Lynn Brannon's vying for Face of Fitness.

One local personal trainer is a runner-up in the Face of Fitness Cover Contest for Fitness Magazine. The 42-year-old grandmother and mother of four said whether or not she makes the cover, she hopes her story will encourage other women to muscle-up and reach for their dreams.

“Last year I looked in the mirror and said, ‘You know what, I’m going to do something different’,” said Lynn Brannon, personal trainer and manager at Suwannee Health & Fitness in Live Oak.

It was February of 2010. Brannon’s husband was away most of the time on stateside active duty in the Air Force and she was expecting her first grandchild. She decided it was a good time to make a change and set new goals. So Brannon challenged herself to get into the best shape of her life – and then show it off. She set her sights on a figure bodybuilding competition that took place in August of last year. Brannon trained hard, nearly three hours a day, and changed her eating habits. She began eating ‘clean foods’, such as lean meats and lots of vegetables, plus she drinks a gallon of water a day. She took sugar out of her diet and began eating controlled portions at every meal. Brannon also hired a coach to help her prepare and learn competition poses, which she would have to memorize and practice daily.

On the day of the Gainesville bodybuilding competition, Brannon’s coach asked her if she was intimidated by her competitors, many of them younger.

“I remember I said to her, ‘I just know what I did to get here, and all I see is me’,” she said. “Some people might have said I was a crazy person, 41-years-old and doing something like this. But I was just so excited to be there.”

Brannon did not place, but she was proud of how far she had come. In May she will compete again, and this time she has plans for a different outcome.

“I plan on placing. I plan on taking away a trophy,” she said.

When Brannon came across the Face of Fitness Cover Contest for Fitness Magazine, she decided to submit her photo on a whim. Voted on by the public, she did not anticipate the response she received.

“At first I was hesitant to ask people to vote for me, but then I started receiving emails from people saying things like, ‘I’m voting for you everyday!’,” she said.

If Brannon wins the contest, she will be featured in Fitness Magazine and win a Hawaiin vacation.

“I want people to know my story. I want them to understand that, no matter what your age, you can still have a goal and see it happen,” she said.

Brannon said she hopes to use fitness as a platform to inspire other women to not only become fit, but to follow their dreams. She said if other women see a regular person and mother of four doing something like this, maybe it will inspire them and make a difference in their lives.

“You are never too old, too big, too small, or too far gone to see your dreams happen,” Brannon said.

To see Brannon’s page, visit http://photos.fitnessmagazine.com/category/vote/photo/758171.