Brooke Vincent has been sharing snippets of her trip to the gym after returning to a more consistent exercise regime and it's fair to say the former Coronation Street star looks amazing.
The actress, who is famed for having played Sophie Webster in the ITV soap, has described fitness as her ‘salvation’, helping her cope with the demands of motherhood. And she has even joked that she has been 'mellowed' by her trainer, who is known by an 'evil nickname.
Mum-of-two Brooke has been training three times a week at the Ultimate Performance (U.P.) gym in Spinningfields, with her trainer and U.P. Manchester gym manager, Steve Chambers.
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Having trained on and off at U.P. Manchester for the past seven years, Brooke’s first experience at Ultimate Performance saw her radically overhaul her exercise regime and diet which included quitting smoking and drinking altogether, and lifting weights three times a week.
Now, as a full-time mum to her two young children, Mexx and Monroe, who she shares with football fiancé Kean Bryan, Brooke’s focus in the gym has shifted to a greater awareness of the mental health benefits of lifting weights, and how it helps her juggle being a busy mum, especially after returning to work.
The 31-year-old, who is also currently co-hosting the Drivetime show on Hits Radio while fellow former soap star and Ultimate Performance alumnus Gemma Atkinson is on maternity leave, said: "For me, working out is not necessarily about losing weight. Yes, it’s nice to be able to fit into jeans that used to be a bit tight for you, particularly after you’ve given birth.
"But it’s more about putting energy into yourself, having a bit of ‘me time’ and having somewhere outside of your own home where you can clear your mind and have those feel-good endorphins from working out."
She added: "I’ll be 100% honest – I’m not one of those people who springs out of bed at 5am and looks forward to going to the gym. Like most mums, there are days I don’t want to go, and I just want to stay in bed and sleep. But I never regret a workout. I know working out with Steve makes me healthier, physically and mentally, and gives me that ‘me time’.
"Family life is so unpredictable, and so chaotic, that sometimes you need that escape, that salvation. Any Mums out there will know that when you become a parent, you’re not a priority. Your children come first, and you come last. So, I spend my afternoons and evenings rushing around after the children in soft play centres and doing everything I can for them.
"So, on the one hand, I need to keep fit and healthy so I can keep up with them! But on the other, coming to the gym is also my release. When you’re a parent, your life is consumed by the kids and it’s amazing, but coming to the gym is something just for me, where I can come to lift my mood and feel good about myself."
Brooke has also explained how the friendship and camaraderie she has developed with her trainer Steve over the past seven years’ – dubbed 'Evil Steve' by fellow actresses Gemma and Catherine Tyldesley because of his brutal workouts – helps keep her on track with her fitness.
"Maybe he’s mellowed with me a bit!", Brooke said. "But Steve is great. He keeps me motivated and he makes me feel like he is on this journey with me, and that I’m not alone. When you’re a mum, dealing with issues such as weight loss, staying healthy, and coping with all the physical changes your body goes through post-pregnancy can be quite lonely.
"But Steve is with me every step of the way and it really helps. He’s that voice in my ear when I’m feeling a bit lazy, or I want to snack or have a takeaway, reminding me of my goals and telling me to be good!"
And he won't let her get away with being unprepared. "When I first started training, I bought some new trainers and I thought they were dead nice," Brooke said. "But when I got into the gym, Steve said: ‘You can’t do the Prowler in those. I’m not training you in those trainers, they’re not suitable.’
"So now, when I walk into the gym, he always looks at my trainers to see if I’m wearing the right footwear, and he knows I sometimes deliberately wear those trainers so I can get out of doing the Prowler because I absolutely hate it!"
