Shaun T is the creator of the fierce Insanity range of DVD workouts. Vicky Hadley caught up with him to get some hot fitness tips and the inside track on what he eats.

(As seen orignially on Healthista.com)

Shaun T is creator of Insanity possibly the world’s most effective home workout system. So, when we had the chance to quiz the king of fitness, Shaun T, 37 on his diet and favourite exercises to tone up, we couldn’t wait for him to divulge his best kept health and fitness secrets.

‘I normally start my day with six to eight egg whites scrambled with avocado and bacon, sometimes I use chicken instead,’ says Shaun. ‘After my main breakfast I tend to opt for a side of berries which is a mix of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, it is so good’, Shaun laughs. ‘Followed by coffee, I  always have a coffee early in the morning’.

Shaun T with his EPR energy drink

Many people don’t actually know the full benefits of the sweet potato

‘Midmorning or pre-workout I will either have my new EPR energy drink (£19.99) which gives me a huge energy boost for my workout or a sweet potato’, he says. ‘Many people don’t actually know the full benefits of the sweet potato, it is not only fuelling for your workout but it also is anti-inflammatory so I don’t need to take any pain killers like ibuprofen’, he reveals. ‘I simply mash it up without any dressing, it really is the ultimate power house food’.

I normally start my day with six to eight egg whites scrambled with avocado and bacon

After Shaun T’s workout he goes on an early afternoon fast, meaning he doesn’t eat anything for a few hours. ‘I try not to eat too much in the middle of the day, except for drinking lots of water as I want to eat super healthy later in the day and I don’t want to fill my body up’, he says. ‘As I like to cook in the late afternoon and evening I will prepare a steak with bacon on top and cook it slowly with asparagus or spinach and quinoa on the side’, he says. ‘My other option is spaghetti squash, I grew up eating spaghetti and really love it’, he laughs. However it’s not the traditional spaghetti Shaun is indulging in; ‘there is a vegetable called spaghetti squash (above left), all you have to do is take a fork and scrape out the squash –  it comes out looking like spaghetti noodles’, he says. ‘I make it with beef to make a healthy alternative to the dish’. ‘The best part is that it’s only 35 calories per serving, much less compared to normal spaghetti,’ he reveals.

Spaghetti squash is only 35 calories per serving.

That might seem like a lot of food, but with his active lifestyle Shaun finishes his day with a later dinner in which he says he is often likely to make homemade tacos. ‘I make my own homemade guacamole and mix it with tomato sauce and use cabbage for the wrap, these are my healthy cabbage tacos’, he says.

What do you eat if you are on the run?

‘When I am busy or out and about with work I will still have my egg whites, however I opt for sushi for lunch as I know the fish will be healthy’, Shaun T says. ‘I have a huge love for chicken Caesar salad but the dressing is filled with unhealthy ingredients so I try to avoid it’, he laughs. ‘l love a kale salad with shrimp, goat’s cheese and believe it or not even more sweet potato for dinner’, he says.

‘My biggest motivational tip is that it’s not about defined abs or arms, it’s about defining your life to be the best you can be’, Shaun T says. ‘I try to tell people to aim for the body for you, if your mind is right your body will follow’, he says. ‘Because fit doesn’t have a dress size’, he says.

‘Different exercises work for different people’, he says. ‘However on a general basis, any sustained cardio where you are breathing heavy but that you can still manage is going to get you results’, he reveals. ‘I think running is the ultimate exercise, when your legs get tired, your core takes over, then your shoulders take over and when they get heavy your arms, then your lower back do the work,’ he says. ‘By the end of the workout your entire body feels it, you just have to make sure that you shouldn’t be able to talk,’ Shaun T says. ‘I advise running alone, put your headphones in and run until you are completely exhausted, your last distance should be a full on sprint as this enables your body to keep burning calories the next day,’ he reveals.

‘The leg lift, always’, he shouts. ‘This exercise will cause your booty to burn bad, you kneel down on all fours and do leg lifts,’ he says.

Booty Burners: Leg lifts to tone up.

In case this didn’t make sense, Shaun T clambers around on the floor to show me what he really means by these exercises, lifting one leg straight back and pulsing it up and down then moving it out to the side and pulsing again before returning it to the floor.

Pulsing: The best exercise for toning your glutes.

Best exercise for booty building

‘For actually booty building I recommend holding a dumbbell and squatting down,’ he says. ‘If you want to add in more of a challenge hold the deep squat and pulse up and down it will really burn but will definitely build your booty,’ he reveals. ‘My INSANITY MAX : 30 DVD workout (£79.90 from Amazon) is actually a full body workout but the booty burning exercises are ideal for building growth,’ Shaun T says. ‘If you do this workout for 60 days your booty will definitely be firm and peachy’, he laughs.

Shaun and I at his protein range launch.

1. Leave yourself wanting more

 Don’t over do your exercise in the first place, people always give up because they are tired or sore. I advise people to work out your individual body parts so hard that the next day you can completely ignore them and work a different body part.

2.Create your own calendar for 30 days then cross the days off as you work out. Additionally I really believe in progress photos, take a before and after picture ever 30 days. You really can see how you are changing and it will definitely help keep you motivated.

3. Make sure your relationship with your food is healthy People often think that food doesn’t matter, but if you aren’t eating right or healthily you won’t be able to do exercise or look after yourself at all.

Insanity: The Ultimate Cardio Workout and Fitness DVD Programme is available from Amazon for £105.95. Check out Shaun T’s new protein range at his EPR website