Mum overcomes health issues to rock the stage at bodybuilding bikini comp

INSPIRING Healthy Mummy mum Brooke Cotter has overcome many health issues to make her dream of taking part in a BODYBUILDING bikini competition, come true.  And boy did she rock that stage like a true professional!

Proving that when you put in the hard work and commit to achieving your goals, anything is possible.

Brooke shares her journey from regular mum battling a plethora of health issues to becoming a bodybuilding bikini goddess below.

Starting her Healthy Mummy journey

Mum-of-2 Brooke Cotter started her Healthy Mummy journey in January 2017 by following the free Healthy Mummy recipes and enjoying the Healthy Mummy energy boosting Super Greens supplement.

Her weight at the time was 82kg.

She says “Little did I know where my journey would take me or how far I would get”.

Overcoming medical issues to achieve dreams

It is easy to look at Brooke’s photos and think her life and health is picture perfect but Brooke has faced more obstacles than most.

She says “I’m a mum of 2 boys and I’ve had 6 miscarriages, I study at university and I also have a heap of medical conditions.

Some of the medical issues I have is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, hashimoto’s (hypothyroidism), perimenopause, endometriosis, meniere’s disease, hearing loss (I’m over 50% deaf), and mental health issues (PTSD, DID, anxiety and depression).

Yes, this amazing mum has never let her health complications be an excuse for not achieving her health and fitness goals.

Getting started with weight lifting

In January 2018 Brooke started weight lifting and combined with eating the delicious Healthy Mummy meals she began to lose weight. After achieving her weight loss goal of  60kg  she decided she wanted to take her fitness journey even further.

New goal – compete in bodybuilding bikini competition

After chatting with her personal training about setting new goals her trainer suggested that maybe she should think about competing in a bodybuilding bikini competition.

The conversation sparked immediate interest for goal-seeker Brooke and she started planning how she would make that happen. Brooke says “I then had a new goal to hit and focus my fitness on”.

She changed her personal trainer to a coach who specialised in preparing athletes specifically for bodybuilding bikini competitions; providing specific nutrition guidance and posing lessons. And like a true warrior, she got to work.

Don’t try this at home.

There is no denying that her preparation was grueling and in order to get competition-ready she had to follow a very restrictive diet.

Brooke advises other mums not to try this unless, like her, they are preparing for a competition and have a coach who is monitoring them and their health every step of the way.

As a result of her very specific diet leading up to the event Brooke says “During my prep for my competition I wasn’t able to use the free Healthy Mummy recipes but I did use the Healthy Mummy Super Greens supplement until the day I stepped on stage”.

Bodybuilding bikini competition ready!

On the 22nd September 2019, and weighing 49.8kg Brooke stepped on stage for her very FIRST bodybuilding bikini competition looking every bit a seasoned professional.

Being her first competition however Brooke says “stage fright got the best of me but I improved so much the more I stepped on stage”.

Although Brooke didn’t place she did receive medals and says “I had a ball and cannot wait to do another competition”. And it’s that positive attitude and can-do determination that we love.

As a member of the Healthy Mummy community and Facebook Support Group Brooke says “I have met some amazing Healthy Mummy mums throughout Australia, who  I have become very close with”. 

And within that HUGE community of mums there have been many mums cheering Brooke along every step of your journey. With comments like

“There are many truly unsung heroes out there who are never recognised. People like yourself should be heard. You are such a great model for people who think they cannot achieve their goal. All I can say is well done – you have so many mountains to climb but you sledge hammered them to achieve your goals after all the adversities you had to challenge.  You should be do proud of what you have achieved” from Antoinette

and Nataria who said “You are an inspiration Brooke. Keep sharing your journey”

and Donna who said “I think it takes alot of mental and physical strength and dedication to do what you have done , just amazing. Well done!”.

Now that the competition is over Brooke has returned to a more well-rounded Healthy Mummy approach to eating, but that was not before she got to enjoy a much deserved post competition doughnut! Everything in moderation, right!.

The Healthy Mummy team would like to thank Brooke for sharing her story with us and congratulate her on achieving her dream of taking part in the bodybuilding bikini competition.

She proves that no matter what you have been through and what you may be battling, anything is possible with a little hard work and determination. Way to go Brooke!

We can’t wait to cheer her on during her next competition.

Read more: Mum with Hashimotos Hypothyroidism shares how she lost 18kg and is kicking goals.

Are you ready to kick-start your weight loss?

If you are interested in kickstarting your weight loss and want to improve your energy – not to mention – improve your overall health and wellbeing – our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge is an awesome program to check out.

Our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge includes:

• 28 days of at home exercise routines (no gym needed) – with video instruction
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• Suitable for basic to advanced fitness levels
• Home to thousands of EASY-TO-MAKE recipes!

To learn more about our 28 DAY WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE CLICK HERE