Brady Cote

@brady.cote

In today’s day and age, most college students would agree that social media is a large part of their lives. It serves a purpose on multiple levels and can be used for advertisement, socialization or as a way to stay informed.

It is easy to see that the list goes on and on, however, a specific portion of social media that some may overlook is the influential aspect. Social media is an inclusive platform, meaning that anyone has the power to be inspirational.

Luke Whitehouse, a first-year student on campus, took the initiative to create his own fitness account on Instagram. Whitehouse stated that he is no stranger to working out and staying fit, as he has been lifting since high school.

“I’ve done all sorts of fitness, “ said Whitehouse. “I started working out freshman year to get better at football and then transitioned into learning about different types of fitness such as bodybuilding, strength training and Crossfit.”

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Whitehouse credits the success in his journey to all that Crossfit has taught him, for it has been a pivotal part of his involvement in fitness. 

“Crossfit is the combination of all sorts of training, including gymnastics, strength training, Olympic lifting, cardio, swimming and biking,” said Whitehouse. “It’s just a competitive atmosphere that I really fell in love with.”

With all of the workout videos showing gradual progress of his training, Whitehouse created his fitness page on Instagram under @lukesworkouts_. 

Instagram became a place where Whitehouse was able to share his progress and become a resource for others that workout, or inspire those who are new to fitness. 

“I figured I would create a page where I can answer certain questions or throw 4-6 week programs out that I tried or will be trying,” Whitehouse stated. “I want to influence people I know and people in my community that I do not directly know and put knowledge out showing my progress, as well as open up for critique from those watching my videos.”

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Although Crossfit played a major role in Whitehouse’s involvement in fitness, his father Mike Whitehouse continues to be a daily motivator. Mike has been helping him stay focused and on track, as he too works out daily.

“My dad is really important to what I do because he inspires me to exercise, try new things, and get into Crossfit,” said Whitehouse. “Among other things, he helped me use social media to my advantage and make a page, but also look at other people and learn things from their fitness pages.”

Although Whitehouse is new to posting workout videos and fitness content on his page, his goal is to be a role model for those who are new to fitness or for those who simply seek motivation to keep going. Being a person that is open to communication was something he did not want to lose sight of.

“My intentions are to inspire the next generation of athletes where I’m from to workout and exercise and also show that they have someone to reach out to if they have any questions,” said Whitehouse. “I want to inspire my community and get more people to exercise.”

With social media being so large and impactful to people, it allows those who create content be able to have a place they can share their personal goals, achievements and progress in fitness. Any person has the opportunity to inspire others, it is all about taking the initiative to do so.

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Photo: Luke Whitehouse Instagram