Being in the public eye comes with a unique set of pressures and expectations to look a certain way, but for Melinda Berry - health and physical fitness has always been a priority, long before starring on international Netflix series Too Hot To Handle skyrocketed her into fame.
Melinda lives intentionally every day to feel confident in her own skin, and in order to do so, she’s always focused on staying grounded.
“For me personally I find that wellness and physical health both balance each other out equally.
“I find that working out helps to put my mindset in such a great mood post workout,” the reality personality exclusively shares with GLAMOUR South Africa.
“It always helps me feel my best because when you look good you feel good and that just helps you mentally. If you keep that up with working out you will always find yourself in a healthy state of mind.”
When it comes to the physical side of things, Melinda has her workouts down to a solid regimen that maintains her fit and fabulous physique.
Breaking down the exact steps she takes to keep her shape, Melinda sits down with us and reveals all of her hottest tips and tricks.
GLAMOUR: What sparked your passion for fitness and living a healthy lifestyle? Was this always important to you, or did a certain instance in your life inspire it?
Melinda Berry (BR): Growing up I’ve always loved working out and staying active especially throughout middle school and high school.
As I got older I always wanted to keep and maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle because doing so kept me in a great mindset mentally and I always felt great physically.
GLAMOUR: On Too Hot To Handle, we saw a lot of people working out and it's clear that fitness was a priority. What were your go-to ways to stay in shape at the retreat?
BR: On Too Hot To Handle my go-to to stay in shape routine was doing plenty of squats, lunges, push ups, planks, and some light treadmill action.
GLAMOUR: Being in the public eye comes with a lot of pressure. How do you stay confident and love the skin you're in when it may sometimes feel hard to do so?
BR: Ever since I became very well-known in the public eye, it made me realise that there can be a lot of negativity out there in the world and not everyone is going to like me but it was up to me how I wanted to deal with it.
It also made me realise that I just needed to always stay true to myself and never let negative people impact me mentally. I am me no matter what anyone says or thinks otherwise.
Every day I wake up and embrace who I am because when you are confident within yourself no one can stop you.
I’ve also learned that there’s going to be times when I’m not going to be on 100 and that it is absolutely OK to take a break from it all and have some me time.
Never give up, just get up and keep going because you will get there.
GLAMOUR: What is your fitness mantra/philosophy, and how has it evolved?
BR: My fitness mantra is ’I may not be the most fit person in the world, but each and every day I am taking the steps into improving my overall health for the better.’
GLAMOUR: What is your current fitness regimen, and your nutrition plan you use to stay in shape?
BR: My fitness routine consists of lifting weights such as doing squats, overhead press, deadlifts, cable rows, bench press and much more but sometimes I’ll switch up my routines depending on how I’m feeling.
I’ll even throw a little yoga in the mix if I’m not in the mood to lift super heavy weights.
For my nutrition plan I like to maintain a good healthy balanced meal on the days I work out super heavy.
I like to throw in carbs and high protein along with protein shakes.
On the days I do not work out I like to keep low carbs and that would consist of fruits and vegetables staying hydrated with plenty of water salads, high-protein such as chicken and shrimp my two main sources of protein.
But I do have a sweet tooth and that is absolutely OK just as long as it’s balanced out.
GLAMOUR: What is one thing you never skip in your workout?
BR: The one thing I would never skip out on when I’m working out is squats. It is the one thing that I can never skip out on no matter how tired I am.
I will find the mindset and strength to push through because I have a goal to reach and I cannot reach the goal if I skip out or take shortcuts in my workout routine.
GLAMOUR: What is your best advice for people who want to get in shape in 2021, but don't really know how to stay on track?
BR: My advice for people who want to stay in shape in 2021 is to keep a daily routine that they can follow. And you don’t have to start hard and go hard.
It's OK to work on small things here and there that will eventually lead up to doing big workouts and improvements.
You gotta start somewhere eventually you’re going to find your momentum and feel unstoppable.
GLAMOUR: How do you balance mental wellness and physical health?
BR: For me personally I find that wellness and physical health both balance each other out equally. I find that working out helps to put my mindset in such a great mood post workout.
It always helps me feel my best because when you look good you feel good and that just helps you mentally.
If you keep that up with working out you will always find yourself in a healthy state of mind.
GLAMOUR: One of the key elements for staying consistent with working out is accountability. Who keeps you accountable for working out consistently?
BR: Only you can keep yourself accountable for you and no one else. It is up to you to be consistent with your workouts.
GLAMOUR: What are you working on now and how is life post-show?
BR:Life post show has been absolutely amazing, there have been so many opportunities brought to my front door that I would never ever expected to have and I am truly grateful and humbled by it all, not only that but I’ve also got the best amazing and supportive fans in the world.
They truly keep me motivated and smiling from ear to ear. I have so many amazing things that are happening behind the scenes and I cannot wait to share them all with you guys.
I wish I could say what it is but I guess you just have to stay tuned.
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