By Rebecca Drew
MEET the woman who had a wakeup call and shed almost five-and-a-half-stone in 18-months after her doctor fat shamed her.
Personal trainer and health coach, Brenna Alexander (34) from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA said that she was never happy with the way that she looked and never felt comfortable in her clothes, preferring to wear baggy clothing to cover up.
At her heaviest, Brenna weighed 17st 12lbs, she rarely exercised and enjoyed eating out regularly. Now at a super slim 12st 5lbs, Brenna enjoys healthy homecooked meals and only eats out occasionally.
It wasn’t until a routine doctor’s appointment when Brenna discovered that she had borderline high blood pressure and cholesterol that she decided to change her life.
“The doctor bluntly told me that I was overweight and hearing it this way was the moment I knew I needed to make a real lifestyle change,” said Brenna.
“Deep down I knew I wasn’t happy with the way I looked and how I felt in my clothes.
“I used to be shy and introverted because of how I felt and looked.”
Brenna says that losing weight has helped her get her life back after going from a UK size 26 to a UK size 10.
“Since gaining control back from food and having exercise be a part of my daily life, I feel vibrant and energetic, I’m much more outgoing which is how I feel on the inside,” she explained.
“I have a newfound love for my body, my curves, my stretch marks and imperfections.
“I’ve realized that our bodies change, we fluctuate. We are not perfect, we are human.
“I have maintained a healthy weight for over ten years now and I’ve seen my body weight go up and down but the internal shift that was made has helped me love myself along this entire journey.”
Brenna does strength training and cardio five times a week and says that the hardest part of her weight loss journey was keeping it up. Her advice to anyone who wants to shed the pounds is to start by setting small goals.
“The hardest part is staying consistent, it’s easy to jumpstart and get a week or two in but it’s keeping it going past that where the real magic happens,” she said.
“I recommend setting small achievable goals. Things you can actually physically control like, “I will work out three days this week”, as that is something you can control.
“I advise to not set goals like, “I will lose two-pounds this week” because truly this isn’t in your control, our bodies are incredible yet have a mind of their own and this type of goal setting is likely to cause frustration and feelings of discouragement if not reached.
“I also host a fitness and meal plan programme every month on my website, www.brennaalex.com, I created this program because of the overwhelming response for help that came flooding in once my photos went viral on Instagram.
“I’ve been able to help thousands of women across the world gain confidence, feel a sense of accomplishment, conquer their fear or anxiety of strength training and lose weight.”
For more information see www.brennaalex.com
