Through his childhood, 48-year-old Rich Bracken labeled himself as the “husky kid.” He found football in high school, and the sport allowed him to tie his weight to his identity—”I was supposed to be big,” he says. Once he quit, he was sick of not feeling good about himself, and underwent a transformation. In over a year and a half, he dropped 110 pounds—and has kept it off for over 26 years. Now, he’s a public speaker who focuses on inspiring his audiences to accomplish whatever it is they set out to do, using his journey as example. Here, he explains the small changes he made to do it.

MY JOURNEY WITH my weight really started in 3rd grade. I was a busy, active kid up until that point. Then, my doctor diagnosed me with exercise induced asthma. Being an only child, my parents were protective, and I spent a lot more time inside.

I went from being very active to being very sedentary. It wasn’t just the lack of activity. My parents were feeding me whatever food I wanted to eat, too. I love my parents so much, but they didn’t know a thing about nutrition. So, I ballooned in the 4th grade. I became the husky kid. I got bullied relentlessly, and like most things, it became worse in middle school.

The only thing that really saved me was the fact that one of my friends pulled me into football. So, I tied my weight to my identity as a football player. I was supposed to be big. I played all through high school and went on to play one year of college. After stopping, I didn’t change my eating habits. I didn’t know how to be healthy. I wanted to lose weight, but I don’t even know where to start.

What I did know was that I wanted this to be a lifestyle thing. I wanted to really learn, and apply good habits to my life. I wanted to gradually lose the weight so it would last. I was raised with very little education on proper nutrition habits. I knew how to exercise, for the most part, from my days playing football. With nutrition, I had to ask a lot of questions.

I was taking a health class at the time, and decided to have my health professor look at my diet. He immediately said, “we really need to make some changes.” He taught me a few things about nutrition to get started. I started subscribing to Men’s Health and it really taught me how to how to work out differently, how to think about food differently, how to think about my body differently.

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Over the following year and a half, I dropped over a hundred pounds. At my heaviest, I was 260, and I slimmed to 151. I’ve kept it off for over 26 years. Here’s what I learned on my journey that helped me get to the weight I wanted and keep it there:

Keep It Interesting

THERE’S NOT ONE right way to do things. A lot of people think they need to run, or do some other kind of miserable exercise to lose weight.

I’m not ashamed to admit this: I started losing weight by doing two things. One, the MTV Grind videos. And two, the Billy Blanks Tae Bo videos. Once I felt healthier, and I could get through an entire Tae Bo workout, I thought, I can probably run a mile. From there I got into running, biking, and even mountain biking. I’ve had stints with the elliptical machine, rowing, and yoga. I’ve done Jazzercise without shame. Now I’m a big Peloton fan. I use the app and the bike all the time. I just took my 700th ride the other day.

It was so important for me to change things up and doing things differently. It helped me from my routine feeling stagnant or stale. It’s really about evolving what feels good as you progress in your fitness, and as you age.

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Watch Portions

PORTION CONTROL WAS not a concept I was aware of when I started my journey. At one point, my health coach said, “we probably shouldn’t eat an entire pizza by ourselves. It’s not a good idea for weight loss.” That was a real wake up call for me.

I learned that I can still eat very flavorful, and sometimes indulgent foods, as long as I’m not eating all of it or multiple servings at a time. To learn that, it took visualization. I needed a physical picture of a serving size to really instill that in me.

I also found that staying present to enjoy food, and stopping when it’s no longer satisfying, was very helpful. The first few scoops of peanut butter are always the best right? The faster you eat it, and the more of it you get, the less present you become to enjoy it. I learned to pace my eating to really enjoy food. I’m still not perfect at that, and eat faster then I probably should still, but it helps when I take a second to stop and enjoy when starting a meal.

Phase Out the Fad Diets

THERE ARE SO many ways out there to get healthy—Atkins, Keto, you name it. And for a while, I tried all those things. Every time, there was something about it I didn’t like. The regimen of it all didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t want to feel guilty about eating the wrong thing, or buying the wrong thing at the grocery store.

I learned that there are so many different ways to be healthy—you don’t have to commit to a certain concept. For me, I combined my research on what foods are good for you, how I like to eat, how my body reacts to different foods, and understanding portion control to put myself on the right track. Everyone’s journey is very specialized to them, so it’s important to ask for help, from a dietitian or even a doctor, to figure out what that track looks like for you.

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The stark line that I have grown to consider over the last decade or so, is: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Stay Stocked

I TRAVEL A lot for work. When I’m on the road for extended periods of time, I can feel a difference. Yes, there are some healthy options in airports and gas stations and such, but having the unhealthy options in front of you can make those choices difficult.

I find I’m at my best on the road when I keep healthy foods stocked on me. I carry around a handful of protein bars for when I need something quick. I know it keeps me on my regimen, and if I make those healthier choices, I’m more likely to make healthy choices throughout the day, like at restaurants. I always know to watch my portions when I eat out, because they always give you more then you need.

I also try to prepare options for myself by planning ahead. Sometimes I’ll look at restaurants around the hotel before I go so I have a short list of my safe places to go. Or I’ll go to a grocery store and grab food for the room. That way I’m not going overboard on unhealthy food if given the opportunity.

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Focus on Feeling

WHEN IT GETS hard to stay on track, I remember that I wanted to do this to become healthier for myself. I wanted to be comfortable. I didn’t want to be out of breath. I didn’t want to be out of energy. I reminded myself of how I felt versus how you want to feel.

There’s this saying: Nothing tastes as good as feeling healthy feels. I take that with a grain of salt, of course (no pun intended). But, reminding myself that it was more important for me consistently to feel healthier, to feel comfortable in my own skin, was important to keep me on track.

When you’re heavy, you really take on that identity. You think, I’m just the fat guy. That was the description that I had of myself. I had to unlearn that, and remember I’m the healthy guy, and that I love the way that feels.

Allow What You Love

THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to me was giving myself grace in the moment. A lot of people think they either have to be perfect, or they have to start all over. You have one day you didn’t eat well and didn’t exercise, and you think you’ve lost all your progress. You think you have to start back over again. Or, that it’s just not in your future to be healthy.

I love bread, wine, and cheese. And without those things, I would live a much less full life. So I allow myself to have them, in moderation, without guilt. Once you take that guilt away, it feels way easier to stay on a healthy trajectory more regularly.

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I spent so long making my old body my identity. I had to get out of my own way, and remember that I am able, and worthy, of getting healthy. I struggled with body dysmorphia for a long time. Understanding that I earned this and that I should feel proud of myself took me a while.

I spent way too much of my life thinking negatively about myself. I was reminding myself of how bad I felt, how little energy I had. I was reminding myself of how low I felt mentally, and how terrible my view of myself was.

Once I got over those negative thoughts by remembering that I am worthy of health, the self motivation became so much easier. If I enjoyed myself maybe a little bit too much on a Friday night, I no longer beat myself up over it. And I was able to get back on the wagon quicker.

I’m getting closer to 50 now, and I have a much broader view of my health. I have two sons that I want to be able to be as active as possible with for as long as I can. I want to be a good example to them as much as I possibly can.

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I do what I do as a speaker now to encourage people that they can do hard things. They can get out of their own head, they can change the the internal dynamic and narrative that they’re telling themselves. They can be the best version of themselves they can possibly be. I thought for a long time that I was one of the least likely people to be able to pull this off. I love to eat. I’m not a huge fan of cardio, to be honest. But I did it.

It is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, physically, mentally, and emotionally. But it is also, without hesitation, the most valuable and worthwhile journey I’ve ever been on. So if you’re thinking about making some kind of change to your diet, physical activity, whatever—you deserve to live in the body you want, and it is absolutely possible to do so.

Cori Ritchey, C.S.C.S., is an Associate Health & Fitness Editor at Men’s Health, a certified strength and condition coach, and group fitness instructor. She reports on topics regarding health, nutrition, mental health, fitness, sex, and relationships. You can find more of her work in HealthCentral, Livestrong, Self, and others.

People often feel an immediate mental boost after exercise. The effect was thought to be short-lived, but a study published online Dec. 10, 2024, by the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity suggests it may last a full day.

Scientists gathered data from 76 men and women, ages 50 to 83, who wore activity trackers for eight days and took cognitive tests each day. On average, people did about an hour of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, five hours of light activity, and nine hours of sedentary time each day. Moderate-to-vigorous exercise included activities that raised the heart rate, such as brisk walking, dancing, or walking up and down stairs.

When comparing activity levels with memory test results, the researchers found that any amount of moder-ate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with higher scores on memory tests on the following day regardless of time spent in sedentary behavior or light activity. In particular, participants showed better working memory and episodic memory (memory of events).

Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates the release of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and dopamine, which help a range of cognitive functions, according to the researchers. These neurochemical changes have been understood to last up to a few hours after exercise, but the new findings suggest they may last longer.

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Dancing, especially with other people, can effectively reduce stress (Miljan Zivkovic/Shutterstock)

GUILFORD, England — Feeling stressed? Instead of hitting the gym, maybe you should hit the dance floor. Chronic stress wreaks havoc on our bodies and minds, and for years, experts have been telling us to exercise as a remedy. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend hours on the treadmill. A new international study shows that dancing can help manage stress, strengthen resilience, and improve overall well-being.

Sports psychologists have been documenting the benefits of physical activity for decades, leading to countless recommendations about getting active to cope with stress. But here’s what’s been missing from the conversation: not all forms of exercise affect us the same way when it comes to taming our stress response.

A new study published in Psychology of Sport & Exercise tackles this knowledge gap by zeroing in on dance, an activity that seems to have special powers when it comes to stress relief. Researchers from several European universities collaborated across disciplines to examine why dancing might deserve special attention in our stress-fighting toolkit.

Previous research has hinted that dance activities might be particularly good at softening the blow of stress, with some researchers informally calling it a “stress vaccine.” But this new review is the first comprehensive look at what makes dance so effective, bringing together insights from psychology, neurobiology, and anthropology.

The Perfect Stress-Fighting Combination

What makes dance stand out? It’s not just another way to move your body. Dancing weaves together music, rhythm, social connection, and physical movement to create what might be the perfect recipe for stress relief.

The researchers organized their investigation around these key components: the music and rhythm that drive the dance, the partnering and social aspects of dancing with others, and the physical movement itself. Each element contributes to stress regulation on its own, but combined in dance, they create something greater than the sum of their parts.

Music itself works wonders on our stress levels. The review found plenty of evidence that just listening to music can lower anxiety and help people relax. When we hear music, our brain’s reward system kicks into gear, releasing feel-good chemicals like dopamine and endorphins while potentially dialing down cortisol, our body’s main stress hormone.

One fascinating study discovered that dancing to “groovy” music produces a state of flow, that wonderful feeling of being completely absorbed in what you’re doing, which didn’t happen when people merely listened to the same music without dancing.

Brain research shows that music lights up the circuits involved in pleasure and reward, while also activating areas that regulate our body’s balance and stress response. Our love of rhythm might even have evolutionary roots, potentially serving as an ancient mechanism that fostered cooperation and social connections among our ancestors.

The Power of Dancing Together

Dancing with someone else adds another layer of stress-busting power. The review notes that dancing with a partner or in a group seems more beneficial than dancing solo. Social support and physical contact can notably reduce our physiological stress response. Touch, especially, helps buffer stress by triggering pathways in the brain that release oxytocin, sometimes called the “love hormone,” along with endorphins.

Looking at dance through an anthropological lens shows how it has historically brought people together, building social bonds and expressing emotions collectively. Across cultures, dance creates shared spaces for healing and developing group coping strategies. When people move in sync while dancing, it fosters a sense of unity and connection that can be comforting during tough times.

Dance’s physical movement works against stress much like other exercises do but with some particular advantages. All physical activity boosts endorphins and dopamine, helps regulate stress hormones, and promotes overall health. But dance movement, with its rhythmical quality, seems to offer something extra.

One study found that dance training improved cortisol regulation in older adults more effectively than regular aerobic exercise, even though only the aerobic exercise group showed improved fitness. This suggests that dance affects our stress-response system through more than just physical conditioning.

Beyond Traditional Exercise

The evidence suggests dance deserves special consideration as a stress-management tool. Its combination of features works on multiple levels simultaneously: reducing isolating feelings, building resources like self-esteem and social support, potentially dampening our immediate stress reactions, and boosting overall well-being.

This doesn’t mean you should ditch your regular workout routine if it’s working for you. But adding some form of dance, whether it’s a structured class, social dancing, or just moving to music at home, might give you stress-fighting benefits that other exercises can’t match.