The 10 most influential fitness stars in the world, according to Forbes

Joe Wicks (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

Forbes on Wednesday released a list of the 30 top social media influencers in the world, further proving the power of Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook in building a business empire.

Along with influencer analytics firm Traackr and social insight platform Captiv8, the company measured the reach, audience size, resonance, relevance, and engagement of a number of internet-born English speaking influencers in three categories: Beauty, Fitness, and Home.

Forbes then considered each influencer's potential for earnings per post, depending on the size of their following, their endorsement deals, and other business like product lines and book deals, to come up with the Top Influencers list, due to be published quarterly.

While the top 30 have a combined 250 million social media followers, those in the fitness industry are particularly impressive.

Scroll down to see the 10 most influential fitness stars in the world, ranked in ascending order, according to Forbes.

10. Rachel Brathan, 28.

Lives in: Oranjestad, Aruba

Instagram name: @yoga_girl

Number of Instagram followers: 2.1 million

Swedish-born yogi mum Rachel Brathan became a social media star by accident when she started travelling in 2013.

She now charges a minimum of $25,000 per Instagram post, has a New York Times bestselling book, as well as a popular podcast."I realized I could sell out classes anywhere I was in the world just through Instagram," she told Forbes.

9. Natalie Jill, 45.

Lives in: San Diego, California

Instagram name: @nataliejillfit

Number of Instagram followers: 514,000

Forty-five-year-old Natalie Jill started taking photos of her food during a struggle to lose post-pregnancy weight, and eventually developed a successful brand with a growing Facebook following. She now has e-books, DVDs, an app, a bestselling book, and runs video tutorials.

8. Lyzabeth Lopez, 36.

Lives in: Toronto, Canada

Instagram name: @lyzabethlopez

Number of Instagram followers: 2 million

Canadian-born Lopez is known for her "Hourglass Workout," which kicked off her business through Facebook a decade ago. While she now runs a successful gym franchise and an online training program, she told Forbes that she tries to remain authentic. "I turn down six-figure social media campaigns on a very regular basis due to not believing in the products," she said.

7. Simeon Panda, 30.

Lives in: London, UK

Instagram name: @simeonpanda

Number of Instagram followers: 3 million

Although he now has a sportswear line, a gym accessories brand, e-books, and a combined eight million followers on Instagram and Facebook — with a single video hitting over 600,000 views — Panda didn't start blogging until 2013, giving us all hope that it's not too late.

6. Cassey Ho, 30.

Lives in: Los Angeles, USA

Instagram name: @blogilates

Number of Instagram followers: 1.3 million

Cassey Ho's success includes the books, DVDs, a line of working clothing and accessories, and a YouTube channel, which she launched in 2009. Ho, 30, told Forbes that she originally posted her pilates workouts for her students to watch, though they became popular amongst a much wider audience.

5. Joe Wicks, 31.

Lives in: Kingston, UK

Instagram name: @thebodycoach

Number of Instagram followers: 1.8 million

Social media star Joe Wicks, or "The Body Coach" as he is known to his followers, has built a fitness empire on showing people how to get "Lean in 15." He started out on Twitter, according to Forbes, and now has an audience of five million, spending "every waking hour" working on his brand.

His concept is based on HIIT workouts and 15-minute recipes, which he shares through quick and snappy Instagram videos and cookbooks, which are tasty and easy to put together, yet part of a diet plan that he credits for his own fit lifestyle.

4. Michelle Lewin, 31.

Frazer Harrison / Getty

Lives in: Miami Beach, Florida

Instagram name: @michelle_lewin

Number of Instagram followers: 10.3 million

Venezuela-born bodybuilder Michelle Lewis earns as much as $10,000 per Instagram post, according to Forbes. She has partnerships with a number of brands, but with 14 million followers across her accounts, a line of supplements, and a range of workout equipment, her time is limited.

"I am too busy with my own brands, and I have just started," she told Forbes.

3. Emily Skye, 32.

Lives in: Gold Coast, Australia

Instagram name: @emilyskyefit

Number of Instagram followers: 2 million

Now the brains behind a successful online workout program, an app, video tutorials, a makeup line, and an upcoming sneaker collaboration with Reebok, Skye told Forbes that her social media following kicked off in 2011.

"I had a Blogspot page where I shared my meals and workouts and my experience competing in fitness competitions," she said.

2. Jennifer Selter, 23.

Lives in: New York City

Instagram name: @jenselter.

Number of Instagram followers: 11 million

Originally working the front desk at a gym, Selter now runs seven Instagram accounts, including her successful personal @jenselter, @couplegoals, and @thatbikini, and is about to launch a line of workout gear.

1. Kayla Itsines, 25.

Lives in: Adelaide, Australia

Instagram name: @kayla_itsines

Number of Instagram followers: 6.7 million

At only 25, Itsines is the most influential fitness star in the world, selling out stadium tours in an hour. According to Forbes. Her "Sweat With Kayla" app generated $17 million in revenue last year, according to App Annie.

• This is why modern marriage is so hard/a>
• 11 surprising things that your physical appearance says about you
• The 8 worst mistakes you can make in an email — and how to fix them

Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.