Linda appears in an 2016 Adidas Women‘s promotional video. (Adidas)

Before earning her name Wannabe Linda, the body stylist, and being tapped by Adidas Women as its ambassador last year, Linda was just a regular office worker whose life was swamped with daily stress and burdens. And just like any other women in her mid- 20s, Linda started working out in a small fitness center with the goal of losing weight and most importantly, looking pretty and slim like K-pop idol stars.

Nine years later, more than 271,000 Instagram users are now following the fitness icon’s Instagram page not only to look at the glamorous photos of her physique, but also to gain an insight into her lifestyle and self-created workout routines.

In order to communicate with those who share her interests, Linda has been holding workout sessions at her own studio called “Wannabe Linda Studio” in Seoul for about a year and a half. In January last year, Linda became one of the faces for Adidas Women, promoting and attending the brand’s events as its ambassador. She also has a partnership with Cosmopolitan magazine where she features as a body mentor.

“About 10 years ago, there was a time I lost about 20 kilograms to become slim. I thought I had an ideal body shape, but one day I saw my backbone sticking out in the mirror and thought there was something wrong about it. That’s how I started working out,” said Linda during a recent interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul.

“But I had never thought that exercising would become a real job. After several years of working out, I found it very interesting and finally made the decision to quit my job. It was the biggest and boldest decision I’ve ever made in my life,” she added.

Linda (Wannabe Linda Studio)

Linda confessed that dedicating herself to strict diet plans was one of the hardest things before she left her job, especially because she couldn’t enjoy her social life. Since she had to refrain from fats and alcohol, Linda started to avoid meeting people and co-workers. Some people, including her friends, accused her of being too rigid with her decisions.

“But as I began to make progress in my exercise career, those who used to talk behind my back came over to me and asked for my advice on working out. That was the time I felt proud of myself for not giving up on my dream,” Linda said.

“I just followed my heart. Some people still tell me that I looked prettier before I started working out. But I tan my skin dark and grow muscles, because that’s what I want.”

She initially made her name known through Instagram, but Linda said she wanted to have more real-life interactions with people and share her knowledge and experience with others. Believing self-improvement is at the core of happiness, the 34-year-old body trainer has been visiting the United States each year to broaden her perspective in fitness and learn new workout routines.

Linda poses with attendees of her workout class at her studio in July. (Wannabe Linda‘s website)

From September to October last year, Linda flew to Los Angeles and New York City to launch her workout sessions, where she exercised with US-based fitness enthusiasts and made unforgettable memories. Each time she visits those two cities, she usually spends time taking workout classes from different trainers, visiting different gyms and inspecting the lifestyles of the locals there.

Just like each city has its own vibes and attractions, people’s lifestyles in the US and Korea were different from each other as well, according to Linda.

“I think the idea of fitness in Korea has been growing to the fact that its ultimate goal lies in improvement in appearance. On the other hand, for people in the US, working out is part of their daily lives.

Many of them exercise just to have healthier lives,” she said. She added that one of her goals was to change the stereotypes that women work out mainly to look better for others.

Linda herself too, doesn’t focus on having a perfect body anymore. Instead, she hopes to keep studying to become a positive influence on people who consider Linda as their “wannabe.”

Due to Linda’s positive personality and strong dedication to a healthy lifestyle, Linda’s studio has been seeing a growing number of people who visit her not just to exercise, but also to change their perspective. Aside from giving workout lessons at her studio, Linda said she has been studying various workouts and focusing on how to create better routines for her classes.

“Actually, I’ve received many requests from broadcasting stations to feature in their programs, but I rejected them because I don’t plan to be a star trainer who talks on TV shows. For now, I just want to keep studying fitness and help people take care of their bodies,” Linda said.

“I’m not a planner. But one day, I may plan on writing a book about fitness, only if I become professional enough to share my knowledge,” she added.

By Hong Dam-young (lotus@heraldcorp.com)