By Natasha Carr

If you watch television, or live on earth, you’ve seen him. He’s that guy pumping his abs to hip-hop music, while women and men dancing behind him sweat profusely.

He’s Shaun T, the creator of Hip Hop Abs, one of North America’s most popular motivational workout programs. It was Shaun’s love of dance and sports that helped him to create the unconventional workout program while he was a student at New Jersey’s Rowan University. Sway caught up with the exercise guru during a promotional stop in Toronto.

Sway: You’ve created the most celebrated exercise program since Tae Bo. What made you develop Hip Hop Abs?
Shaun T: I developed Hip Hop Abs after high school. I went to college, stopped doing sports and gained 50 pounds. I needed to do something. I started dancing, and during every show there was always the request for guys to have their shirts off. I needed to do something about my belly, so I decided to always contract my abs. After receiving my bachelor’s degree in sports science, I was able to scientifically prove that tilt, tuck and tightening works to strengthen the core and develop rock-hard abs.

S: If someone wants to change their unhealthy lifestyle into a healthy lifestyle, how do you suggest they should go about doing it?
ST: The easiest way to change your lifestyle is not to go on a “diet” or say, “I will start my new workout on Monday.” That Monday turns into a month of Mondays! If you want to start a workout program, the minute you decide to commit, do 20 jumping jacks or drop down and do 10 push-ups. When I was overweight, I would work out for 10 minutes a day for two weeks and work my way up. In a lifestyle change toward healthy living there is no rush – just a better mind. That will take you further than any diet.

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