It isn’t everyday that you find a young woman who has a clear understanding of the importance of a healthy diet and exercise in the quest to be healthy. In fact, there are even adults who do not have an appreciation for the notion of being healthy. Many people are sometimes forced into this direction only after they would have developed some daunting medical condition.
But this is not likely to be the fate of former Miss World Guyana, 19-year-old Vena Mookram.
Vena shot to pageantry fame in 2017 when she won the Miss World Guyana title which allowed her to represent Guyana on the international stage in China.
During that pageant experience, Vena’s ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ platform saw her promoting physical fitness and nutrition.
But even before taking the pageantry spotlight, Vena was a fitness fanatic. Delving into the fitness world, however, was not an overnight decision. It was triggered by a sad state of affairs she’d witnessed which affected her to the core.
The event in question was the death of her maternal grandmother who passed away due to complications related to Type Two diabetes. Her paternal grandmother is battling the same disease. (Diabetes is a chronic condition associated with abnormally high levels of sugar in the blood.)
Seeing her dear grandmothers suffer caused Vena to want to learn more about the condition. The knowledge she gained as a result, helped her to understand that the disease is one that could have been prevented altogether. Vena did not take this information for granted; instead she opted to act upon it.
“After realizing that it could have been avoided by simply eating right and exercising, I wanted to be an advocate for healthy living, not just for myself, but so that our Guyanese citizens can understand the importance of this too,” Vena related.
She was just 17 years old when she adopted this stance. Among her immediate actions was to register at a gym, at which she currently works out at least four times weekly. “My regular exercise routine involves cardio and strength training,” said Vena, who has been ensuring that she eats healthy too.
Through her pageantry experience, Vena has been able to spread the word about embracing a healthy lifestyle. In fact, Vena shared that being a part of such a major event essentially gave her greater scope to reach even more people in her quest to raise awareness.
During her involvement in the Miss World Guyana pageant, she was able to host four major health outreaches with the help of many businesses and youth groups.
This beauty ambassador is optimistic that she will be able to make an even greater impact as, according to her, persons have been very receptive of her healthy lifestyle messages.
She is convinced, however, that “persons need to know that once you start and see results, you’ll never want to stop. It’s not just about being physically fit, but how much it can improve your health and happiness.”
In fact, post pageant, Vena has kept her campaign going. “Since I came back from China, I have been working with a number of youth groups, making special appearances to advocate for my cause and I have participated in quite a few health outreaches,” said Mookram. She gloated about a fitness park she was able to establish during the pageant which, according to her, “is still up and running and I would encourage everyone in the Diamond, East Bank Demerara community to come out, play some cricket, and just have fun with your friends and family.”
Even as she keeps fitness in the forefront, Vena has also been indulging in other activities aimed at elevating herself academically. In this regard, she is currently undertaking the Associates in Business Executive course at the Nation’s University.
