Fitness
The 6 Simple Changes That Helped This Guy Lose Over 100 Pounds Naturally
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fitness
80-year-old fitness icon Joan MacDonald reveals her simple exercise for a stronger, more stable core
Joan MacDonald didn’t enter a gym until she was 70. Really. Since then, the 80-year-old has transformed her health by losing three stone and building significant muscle, and now coaches other women through her training platform, Train With Joan, which she launched to help others boost their fitness at any age.
The premise of her app is simple: minimal-equipment workouts built around no-fuss, effective exercises that can be done anywhere. One ‘powerful core and stability exercise’ she swears by is alternating bodyweight clock taps. ‘This movement helps strengthen the muscles that keep you stable, balanced and moving well as you age,’ Joan explains.
Bodyweight clock taps benefits
Think they look too simple? That’s the point. Joan is adamant that ‘You don’t need complicated workouts to start getting stronger. Sometimes the most effective movements are the simple ones you do consistently.’
According to Joan, regularly performing bodyweight clock taps help:
- ‘Strengthen your core which supports your spine and reduces strain on your lower back.
- ‘Improve balance and coordination, helping you stay steady on your feet.
- ‘Increase hip stability, which supports your knees and joints.
- ‘Build functional strength for everyday movements like stepping, turning and reaching.
- ‘Help reduce fall risk by improving control and body awareness’
How to do bodyweight clock taps
Find a demo from Joan above, along with instructions for how to do them with proper form below.
- Stand on one leg with a slight bend in your supporting knee and brace your core.
- Keeping your hips level, reach your free foot forward to lightly tap the floor in front of you (12 o’clock), then return to the centre.
- Continue tapping to different “clock” positions—such as 3, 6 and 9 o’clock—maintaining your balance and control throughout.
- Complete all reps on one leg before switching sides.
Form tip: Move slowly and focus on staying stable. The goal is controlled movement, not how far you can reach.
How many reps and sets to do
Joan shares her advice, according to your fitness level.
- Beginners: ‘3 taps per leg x 8-10 reps’
- Intermediate: ‘3 taps per leg x 10-12 reps’
- Advanced: ‘3 taps per leg x 12-15 reps’
One of our most frequently asked questions here at Women’s Health? How to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. So, we asked superstar trainer Oyinda Okunowo exactly how to do it. In this 4-week plan – created exclusively for Women’s Health COLLECTIVE members – you’ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to help you on your way to better body composition. Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to Oyinda’s plan and start training today.
Get the plan
As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.
After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!
Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.
She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.
In the 19 years since retiring from professional tennis, Tim Henman has barely aged. A large part of that comes down to his approach to fitness. The 51-year-old believes that ‘being active is always going to be a part of my identity’, which helps him maintain a consistent training routine.
Even while spending much of his time covering tennis as a commentator and pundit, and serving on the board at Wimbledon, Henman still makes time for his own athletic pursuits. Especially now that he has a different kind of motivation.
How Tim Henman Stays Fit After Retirement
‘I’ve got a gym at home and I try to exercise pretty regularly because I feel much better for it,’ Henman tells Men’s Health. ‘But one of my passions is wine. So if I’m having a few glasses of wine – you’ve got to treat yourself – then that definitely incentivises me to get in the gym. I’ve always exercised and I think it’s good for me both physically and mentally.’
That doesn’t mean Henman is completing brutal workouts or chasing specific performance goals. Instead, he prefers a straightforward routine that supports his lifestyle and helps him manage the wear and tear accumulated during his tennis career.
‘I don’t run that much anymore. We’ve got dogs at home, so I walk them a lot, and if I’m at tournaments or working, I’ll do quite a bit of incline walking on the treadmill. Then it’s just a good mix of weights and core work. I’m not trying to run any marathons – I’m just trying to stay in relatively good shape,’ he says.
‘I understand my body and know what I can and can’t do, especially because I’ve had three elbow surgeries and a shoulder surgery. So I’m a little careful around those joints.
‘Posture is so important for shoulder health. I focus on resistance-band exercises to make sure I’m strong through my back and maintaining good posture. Then the core is so important, so I try to stay strong through planks and side planks as much as possible.’
Why Henman Is Excited for the Laver Cup
His approach to fitness has changed dramatically over the past two decades. Where he once played tennis every day, Henman admits he’s now lucky if he gets on court twice a year. These days, golf is his sporting obsession.
That doesn’t mean he’s any less passionate about tennis, however, as he prepares to return as Team Europe vice-captain at the Laver Cup this September at The O2.
‘I’m so excited,’ he says. ‘The first time I ever experienced the Laver Cup was at The O2 when Roger Federer was retiring. I’d never seen the event live and I was probably a bit sceptical at that stage. But I was there working for television and, for those three days, I was completely blown away by the delivery of the event, the intensity of the players and the quality of the matches.
‘Tennis is an individual sport and players spend most of the year competing on their own. But I’d struggle to name any player, male or female, who doesn’t enjoy being in a team environment every once in a while.
‘The way the Laver Cup has evolved and grown is so special, and Federer deserves a lot of credit for that vision.
‘With an arena like The O2, it’s one of the biggest venues in tennis. There’ll be 17,000 or 18,000 people packed in there and, with the roof on, the atmosphere is incredible.’
Laver Cup returns to The O2, London, from 25-27 September, bringing together many of the world’s biggest tennis stars as Team Europe takes on Team World in the sport’s unique team competition. Tickets are on sale now via AXS, the official ticketing partner of The O2. Visit lavercup.com for more information.
Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram or on X
Fitness
Quote of the day by Cher: ‘Nothing lifts me out of a bad mood better than a hard workout on my…’ – motivating life lessons by Oscar-winning actress of Moonstruck and singer of Believe on exercise, mental health, fitness and how this daily habit can transform your mood and mindset
Quote of the Day Today: Cher on Exercise
Cher said, “Nothing lifts me out of a bad mood better than a hard workout on my treadmill. It never fails. Exercise is nothing short of a miracle,” as per BrainyQuote.
What Cher’s Quote Means: Why Exercise Can Transform Your Mood
Cher’s quote highlights the powerful connection between physical activity and emotional well-being. Rather than seeing exercise as only a fitness routine, she describes it as something that consistently helps improve her mood and clear her mind.
Her words suggest that movement can provide more than physical benefits. A workout can help reduce stress, increase energy, and shift attention away from negative thoughts. By calling exercise “nothing short of a miracle,” Cher emphasizes the positive impact it has had on her own life.
Life Lesson from Cher’s Quote
The quote reminds readers that small, healthy habits can make a significant difference in everyday life. While exercise may not solve every problem, making time for physical activity can help people feel stronger, calmer, and better equipped to handle daily challenges. Cher’s message encourages people to view exercise not as a chore, but as an investment in both physical and mental well-being.
Who Is Cher
Cher (born May 20, 1946, in El Centro, California) is an American singer, actress, and entertainer whose career has spanned more than five decades. According to a Britannica report, she is known for her success in music, film, and television and for continually reinventing herself.
Cher’s Early Life
Born Cherilyn Sarkisian, Cher faced financial hardships during childhood and struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia. She left school at age 16 and moved to Los Angeles, where she began her entertainment career.
Cher’s Rise to Fame
Cher found success with Sonny Bono as part of Sonny and Cher. Their 1965 hit “I Got You Babe” launched their careers, and she later became a solo star with number one hits including “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” “Half-Breed,” and “Dark Lady,” as per the Britannica report.
Cher’s Acting Career
Cher earned critical acclaim for films including Silkwood and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Moonstruck (1987). She also starred in Mask, The Witches of Eastwick, Burlesque, and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Cher’s Legacy
Cher made a successful music comeback with Believe, winning a Grammy Award for the hit song. She later received Kennedy Center Honors in 2018, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024, and published Cher: The Memoir, Part One the same year, as per the Britannica report.
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