The Instagram diaries - PHOTO+VIDEO

With her toned body on show, the account of Sydney's Amanda Bisk is littered with photos of her doing yoga poses - only rivalled by contortionists - in precarious places or in front of striking back drops.Hard work goes into keeping a body like Bisk's in such good shape, but the former athlete has had to work harder than most to hold onto her fitness.Just three years ago - at the peak of her career - Bisk was diagnosed with chronic fatigue which meant she could never fulfill her dream of competing at the Olympics. At the time she had just returned from representing Australia at the Delhi Commonwealth Games and was working towards the London Olympics.Instead Bisk had to walk away to focus on recovering.'I was turning to Instagram to look up a bit of yoga because I was getting into it a lot more and it was the only thing I could do,' she told the Wentworth Courier.'It was really a hub of sharing information, learning a little bit and getting inspiration as well.'Bisk was signed up to the popular photo sharing app two years ago by her friends and as her abilities improved her photos got more interesting, growing her popularity.At first she was nervous about putting photos of her working out on Instagram, but her boyfriend encouraged her to share her experience.Bisk now has more than 98,000 followers who have photos of her holding poses on Bondi Beach and nearby areas popping up on their feed.Her photos - and their focus on health and fitness - have attracted the attention of fitness-wear label Sport Le Moda. She was named its new ambassador.Bisk is also the founder of an online global community with a focus on health, well-being and fitness called Bodysquad.With her popularity growing on the social media app, the exercise physiologist made the move to Paddington, in Sydney's inner city, from the Western Australian capital of Perth three months ago.Bisk said her 'little fit fam' - what she refers to her followers as - were just as inspiring to her as she was to them, and had given her some life-changing opportunities. She said they inspired her to keep on going.To create a healthier lifestyle, Bisk said persistence was key.'Whenever you do start something new it doesn’t work straight away. Start with small steps,' she said.'Even if you do go downhill and go off track, every single positive effort is going to build up.'(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.az