Lance Alexander is 18 years old, but the young man has already gone through a transformational fitness journey and has written a book about it.
And now he’s on a nationwide tour visiting at least one Boys & Girls Club in each state to spread his message about a healthy lifestyle mentally and physically to children of America to help make sure they don’t fall into similar issues that he’s had to deal with.
Alexander grew up in Cincinnati, but his family moved to California when he was 12 because of his aspirations and talent in acting.
His career gained him a few roles in various productions including the television show Family Reunion.
“I was really loving acting and the opportunities I was getting, but then the pandemic hit in 2020, and at 15 years old, I had to face some realities about myself,” Alexander said. “That person that I was in front of the camera that was laughing all the time and making people smile was a totally different person than the person that I was when the camera stopped rolling and I was away from the studio.
“And that’s not just the obvious statement that I wasn’t whatever character I was playing on set. But when the camera turned off, so did my smile and my laughter. I was not enjoying life outside of when I was acting.”
Alexander said the protocols to slow the spread of COVID-19 in 2020 that left most Americans in some type of isolation for weeks or longer was a time for him to take a look at himself and get to the root of his problems.
“I was a big kid at 15 years old, and I’d tried this diet and that diet with none of them working,” Alexander said. “So I just committed that no matter what, I was going to make the changes necessary to change me.
“And in that process, I figured out that the things that led to me living an unhealthy lifestyle – not moving a lot and eating things I didn’t need to be putting into my body – were all motivated by me not being in a good place mentally. So for me, making a change physically first meant I needed to make changes mentally.”
Alexander’s book, “From Junk to Hunk” chronicles that journey that not only led him to feeling better because he weighs less but also just having a healthier mindset on life in general.
In September, he started his tour with his mother, Lane College graduate Angela Mathis, to Boys & Girls Clubs. They were in Jackson on Oct. 5 talking with some of the kids in a couple of the locations for the local club.
“I love doing this because I love getting out and seeing the country and meeting new people,” Alexander said. “But I’m getting a lot of messages from people after I visit their towns that say they feel like this could lead to their own breakthrough for themselves.
“And that’s what this tour is all about. Helping others be the best versions of themselves and living their best lives.”
Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news
