greenfield a couple of years ago when I stumbled across his podcast on Apple iTunes. I guess his was one of the first fitness podcasts that I started listening to and, to be honest, I haven’t stopped following his work since. Ben’s an accomplished triathlete but also incredibly knowledgeable on all things health and fitness. I listen to the Ben Greenfield Fitness podcast almost every day on my frequent drives to and from the gym and find his Q&A shows really insightful.

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2. Joe Wicks

Surely now everyone in the UK has come across The Body Coach. Joe Wicks is the definition of an internet sensation having recently blown Delia Smith’s record cookbook sales out of the water with his first book ‘Lean in 15’. Joe seems to appeal to a wide audience and is really good on camera with his cheeky cockney accent, simple but effective HIIT workouts and super-fast recipes on his Instagram. While I haven’t seen/heard him go too deep into the nitty gritty science, Joe is definitely someone to help keep you motivated and give you an idea or two. 

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3. Ido Portal

I very rarely listen to this man speak. That’s not because he doesn’t speak, or in fact because I disagree with what he has to say. I don’t go out of my way to watch his interviews or read his articles because I get everything that I need merely by watching him move. Ido Portal is a master of movement. His strength and balance is for all to see in what I can only describe as his ‘freestyle gymnastics’. Check him out on YouTube. 

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4. Laurent Bannock

Unlike most of the people on this list, Laurent Bannock is British. Laurent heads up the team at Guru Performance and is the program leader for MSc Sport and Nutrition at Middlesex University. He works mainly with athletes and from what I can tell has been very successful in optimising their nutrition to ultimately enhance performance.

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5. Dave Asprey

Dave Asprey is a multimillionaire who, over the years, has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on upgrading his health. Dave is what you would call a ‘biohacker’. This is someone who looks for ways to optimise their biology by manipulating countless variables within the realms of exercise, nutrition, supplementation, spirituality etc. Formerly weighing 300lbs, Dave has researched seemingly every way to improve his brain function, body composition and just about every aspect of his well-being. Want to be like Dave? Give his podcast, Bulletproof Radio a listen.

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6. Vani Hari

Vani Hari calls herself The Food Babe. It’s kind of a shame that she feels that she has to market herself as a ‘babe’ in any sense to spread her message of healthy eating but that’s a topic for another day. Vani Hari is very well followed on social media and puts out some interesting content. As a prominent activist, Hari has recently campaigned to force Subway to stop using certain chemicals in their bread and for Starbucks to have more transparency with the ingredients of their seasonal drinks. She comes up against a lot of opposition but an interesting person to follow.

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7. Dr. Mark Hyman

Dr. Hyman is a physician and New York Times best-selling author. I often watch his YouTube videos which he refers to as his ‘daily house calls’ and get a lot from them. Like many of the big names in the industry at the moment, Hyman is a big believer in including fats in the diet – something he’s based his new book ‘Eat Fat, Get Thin’ on. If you’re looking for someone to help you simplify the science, this is the guy for you.

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8. Charles Poliquin

Charles Poliquin is undeniably one the world’s most successful and well known strength and conditioning coaches. Boasting over 180 Olympic medals amongst his clients, Poliquin works with the world’s elite, using his wealth of knowledge to give his athletes the edge they need to succeed. He seems to have the ability to do things that other coaches can’t. Well worth following online for his educated insights.

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9. Bret Contreras

Bret Contreras is often affectionately referred to as The Glute Guy. A certified strength and conditioning coach, Bret is particularly interested in a group of muscles called the gluteals (the butt). He argues that training the glutes via big, compound movements such as the deadlift, squat and his own creation called the hip thrust, is vital for the production of power and enhanced sporting performance. Together with Chris Beardsley from Strength and Conditioning Research, the pair have done a lot to promote the use of hip hinge movements and continue to provide myself with evidence based research on how to train more effectively. A smart guy who makes the science really interesting.

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10. Dr. Joseph Mercola

If you’re looking for a catch-all health website with hundreds of archived articles and interviews on subjects as far reaching as mega dose Vit C therapy, infra-red saunas, standing workstations, artificial sweeteners and water fluoridation, mercola.com should definitely be in your Favourites. Dr. Mercola is a world renowned physician and health activist. He is highly respected and his online resources provide a fantastic base to broaden your knowledge.

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Here they are, my top ten people to follow on Social Media. Who do you recommend? 

Please note: I do not own the copyright to the images placed in this post and don't claim to do so. The images have been taken from several sources which have been linked in.