Dana Bradley was crowned Mrs. Alabama International after pushing herself to experience a health transformation.
According to WAAY-TV 31 News, the 46-year-old mother lost 154 pounds in just four years after her doctor gave her a wake-up call.
She noted that in 2020, her doctor told her that she could leave her children motherless at the rate she was going.
Bradley said, “My mom passed away when I was 14 because she neglected her health, and I knew I had to do better and take care of mine because I want to see my kids grow up.”
This gave her the motivation she needed to seek a better way.
She noted, “People think, ‘Oh, I’m going to start tomorrow. I’m going to start next week,’ or people have a bad meal, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I just screwed up my whole day.’”
“I’m like, ‘get back on track. You know there’s no reason to be on a hamster wheel,’” she added.
Now, she gets up and exercises at 4:45 each morning before her children wake up. Running is her favorite way to stay healthy. She runs six miles every day.
But she also noted that she didn’t just start out running right away. She said that the key to living a healthy lifestyle long-term is by taking “small steps.”
Bradley also noted, “It’s not impossible. You have to shift your mindset into knowing that you can do this.”
Because of her ability to change her life, she is now working to become a certified personal trainer in the hopes that she can help others reclaim their health.
She also admitted in her pageant profile that pasta is her weakness and that her running gear is her most important clothing, displaying that no one is perfect, but everyone can choose to take control of their health.
Her Instagram account is full of encouragement for others. She posted last week, “Encouraging others begins with them being able to see things are possible.”
“When you live healthy on the inside the outside shines. Living it, not just saying it day in and day out,” she added.
Then she concluded, “In my case, showing them that nothing stands in my way even if there are obstacles. I hope to inspire them that anything is possible.”