Here's Why You NEED To Be Following Octavia Spencer's Fitness Journey On Instagram

There are very, very few things all people can agree on, but I am going to attempt to name three: Cake is a perfect dessert, stars in the night sky are beautiful, and Octavia Spencer is awesome. No one will fight me on this. Adding to the fact that she can steal the screen in literally every film she's in, Octavia Spencer's fitness journey on Instagram is the stuff of legend. Legend, people. I implore you to log on and follow, like, yesterday, if you haven't already — especially if you could use some inspiration in your own workout routine.

Personally, nothing makes me want to exercise less than seeing Instagram post after Instagram post of people who look mysteriously perky, manicured, and well-put-together for what should be a sweaty, challenging workout. In fact, seeing photos like that on my social media feed kind of just makes me want to crawl into bed and never go to the gym again.

But when it comes to Octavia Spencer's fitness posts on Instagram, the 46-year-old actress keeps it 100 percent real. Whether she's doing 30-second planks or a round of strength training, Spencer is always candid and honest about what it really feels like to commit to a regular workout routine.

So, let's start with the fact that Spencer recently worked out with Mark Wahlberg, as well as Wahlberg's trainer Brian Nguyen, at 4 freaking a.m. How is that even possible?!

Now, while waking up for a 4 a.m. workout isn't something I think I could ever personally do — like, ever — I'm in awe of the fact that Spencer has done this (and, from the looks of her Instagram, she's done it multiple times). And if Octavia Spencer can make a habit out of 4 a.m. workouts — with a genuine smile on her face, no less — I can certainly get my lazy butt to make it to yoga class on Saturdays, right?

As SELF reports, and as Spencer's Instagram posts show, the actress' workouts include low-impact cardio, ball slams, boxing, planks, leg presses, step-ups, yoga, and more. Spencer does her thing at home and at the gym, with the help of her trainer Jeanette Jenkins.

What's even better about Spencer's fitness journey is that, even though she seems pretty committed to a regular workout routine overall, she's still, by no means, above expressing the notion that, sometimes, working out is just plain hard, and it's not always fun.

For instance, in an Instagram video she posted on Sept. 20, you can hear the person behind the camera tell Spencer that she looks great — and then the actress hilariously responds, "I don't feel great!"

Another awesome thing that Spencer illustrates in her fitness posts — like this one from Sept. 14, where you can watch her surpass a new goal for holding a plank, even after her trainer tells her she can stop — is that, even though she clearly pushes herself to her own personal limits, she still makes sure to incrementally go at her own pace. When you look at or watch some of her posts, you can tell Spencer isn't just listening to her trainer; she's also listening to her own body, and she's not letting herself off easy when she knows deep down that she can continue going, even if just for a little bit longer.

It's an admirable quality, and if I had to guess, it probably has something to do with why Spencer is so accomplished and successful outside of the gym as well.

One of my personal favorite fitness posts from Spencer is a video of her foam-rolling — which is a type of training you can do to improve connective muscle tissue in the body and ease certain forms of pain — from earlier this week. It's not so much the video itself, but rather what she wrote in the caption of the post that made me LOL so much. Spencer said,

On this #sunYayFunday I am foam rolling and strolling slowly because we all understand unexpected guests. My long lost love Mr. sciatica is here and is a pain in my ass. But keeping it moving is what the doctor ordered to #performInspired. Tag me and tell me what is ailing you. #begoodtoyourself

Here's to hoping a little of Spencer's inspiring commitment to fitness can rub off on you and me both, and that one day, we, too, can get up at 4 a.m. to work out with her and Marky Mark. Hey, a girl can dream, right?