'You get stronger by unpacking the baggage, not by packing it into the closet,' he says. He encourages others to consider doing the same if they think they might have unresolved baggage holding them back from their health and fitness goals, or other goals for that matter. Growing up in that violent neighborhood, he says he suffered abuse from his stepfather and went through things that, later in life, it took him years of therapy to really work through and understand. Of course, it can often be more complicated than that for people, including Shaun T. 'Cause the weight will come off but the happiness is what's most important.' 'My goal for people out there is just just do things that make you feel good. Like create it for yourself and it will be so much fun.'Īnd he says, focus on the fun, not about how much you weigh. But I also get my friends I'm like, 'Yo, let's play volleyball today.' It doesn't always have to be the same thing. He does his own workouts, 'but I also play tennis. For example, sign up for a dance class or a basketball league. Shaun T says to stay motivated, it can help to mix it up. Shaun T attends the 20th Annual Arthur Ashe Kids' Day at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 2015 in the Queens borough of New York City. 'I was so small, but I soon began to realize that where we lived wasn't necessarily the best place in the world.' Back then, 40 years ago, he was a toddler named Shaun Thompson. 'The first thing I remember as a kid was being washed in the sink of our west Philadelphia apartment,' Shaun T says. In his workout videos he's funny and happy. With his sculpted muscles and abs, Shaun T is the picture of fitness. And in his new book, T is for Transformation, Shaun T tells the story of his life and the lessons he's learned about finding that motivation.

In our ever more digital world there are all kinds of apps and other quick ways to fit fitness into your life. One is called 'Insanity.' Another, 'Focus T25,' aims to get you in shape in just 25 minutes a day without leaving your house.

Millions of people have done his workout programs. In the world of streaming workout videos, Shawn T is like Jay-Z or Mick Jagger. Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Vital Sports & Entertainment At some live events, thousands of people turn out to work out with the fitness superstar. Shaun T attends the Sweat USA America's All-Star Fitness Festival at the Miami Beach Convention Center in 2013.

Focus t25 workout digital