The Simple Way This Woman Lost Her First 70 Pounds (No Gym Involved!)

It took months for Alex to get to a place where she felt confident enough to work out. "I let my fear of the gym win and avoided much activity for the first eight months. I tried it all though. Private gyms. Women's gyms. My apartment gym," she told POPSUGAR. "It wasn't that I hated other people watching my struggle at the gym. I hated to see myself struggle."

Now that she's more confident, Alex loves mixing up cardio and weights at the gym. Her favorite machine, though, is the elliptical. "I love the elliptical because it's easy on your joints, which makes it a great machine for beginners to use at whatever comfort level they're at right now," she said.