Andrea’s struggle with her health and fitness started in university when, despite having been active as a teenager, she began to settle into a sedentary lifestyle. She gradually gained weight; in fact, it happened so slowly that it wasn’t until the scale read 200 lbs. that she realized how her lifestyle had affected her health.

In 2014, Andrea became motivated to make a change for the better. She took it upon herself to become more active in the hopes of losing some of the weight. Her best efforts paid off and she started to see small changes in her physique, eventually losing 40 lbs! But despite losing all that weight, her energy levels remained low.

What she didn’t know at the time is that she was stuck in an endless cycle of high cardio / low calories, leaving her body depleted and exhausted. No one can maintain such a gruelling regimen and, inevitably, after a couple of years she found her weight creeping back up again.

By 2018, she’d had enough of the rollercoaster ride. Deep down she knew there had to be a better way to lose weight and keep it off. So she connected with me and Team Strong Girls and immediately started smashing the huge goals she’d set for herself.

As we worked together, she finally found a balanced lifestyle that allowed her to live her best life at her goal weight. Andrea says, “Jenny has taught me how to use my time in the gym effectively, that lifting weights doesn’t make you manly, and she has helped me tremendously with my nutrition and relationship with food.”

In total, Andrea has lost over 60 lbs! But best of all, thanks to her experience with us at Team Strong Girls, her entire perspective has shifted.

She says, “I discovered that I don’t have to be – and that I’m not – ‘the fat girl.’ It takes a long time to shake that mentality. But the awesome SG fam (and coaches) have helped me re-orient my view. I also discovered that I have abs – what an amazing day that was when they popped the first time. And that I’ve built some mean guns. I love finding out that it’s not too late to build an awesome body. I think it’s safe to say I’m going to look better at 40 than I did at 30. How awesome is that?”

Andrea’s future is so bright and she’s always setting new goals. At the top of her list: more photoshoots! Her first professional fitness shoot gave her a boost of confidence and allowed her to see herself through a new lens. I’m so proud of Andrea – she’s an inspiration to all of us!

Stay STRONG,

Coach JVB