Meet a Health Hero Semifinalist: Alanna Gardner

Alanna Gardner is one of 10 Be Well Philly Health Hero Challenge semifinalists.

» You can vote for Alanna Gardner here from September 4th through October 2nd.

Name: Alanna Gardner

Role: Fitness trainer, therapist at Philadelphia MFT, and spokesperson for the American Heart Association

What motivates you to try and make Philadelphia a healthier place? 
My motivation comes from a place of value. I value health and wellness and it’s a pillar to my own overall wellbeing. I believe that when people are in tune with their wellness and have a routine that works for them and allows them to be their best selves, they have the ability to show up and show out wherever they are planted. Philadelphia is a city that is rapidly growing and changing; with that said, it’s important that collectively as a city that we are the healthiest we can be so that we’re able to be positively impactful as we collectively continue to grow as a city.

Describe a health or fitness turning point in your life.
Wellness has always been a passion of mine, ever since I was young. But it wasn’t until I had a massive heart attack and underwent open heart surgery almost seven years ago that I realized that it was my commitment to wellness that allowed me to survive and thrive post cardiac arrest. That’s when I really made it my mission to introduce people to wellness and help them incorporate it into their lives.

What policy would you institute to make Greater Philadelphia a
healthier region?
I’m by no means someone who knows much about policy (open to sitting down with someone regarding this!). But what I would like to see is more integrative and holistic approaches to wellness. I would love for their to be a policy around wellness professionals being required to meet or confirm as a team regarding a client. If all of the wellness professionals are on the same page, that would lead to a higher rate of success for patients and less people falling through the cracks and giving up on their wellness plan.

What’s the most important part of your wellness regimen?
The most important part of my wellness regimen is meditation, journaling, and therapy. All wellness starts in the mind, in my opinion, and the more you internally check in and improve yourself, the more you build the endurance and tolerance for everything outside of self.

What is your number one piece of health-related advice?
Just get started and keep trying until you find something that you love. Starting off thing will lead you to the next thing and before you know it, you’ll have fully-loaded wellness routine that challenges and supports you through life.

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