BBR Challenge Winner - Candice Keenan

Any Bodies by Ryan Challenge participant will know there is no better meal prep post than Candice Keenan’s slick videos, which show her farmers’ market grocery haul, her chef-like chopping skills and the mouth-watering final products. But of course, there’s more to Candice than being BBR’s Tik Tok pro as she demonstrated by winning BBR’s first Jolimont challenge! We checked in with Candice to hear all about her process, from Tik Toks to early mornings in the gym, and what an inspiration she is!

When did you first start at BBR and what enticed you to join?

My partner Hayden who takes care of the marketing for BBR! He has spoken highly about Ryan and BBR since I met him and as soon as the Jolimont gym opened at the end of my street earlier this year, I had no excuses and I’ve been going ever since.

What were you doing previously? Did you consider yourself into fitness and health or sport before joining BBR?

When I was younger, I did Muay Thai for about eight years, including amateur fighting. I missed the discipline, routine and feeling really strong and healthy. It’s been a long time since I’ve done any physical activity for myself, and I started to feel a bit disappointed about my body and sluggish, so something needed to change.

What were the biggest shifts you had to make as you started your challenge? Did you struggle with anything at first?

Getting used to waking up at 4.30 every morning again to make the 5.15am class. I’m usually a bit of an early bird, but some days were tough in winter. I find that if I get out of bed and go, my training is done for the day. If I was to go to an afternoon class, I am more likely to talk myself out of it.

What were the easiest or most enjoyable things you found about the challenge?

How quickly you get used to the exercises. I couldn’t lift a bar bell over my head or do a back squat, but now I love challenging myself with those exercises. My absolute favourite part was having my two gym buddies Kelda and Shari.

Your food prep is out of this world and bringing BBR to new social media heights with your Tik Tok videos... Tell us about the process of these - were you already a social media expert or did you teach yourself along the way?

I’m a Brand, Marketing and Communications Manager for the business I work for, so I have a bit of knowledge with social media. But it really came from a place of wanting to make the meal prep fun and interesting as well as challenging myself with new ideas each week. I also get a lot of food and recipe ideas from TikTok, so it just made sense for me.

Did you find you were able to be creative with the BBR meal plan? How did you make everything look so delicious?!

I’m not going to lie; I did struggle a little bit each week coming up with new ideas for chicken or tuna and rice. No matter what, I always try and incorporate as many fresh or dried herbs and spices as possible, as well as vegetables with each meal. I think changing the vegetable options can really help make the meal plan feel new each week.

Physically, what sort of changes did you see in yourself and how long did they take for you to notice?

My partner took photos each week and you could really tell the difference in my physique by week 4. I could notice in my face that I felt slimmer and by the end of the challenge I felt much leaner which was obvious in, my legs particularly. Although it felt good to fit back into some of my old pants, I’m not overly concerned about the weight on the scales. My goal is to keep challenging myself to be stronger and build more muscle.

What were your results in the challenge you won?

I lost about 5-6kgs from the challenge and I built a new routine which I love. The most rewarding results for me were seeing that I was getting stronger and now I have structure to my day.

We know from insider knowledge that you were super determined from the get go... tell us about that, what was driving you?

I honestly love competition, so it was a quick mindset shift. I jokingly asked Hayden if he thought I could win, and he said I could if I was consistent and worked hard, I may be able to, but it may be difficult for a new member to win. That was it, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could.

You're still going now which is great for all of us (the videos are life giving!) - what motivates you now and what are you aiming for?

I’ve struggled within the T35 challenge being sick twice, which has made me lose a little bit of steam. Overall, I like the lifestyle and routine of gym and meal prep. It honestly makes my week so much easier when my meals are done, especially when I have a long working week. I love going to the morning classes and seeing the same faces which makes me feel a bit more motivated.

What is your favourite part about being a part of the BBR challenges and community?

I’m a shy person and didn’t know what to expect at first and was nervous about a gym environment. I made Hayden attend a few classes with me at first and once I started to feel comfortable, I would go to the early morning classes. I met my buddy Kelda and she’s been my gym buddy ever since and we also have Shari in our little group. Honestly the Jolimont 5.15 crew is such a friendly and welcoming group, every morning Gina (my fellow winner) would always greet me by name, and it completely removed that apprehension around the gym. Ultimately everyone wants to see each other succeed and be the best they can be which has made BBR the most enjoyable for me.