Super Trainer Shaun T On Maintaining Motivation As The Body Ages
If you fall into the group of individuals who have started to slowly—but surely—neglect working out as you age, Shaun T is here to guide you on building a sustainable fitness regimen to maintain motivation.
As we age, maintaining a fitness routine can feel like an uphill battle, and when results seem harder to keep than they once did, it’s easy to become demoralized.
Aiming to achieve something within a certain time frame is a great way to create healthy habits—like training for a marathon in three months. Even if you “fall short” by walking for half of the race, but still complete it, it is not a failure. It’s all part of the process. The tricky part is when we set lofty goals that lead us to make little or no attempt to actually follow through, especially as our bodies age.
This is where motivation comes in.
Motivation is a psychological experience, meaning there are multiple factors that affect a person’s drive, ranging from certain situations in our lives to our mental state. If you attempt to integrate an early morning workout routine 5 days a week, but work stress has caused you to neglect getting a good night's rest, chances are you won’t make it to that 6am spin class.
“In order for you to workout effectively and push yourself, whether it’s hip hop training or weight training, your mind has to tell you to keep going,” says renowned fitness trainer Shaun T, a Super Trainer at BODi (formerly known as Beachbody), one of the best on-demand workout apps on the market. You might recognize him from his famous fitness programs FOCUS T25, Transform :20, CIZE, INSANITY, and LET’S GET UP! by BODi. Most recently, Shaun T released a new program called DIG DEEPER designed to pack on muscle and carve a lean, toned physique.
With a life motto of “conquer your mind, transform your life”—a constant reminder tattooed on his arms—Shaun T is dedicated to helping individuals uplift their lives and strengthen their body, mind, and being at any age through different tools, training, programs, platforms, and communities. It’s possible to achieve and maintain fitness goals as you age, but too often individuals subscribe to the belief that the older you are, the weaker your body will become. As a result, fitness falls to the bottom of their priority list.
“Many people lack motivation because they try to look like the model in the magazine or try to look like they did in high school,” he says. “Who wants to be 18 years old again? I know I don't.”
Staying active is key to healthy living, but maintaining motivation as we age is no easy feat. Shaun T embodies the possibility of integrating fitness into your life for the long term, and it all comes down to making small tweaks in your relationship with workouts.
“Pay attention to how you talk to yourself,” he says. “True motivation happens within. True motivation is you saying ‘Oh my gosh this is tough, let’s fricken go!’ And you have this soundtrack of your mind that is constantly helping you push yourself.”
“Your mind has to tell you to keep going. That’s it. Your mom can tell you to do it, your spouse can, your kid can, anybody can tell you to do something, but at the end of the day, your brain has to have the power, the motivation, to want to do it,” he continues.
Ultimately, external factors can guide you on the right path, but it’s up to you to cultivate and integrate it into your life—no one else holds this power except for you. Once you can develop this essential tool, fitness and health become manageable and even enjoyable at any age. For Shaun T, this is a big part of his life.
“On Sundays, I will get my kids donuts, and I'll have one. I'm a big believer in this. If all of my meals are healthy and I'm working out,” he says, “and I go and have french fries or a couple of drinks with friends once a week or once every 10 days, there’s zero pressure.”
Motivation won’t come if you upheave your everyday routines and insert unrealistic goals—when you integrate a regimen that you truly enjoy and fits in with your current lifestyle, it becomes second nature. “Make it a part of your life. It’ll take the stress away from trying to maintain a physique.”
We often run into challenges when too many restrictions are put in place that are completely opposite to our day-to-day schedule. In the long run, it’s not sustainable and can lead to feelings of guilt, disappointment, or pressure. Society puts so much emphasis on building strict habits, dieting, and working out 5-6 days a week, but Shaun T has a different opinion that focuses more on taking care of yourself than striving to achieve a specific number on a scale.
“If I'm lacking motivation, I take a break,” he says. “That means I need to take a break and I'm fine with doing that. I'm fine with taking two days off. It's absolutely okay.”
If you currently have extreme expectations for your workout goals, remove them. Instead, replace them with a conducive fitness plan, one with rest days, enjoyable and easy-to-follow programs, and wiggle room to eat a donut now and then. Over time, maintaining motivation as you age becomes that much easier.
If you’re ready to conquer your fitness goals the right way and build a manageable fitness routine, Shaun T’s program—for any age—is the place to start. For more information, visit BODi’s website here or his Instagram page.
