Brawn this way - Fitspo: The buff sister of thinspo

Hannah Bronfman is a New York DJ whose Instagram is populated with her workouts - at gym, in Pilates or a Beyoncé dance class. She is my fitspiration.

Known as ''fitspo", fitspiration is an online term for anything meant to inspire fitness and health, usually pictures of people working out. Search ''fitspo" on Instagram and 7million results pop up. Countless Pinterest boards are dedicated to it and there are Tumblr blogs with names like ''Put the Cookies Down" and ''Let's Get Skinny".

Fitspo can serve as motivation: few things push you more than someone egging you on, even if it is just a picture with a few words written across it.

Nondumiso Msikinya, who works in retail, agrees. ''The pictures get me amped about looking good: not thin but healthy and firm. [Fitspo helps me] stick to my regime for a month or two. Exercise feels good but once the buzz is gone, all that's left is commitment. I find excuses to stop, like sweat makes my roots all nappy [soggy]."

But fitspo can become dangerous. It is thinspo in a sports bra, as one meme states. Thinspo refers to blogs and pictures dedicated to thinness, usually championing eating disorders as a necessity.

Social networks have gone out of their way to kill thinspo: the hashtag is unsearchable on Instagram, and pro-Ana (anorexia) pages and websites have all but disappeared from the web.

Now we have fitspo: but there's a fine line between motivation and body shaming.

While thinspo's ethos is the infamous Kate Moss quote, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels", fitspo says, "Nothing tastes as good as being fit feels". It wants you to believe "strong is the new skinny".

The Telegraph writes: "'Strong' is no better than 'skinny' because strong is still one body shape. Long torso, large breasts, womanly hips, a thigh gap.

"Thinspo, although repulsive, is honest about its agenda. Your body is your enemy, fat is filthy, bones are beautiful, starve yourself to succeed. Fitspo is the greater liar because the motivating slogans accompanying such images imply that all you have to do is work harder, and a completely different body can be yours."

Images on fitspo posters are usually of thin white women with rock-hard abs and big breasts - Victoria's Secret model types. Unattainable for most women.

But it is not just the objectification of the female body that is worrying. For every "you can do it" message there are five telling you how lazy and unattractive you are.

"Working out sucks, but having a muffin top sucks more" and "Be the girl you were too lazy to be yesterday" are slogans boldly splashed across fitspo images.

As website The Stir writes: "Their 'empowering' words are actually custom-designed to remind you that you're not good enough."

Some images even use much-loved meme poster boy Ryan Gosling, displaying messages such as "Every time you eat bread, Ryan is sad" and "Come on, ladies, work that ass" next to the actor's face.

The underlying message on many of these images is: food is bad; blood, sweat and tears are good. As one poster declares: "If you still look cute at the end of your workout, you didn't train hard enough".

Msikinya chooses to ignore the degrading fitspo messages. "I'm more interested in the downloadable at home fitness routines and five-minute workouts."

The Libero Network, a self-described "non-profit online magazine offering resources and support to those recovering from eating disorders", has been running a #StopFitspiration campaign. Founder Lauren Bersaglio says: "Don't work out so you can love your body; work out because you love your body."

Fitspo should make you feel good enough to want to exercise, not guilt you into treating your body like it's a machine that belongs only on the treadmill. Feel inspired, not ashamed.