Hannah Brown’s journey has been more than just about fame and romance; it’s been a candid exploration of body image struggles. From her days on “The Bachelorette” to her triumphs on “Dancing With the Stars,” Brown has openly shared her lifelong battle with body acceptance. Amidst societal pressures and personal insecurities, she has navigated extreme dieting, heartbreak-induced weight loss, and the relentless scrutiny of public perception.
Key Takeaways:
- The Perils of Unrealistic Beauty Standards: Through Brown’s experiences, we witness the detrimental effects of societal pressure and unrealistic beauty standards. From childhood comparisons to adult pageantry, her story underscores the damaging impact of external expectations on self-esteem and mental health.
- The Importance of Self-Compassion: Brown’s journey towards self-acceptance highlights the vital role of self-compassion in fostering mental and emotional well-being. Despite setbacks and insecurities, she learns to embrace her imperfections and prioritize her overall health, demonstrating the power of self-love in overcoming adversity.
- Holistic Wellness Over External Validation: As Brown shifts her focus from achieving a specific appearance to prioritizing holistic wellness, she inspires others to redefine success beyond external validation. By embracing a balanced approach to diet, exercise, and mental health, she encourages individuals to cultivate a nurturing relationship with themselves and pursue authentic fulfillment.
Table of Contents:
- Hannah Brown Shares Struggles With Body Image
- Hannah Brown Discusses Her Extreme Yo-Yo Diets for Pageants
- Hannah Brown Revealed Eating Only Candy During ‘The Bachelor’
- Hannah Brown Now Focuses on Her Overall Health
- Hannah Brown’s Diet and Workout Routine
- Conclusion
Hannah Brown Shares Struggles With Body Image
Hannah Brown has shared her struggles with body image, which spanned her entire life, even during her stint on “The Bachelorette.” The reality star disclosed that she began comparing herself to others at a young age, influenced by models in Limited Too catalogs.
In a YouTube video, Brown recalled, “I had a really round face, like I still do now, and huge dimples. Everyone would always comment on my ‘little chubby face.'”
Growing up in Alabama, Brown recalled her mom calling her legs “logger legs” due to her grandfather’s occupation. She confessed that accepting her legs had always been a challenge, especially after a dancer in her class remarked that skinny girls should have a thigh gap.
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“I don’t naturally have a thigh gap. I always hated my legs,” Brown pointed out. “I wanted to be perfect. I was always self-conscious that I wasn’t as thin as I wanted.”
Brown, the former Miss Alabama, mentioned that she has always enjoyed eating. However, when she entered the pageant scene in high school, her relationship with food turned unhealthy. As a teenager, she recalled someone commenting that she was “pretty but a little curvy or thick.”
Comments like that fueled her desire to shed weight, leading her to start dieting at the age of 15 or 16. She recalled losing around 15 pounds in a month. Her diet mainly comprised chicken, eggs, and green beans.
Hannah Brown Discusses Her Extreme Yo-Yo Diets for Pageants
After finishing her pageant competitions, which included a swimsuit segment, Brown noticed that “all the weight came back on and more,” prompting her to adopt an extreme yo-yo diet.
“I had a lot of anxiety. A lot of depression,” she said.
Following her time at the University of Alabama, Brown experienced a breakup, and she found herself losing weight because, as the saying goes, “there’s no skinny like breakup skinny.” She mentioned that shedding weight coincided with preparing for the Miss Alabama pageant, during which she became notably smaller.
She remembered being unsure how she had slimmed down so much, realizing the only factor was her broken heart. She often forgot to eat, was consumed by sadness, and wasn’t eating enough. Despite this, she recalled winning the pageant and experiencing a whirlwind of emotions.
After winning, she feared regaining the weight, confessing that she finally achieved a thigh gap.
“I was so small and had no energy that I couldn’t do the workouts I used to do. I think I had trained myself to be full.”
Hannah Brown Revealed Eating Only Candy During ‘The Bachelor’
After competing on “The Bachelor” in 2019, Brown admitted to consuming mainly candy in the mansion. However, she began gaining weight while on “The Bachelorette.”
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Brown went through another public breakup and lost all the weight again; her split from season 15 winner Jed Wyatt. During her time on “Dancing With the Stars,” she also admitted to feeling inadequate compared to the “other beautiful professional women.”
Reflecting on her past, she explained that she has always grappled with feeling worthy.
“I didn’t have any self-worth through all that,” Brown noted. “I have definitely struggled with accepting the way my body is now. Loving myself and knowing because I have taken off this time [from working out post-DWTS] is loving my body. I needed rest. I needed to dig deep emotionally in who I want to be.”
Hannah Brown Now Focuses on Her Overall Health
Now, the DWTS winner prioritizes her overall health over obsessing about having a thigh gap or fitting into size zero pants. She admitted that embracing her body as it is remains a “daily struggle.”
“My better and better doesn’t always mean smaller and smaller,” she continued. “[Just] be a healthier version of Hannah. I just want to be able to move my body. I’ve put my body through so much stress that it shut down.”
Brown also mentioned that she’s healing mentally and giving her body the rest it needs so she can gradually learn to love it. She enjoys sugar and has no intention of depriving herself of it.
Hannah Brown’s Diet and Workout Routine
Brown prioritizes work, fitness, and quality time with her loved ones. Although she enjoys a good morning workout, hitting the snooze button is her top priority. She admitted she’s a “slow riser” but eventually gets up to “drink some water” and “read a little.”
Every morning, the TV personality starts her day by heading to the gym to work on her fitness. She does weight training three times a week.
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Weight training offers a plethora of benefits for both physical and mental well-being. By engaging in regular weight training sessions, individuals can build muscle strength and endurance, improve bone density, and enhance overall physical fitness.
Additionally, weight training can boost metabolism, aiding in weight management and fat loss. Beyond the physical advantages, lifting weights also promotes mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression.
Furthermore, it can boost self-confidence and improve mood by releasing endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good hormones. Incorporating weight training into one’s routine can lead to a stronger, healthier, more resilient body and mind.
Brown also includes 20—to 30-minute Peloton rides in her cardio routine. She believes they’re an excellent way to sweat, especially on days packed with activities.
Peloton rides offer a comprehensive cardiovascular workout that can benefit individuals in numerous ways. Engaging in regular Peloton sessions helps improve cardiovascular health by strengthening the heart and lungs, enhancing endurance, and boosting overall circulation.
The dynamic nature of Peloton classes, which often include intervals and varied resistance levels, contributes to increased calorie burning and improved metabolism, aiding in weight management and fat loss.
In addition, Brown likes to keep her evenings laid-back, so she ends her day with a peaceful post-dinner routine. She enjoys unwinding by reading a few chapters of a captivating book. She sets multiple alarms to ensure she wakes up on time.
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Conclusion
Brown’s narrative poignantly reminds us of the complexities inherent in our relationship with our bodies. From the confines of reality television to the intimacy of personal struggles, Brown’s journey reflects the universal quest for self-acceptance and inner peace. As she prioritizes health over societal standards and embraces her imperfections, Brown epitomizes resilience and self-compassion. Her story inspires us to redefine beauty on our terms, cultivate a nurturing relationship with ourselves, and embark on a journey toward holistic wellness, one step at a time.