Han Chunqing works out in a gym in this undated photo. (Photo provided by Han Chunqing)
Two years ago, Han Chunjing was an amateur chef, parading her attempts at China's world-renowned cuisine on social media.
Today, Han, 45, the founder of a Tianjin non-government organization, is one of the growing number of fitness enthusiasts posting gym selfies to show off her sweating physique.
Since September 2014, she has worked out four to six hours a week, and focused on training programs including crossfit and cardio sessions. She has lost 10 kg, firmed her abs, and, more importantly, "regained a young woman's shape and confidence".
She is one of the millions of Chinese who have taken up the Western habit of boasting their beautiful butts, six packs and well-honed musculature through anaerobic or aerobic exercises.
Some say the trend is driven by the increasingly ripped stars in Hollywood blockbusters and spread on social media.
Pictures of running tracks, steps, and amazing handstands are sweeping microblog Weibo and Twitter-like WeChat. Registration for some marathons is harder than buying a train ticket for the Spring Festival. Web users never tire of discussing body fat percentages and diet plans. Celebrities' posts of their gym pictures always attract hits and fans.
But Han says her passion came from her own awakening: "Keeping fit means a better life."
Fitness classes, books and sportswear have cost her more than 30,000 yuan over two years: "It's not a small amount, but it's better than spending it on hospital bills, isn't it?"
When she was young in the 1980s, most people had no awareness of physical fitness, believing the traditional saying that "Health depends on food rather than feet."
