The Swiss fitness blogger working up a sweat in Turkey

It was love that first brought Doris Hofer to Turkey, where she then became one of the country’s leading fitness bloggers. The current political situation however, has her evaluating her options.  An intimate portrait by Swiss public television, SRF, of a local online rising star. (SRF/swissinfo.ch)

Doris Hofer is 41 years old and for the last 12 years has been a resident of Istanbul. A leading nutrition and fitness book author and blogger, she has an estimated quarter of a million people every day following her lead through her apps and social media pages. Online she is known as ‘SquatGirl’, motivating people to lead a healthier lifestyle through exercise and by improving their eating habits. 

Hofer came to the country after marrying a Turkish businessman. She learned Turkish and studied to become a personal trainer. After her divorce, she started to blog, an activity that she has continued for the last three and a half years, and that has brought increased recognition, alongside advertising and sponsorship deals. Nevertheless, she looks at the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with increased apprehension as she doesn’t know if the country’s future will be as open to her endeavours.

In the series ‘Swiss Pioneers’, Swiss Public Television, SRF, meets Swiss nationals at home and abroad who have made a name for themselves in their area of expertise.