Doug Lotz 00:03
Hey everyone! This is Doug Lotz, active lifestyle enthusiastic armchair futurist and founder of CardioCast an audio guided fitness app where we help people get fit and stay fit by making studio quality fitness classes more accessible and affordable than ever, in delivering the best music and coaching possible. Anytime, anywhere. You’re listening to the CardioCast CoolDown Podcast, where we explore topics, the intersection of health, fitness and personal wellness, you’re ready. Let’s go. Welcome to the CardioCast CoolDown podcast where we explore topics of the intersection between health, fitness and personal wellness. Today, we’ll be talking with Shannon Decker, a certified personal trainer. She’s been making her mark on the lively LA Fitness scene for over a decade and using her platform to motivate Hollywood’s finest to achieve both their mental and physical goals. Welcome, Shannon, thanks so much for joining us.
Shannon Decker 00:54
Thank you. So happy to be here. I love what you guys are doing.
Doug Lotz 00:58
Thanks. Yeah. And so, to kick things off, I usually like to start with with folks, you know, sort of getting their why right. Why did you pursue choose to pursue a career in physical fitness? And in particular, personal training?
Shannon Decker 01:14
Yeah, great question. I actually tried to avoid it for way too long. I wish I would have found this sooner. But um, I had kind of an interesting childhood, I was emancipated when I was 15. And sports kind of like saved me. So I always, you know, had structure and really good role models and families that were there for me through some crazy times. And so I was really into sports and athletics. And then I went, when I got out of college, or when I started college, I started going for to get my elementary school teaching credential, because I was really good with kids. And then I was thinking, I started modeling down in LA at the time during college. And I was like, you know, I can make more money and still model if I did pediatric nursing. So I switched from teaching to nursing. And during this time, I had a lot more crazy stuff happen within my personal life. And so fitness continued to save me like, like it did in my youth. And so from there, I just kind of clung to it. And it was my rock meat for me personally. And I said, you know, somebody asked me why I was trading so hard. And I said, You know, I was talking, talking, talking, and finally I just spit out, you know, it’s for the sanity, not the vanity. And so fast forward, I started really getting into fitness for myself personally, and people were reaching out to me asking me to train them, or can I work out with you and I was still kind of turns out, I didn’t love nursing school. And I could kind of feel it wasn’t for me. And I was still modeling down in LA. And my modeling agency sent me on a casting for a reality television show based on indoor cycling. So I was like, okay, should I do this? Should I move to LA, I decided to do it. And I saw the other cast members of that show making a really good living in Los Angeles, Personal Training, acting modeling, doing all that stuff. So that is how I got into it kind of a long story. But looking back, you can connect all the dots. So
Doug Lotz 03:19
Cool. I will dive right into Hollywood cycle. Well, at least on the service, right? Because and I haven’t seen it to be completely upfront and honest about that. I’m not like, you know, the Vegas. I don’t really watch too much TV, but but you know, I have heard so many times from folks, when they’re on TV, I always like to ask them like, Alright, what was the experience that you expected? And what is the experience that you actually had? Because I always hear that it’s like, you know, nothing is as it seems. And like sometimes they like, you know, the hosel like, trick you into doing things and then they like warp it, you know, for the purpose of the script or whatever. But, you know, what was it like working on the show, you know, and then I guess my second follow up will be like, Okay, how much of reality TV is really real?
Shannon Decker 04:09
Yeah, no, I’ll tell you. So it’s, the whole genre is very interesting, because I swear to you, I enjoy trashy television as much as the next one. You know, it’s kind of like mind numbing. And it’s just fun, right? So all find myself getting caught up in it, and I’ll have to remind myself away. It’s, it’s not real. Um, so much of it is you hear people say, oh, scripted, scripted. So basically, when you pitch a show to a television network and say it’s a drama on The CW, you kind of have to tell them like, Hey, this is what we’re pitching. This is the storyline right? A movie a show. So reality television kind of have to do has to do the same thing. So they have a basic storyline. So that’s why you hear people say it’s scripted because you know some of those wild, famous traditional reality television Television moments that might have just happened. But the the foundation is the storyline, if that makes sense. So there’s always something that, you know, they kind of have to get from you before you’re able to wrap up your filming section. So if they’re not getting that from you, then they will, like, they’ll never tell you exactly you need to do this, but they’ll very much encourage you strongly in different ways to get you there. So they can even leave. Yeah.
Doug Lotz 05:29
So they kind of like they, they, like put bumpers around or like architected in such a way that they’d sort of funnel you into situations or is that the kind of Yeah, that’s a good way to say it first. Okay, interesting. But they don’t say, all right, like, you’re gonna react this way, you’re gonna do that, like, okay, because they gotta get some element of reality.
Shannon Decker 05:51
Yeah, so a lot of people’s personalities, you’re still saying it in your own way. But they highly encourage you in that direction. Like, yeah,
Doug Lotz 06:02
you meet some, I imagine you’ve probably seen your personalities met some interesting person. He’s, I mean, everybody, I don’t know, it was everybody kind of like, what they look like on screen or where people kind of like, Oh, this is my like, game face. I’m like acting now. Or like, where people you know, how much of that was there with like, you know, outsized people,
Shannon Decker 06:20
I think in reality, in general, you’re kind of like booked for your personality, in general, but then it’s like, you kind of go a certain direction. So if I don’t know if I’m allowed to swear, but if you’re like, I’ll say bratty, instead of the B word, like, if you’re just kind of like a bratty female in general, maybe they want you to play that up. I was like, I’m very, like, sweet, high energy in general. So that’s kind of I was like, the naive, sweet girl, you know, but that that’s pretty true. You know, I’m not, I’m not gonna be able to act and play a B word. Like, that’s just not possible for me to you know, that’s, that’s acting, right. Which a lot of it is acting, but yeah, they kind of like play up your general personality, I
Doug Lotz 07:01
think so then how to just sort of, you know, that sounds like he was jumping in point right to sort of this. I mean, I guess they say like, you know, the fitness influencer, or all their hair, you know, I mean, it’s, it’s a real business, and it’s a real thing. So I’m kind of curious how all of that sort of parlayed into, you know, your, your personal training business, and you know, how, sort of, you know, you got going and starting your business, you know, as an entrepreneur myself, like, you know, I am kind of actually coming from the outside of the fitness world, and, you know, creating a product and like, getting to know, trainers and building that sort of ecosystem. But, you know, I myself never really, you know, this is the podcast the first time I’m kind of, like, you know, out in the scene, so to speak, but curious how, as a solo, you know, sort of as you being the trainer, like how you built your business? And like how that, you know, stuff came together?
Shannon Decker 07:50
Yeah, that’s a great question. Because I think for any trainers, listening, or anybody that wants to get into the business, it’s so different for everybody, most of my good friends are, you know, in the, in the fitness industry, and, you know, I have a lot of friends that also train or do online stuff, and every one of our stories are unique, even though we all do the same thing. So don’t compare yourself to somebody else. So my, my entry was very different and organic, you know, I was modeling I was, but if you think of teaching in nursing, and then with the influence of art modeling, that’s kind of like what I do now, right? All three of those are training and, and being a fitness influencer. So the show I make fun of it, just because like, I make fun of myself about it, but it was, it was everything for me. Because when I was in Santa Barbara, that’s where I moved from, to LA, I didn’t realize that personal training wasn’t such a lucrative and legit business. You know, I’d seen people that were like, a lot of people do training as like, on the side as like, they’re trying to become an actor, and they just do it to supplement. Like, I love training. So I think that translated itself, when I started into this career, and I would just try to get anybody in LA to let me train them I would drive from Silver Lake to Santa Monica, I would train people for free. I was just every day grinding, just trying to show people what I could do. And that’s, you know, get sharp sharpen my skills, as much as I could just by repetition and learning and doing and so fast forward, you know, now I turned people away, and I’m trying to just keep my small group of clients, I could train 15 hours a day if I wanted to. So, the show was so great, because it exposed me to the possibility then I put in my own work ethic. I love it so much. I’m really good at it. And then one is just word of mouth, you know, and then the show built my Instagram, which you know, a couple other I did another reality show with the rock two years ago called Titan games. So that bumps me up a little bit more and so much of my business is through Instagram and word of mouth. So I think it was kind of every thing.
Doug Lotz 10:00
Yeah, Dwayne The Rock Johnson, let’s go. Second. What is? I’m sorry to have y’all like, you know, lose the leg, we’re going to them but like, Alright, come on, what was it like working with him?
Shannon Decker 10:11
It’s weird because nobody’s ever asked me that before. It’s like, the first question I get. I’m telling you I did a two years ago in January, I did my own little media tour after I did the Titan games, new shows on the east coast in Canada and in the Midwest and up north. And it was the first question everybody asked me and I could look dead in the eye and be like, he was the nicest, coolest, most real. He’s everything that you see him projecting. He is the coolest guy. He’s so real. He’s so down to earth. I do not understand how he does it all. Like it blows my mind. He must not sleep. He’s He must be an angel in real life or something that is easy to talk about, because he’s just so cool. And really it was that was a going from an area show is kind of what you expect, you asked all the right questions about that, to the Titan games. That was life changing, because they wanted us to tell our stories along with like, our why of fitness, like you asked me. And it was the first time I told my my truth. And it’s because I felt so supported within that production company. And that is that and and it’s been two years since then. And now it’s so freeing, and so powerful, because I’m able to talk so much more about my personal story. And it resonates with people and shows people who I really am. And instead of this image they might see on Instagram. And it’s all because of they gave me that platform to do that where I felt safe. So
Doug Lotz 11:47
yeah, that sounds really special, especially in comparison to some of the other experiences and the or even your intro experience. That sounds like a polar opposite. You know, speaking of sort of the Instagram, you know, versus reality, sort of divide, it’s an interesting time, right, where, you know, a lot of people are very much turning to social media to sort of architect their dreams and their lifestyle. So I don’t know, if you had anything you wanted to say to those people who, you know, are inspired by what they’re seeing on Instagram, but like, you know, any messages of like, how to, how to use that in your life and your Fitness Motivation in a healthy way. Just because I know that there’s Yeah, I mean, there’s a lot of folks out there who are looking up to folks like you and sort of building in their goals and dreams around what they’re seeing. So, but I also know that there’s a lot of people who, you know, everybody’s different, and everybody’s journey is different. So just curious to get your take on that
Shannon Decker 12:46
my brain instantly goes to like, it’s kind of overwhelming, right? Like, you go to buy a new car. And if you’ve never bought a new car before, there’s so many options, so many makes a model so many, has it been in a crash before has it been rebuilt, like, I kind of, like compare that analogy to Instagram fitness influencers, because, you know, there’s so many people that project a certain image, and it’s like, hard to sift through it all, like I’m a, I would say like, I am Instagrams, my second job, because I have a full time training business where I’m living this lifestyle day in and day out. And I’m not saying that other girls who just do fitness on Instagram, they’re not, that’s not saying that they’re not offering value. But it’s, it’s just hard to, to trust, like, you know, the skinny t stuff, the waist trainers, the, you know, there’s plastic surgery out there, there’s a lot of stuff. And really, it’s really simple, you have to be consistent, and you have to have a good diet, it’s, you know, you drink water, you got to get sleep you have to your mental and your physical health has to be a priority, right? Well, I
Doug Lotz 13:59
think we go back to your mantra, right, for the sanity, not the vanity, right? I think, you know, inspiration in the form of, you know, seeing folks who have gone through their fitness journeys, you know, and sort of gotten results that they’re looking for, you know, that can certainly be something that is inspiring, but at the end of the day, I think, you know, a lot of maybe, you know, too much weight can be placed on the vanity of it all and really, you know, for every person, at least, we’re trying to go out and help your cardio cast, I’m sure you’re doing the same in your personal training business. It’s, you know, it’s a very personal journey. And it’s a very sort of like it almost you mentioned before, you know, diet super important, like sometimes the training element. You know, it’s well, it is less important a lot of the time than the diet when it comes to actually like, you know, your body and losing weight and whatnot, but
Shannon Decker 14:51
it’s hard to navigate. I think I can only control myself, right. So I think my responsibility as a public figure and as a public account is to Be as real as I can while still protecting my personal life, you know, and I think I tried to do that, like I showed myself eating tacos with my family. But then the next morning I showed myself trail running with my little brother, I show myself you know, getting my Botox treatments that was a big one with people. I think a lot of people don’t want to put that out there. Like, why to put that stuff out there. Like my age, I’m very open about my age, I’m I’m 37 and look a lot younger than I am like, and I’m not trying to be anything I’m not, you know, I tell people all the time, it’s hard even for me to stick to a schedule, I’m in the gym 10 hours a day. And the last thing I want to do is stay there and work out myself.
15:44
The irony of the fitness professional sometimes, right? I mean, especially me, I’m like, you know, sitting behind a desk a lot of the time, like on meetings, working through stuff, and it’s all fitness content. So then it’s like, you know, early in the morning, I’m like, I’m just getting through emails and everything. And then late at night, I’m like, exhausted from talking about it all.
Shannon Decker 16:02
Like, I’ll do it. I’ll do it now other than I tell people
Doug Lotz 16:05
Pretty ironic, but I definitely empathize with
Shannon Decker 16:11
people. I’m like, you guys, I hire a boxing coach, because I love boxing. I hire trainers in my gym, because I know if I schedule it, the same reason people pay me is because I’m right here with you. You know, so I absolutely same challenges apply. Exactly. So yeah, I think I think that’s a responsibility of the influencer. And I think people really respond to that realness. And that, you know, you hear that word authenticity a lot. So that’s kind of what what I’ve been trying to do.
Doug Lotz 16:39
I mean, imagine, I’m just thinking about, you know, the pandemic in your business. I mean, obviously, it’s affected everybody in the fitness industry, but given your sort of the fact that you’re doing Personal Training, you know, one on ones and everything. How has that been for you in the last, you know, however long it’s been, I feel like it’s been forever. What changes
Shannon Decker 16:58
year to year almost, yeah, um, so I get asked this a lot also, and it’s so interesting, I slowed down for one month here in Los Angeles, it was kind of the unknown, you know, we were kind of adjusting gyms, all clothes. And during that time, I’m a bit of a workaholic. So during that time, my my best friend had a home gym that you could access through the backyard. So I went and I did, I started side projects that I just had never got into. So we were loving live, like we were quarantined together, I did a YouTube challenge. I’ve made a whole other online program. So that was my second one I’ve done. And it was kind of nice, you know, to have that time to do the stuff I’ve been wanting to do anyways, but I was just so busy with my clients. And so then the gym started to reopen. And we moved the gym where I was training at, it’s you know, it’s a private gym, where only trainers and their clients can go. So we started moving equipment outside, we started laying turf, we started adding awnings, we added fans and
Doug Lotz 18:02
Jealous of you being in LA to be able to do that.
Shannon Decker 18:05
Yeah, I know we were loving it, we’re like, this is kind of nice, I would come home like dirty and sunburn and like happy and exhausted at the end of every day. But unfortunately, like I’m sure you’ve heard this story with pandemic stuff a lot. Like, you know, they, their whole business had to close. So then I moved to another outdoor gym and I was set to move to a whole new gym, and that one closed and blah, blah, blah. So my business, I’ve been pivoting, I’m not a big zoom trainer type of person. I’m not a big online trainer. You know, every trainer has their own sound, you have to find what works for you. I’m a very hands on. Very, like I think, you know, people like being around my energy and feed off of that. So I’m more of an in person type of gal. But it was nice for me to build my online business a little bit more I started working. During quarantine, I started I signed officially with an app called shred who does really well. So I worked a lot with I’m working a lot with them. And we’re launching an incredible program that was kind of born from the pandemic where I can work out real time like a class. So it’s basically like, if I do a class, you can take my class in the morning, send it to your friend say hey, Shannon’s AP class got me this morning, they take a score on your class, he can do it on the screen, he can do my class. And the technology is like you’re doing it with him together. So like you’re there together, but you’ve already taken the class in the morning, you can have eight people so I just think the pandemic was so hard for so many people but there’s so many silver linings and so many new opportunities out there. So you’ve got to kind of just keep your head up, keep it moving. the fitness industry is not going anywhere. It’s just changing. So
Doug Lotz 19:53
I attended the fitness and active brand summit which had a big digital focus this year. For obvious reasons and It was really interesting to hear, you know, for those economies that had opened up a little bit, I guess this is probably, you know, I guess there’s probably a second wave now in Asia even but, but then in parts of Asia that had reopened and, you know, we’re pretty much 100% open, the fitness or sort of the gym attendance was up from where it was previously. And they kind of attributed that a to just people being a little pent up, but be to just your awareness of health, you know, and health and wellness in general. And just as speak of silver linings, right, you know, I mean, so many have suffered so greatly and, you know, lost loved ones and everything, but at least there’s the understanding and sort of the, the, the positive benefits coming out of this, that like their, their need to do something about their health and staying active and staying, you know, physically fit is really important. So, if you know, fingers crossed, if if we can get that benefit out of all this, at least I think it’ll be a win. At least one small wins. So
Shannon Decker 20:59
Oh, interesting. That’s a good share. Yeah. And I always get invited to those things, but it’s like, I’m busy. Like training. I’m like, I rely on people like you to post about it.
Doug Lotz 21:10
Yeah, no, I mean, there’s, you know, there’s some interesting things coming out of that those conversations that we had, amongst, you know, other fitness entrepreneurs. And it’s just interesting how much there’s a focus now on whole body and well being and like, connecting the dots between physical, you know, mental and diet and everything, sort of tying them all together. I mean, with cardio cast, we’re very much right now focused on or we have been focused on just the workout part. I mean, YouTube, you know, doing physical training. But you know, so much now has come to light about the importance of the recovery side of things as well. And just the mental aspect of it. And like, so we’re introducing yoga soon. At the time of recording, I’m not sure when will this will be up, but at some point, we’ll have some, some restorative and insert stretching type yoga classes in the app. And, you know, I personally do a lot of meditation every day and have made that an important Well, it’s been an important part of my life for some time, but, you know, have recognized its importance even more lately. So, yeah, it’s really interesting. In terms of some of the trends coming out of this.
Shannon Decker 22:15
Yeah, mindfulness, mobility, recovery, training, smart. All that stuff is like the loading like, all that stuff. It’s so cool to see, even though in the short amount of time I’ve been, you know, as a trainer, it’s like, so cool to see that can kind of come to the forefront, for sure.
Doug Lotz 22:33
Yeah, people thinking about, like, what’s important for their lives and where they want to be and everything, which, which actually reminds me I want to ask about surfing, because speaking of what’s important in people’s lives. So let’s talk surfing, I am curious, you know, Have you always been a server and, you know, what does that do for you? What does it mean for you in your life, and you know, just telling you about it,
Shannon Decker 22:56
that’s cool. I don’t, a lot of people don’t know about my surfing background. And it’s kind of unique within the surf industry also. So I grew up surfing because my real father, remember I was emancipated. I kind of chose surfing. So he was kind of that was his, his baby and his love his fashion. Yeah, I kind of took over everything which sometimes happens to surfers. So he’s this like, big, gruff guy that discovered surfing in the Pacific Northwest. He kind of, you know, grew up in Southern California. He was one of the first people to go explore through like Indian reservations and down creeks and finding these cool waves that nobody had ever surfed before. So he kind of has this legendary vibe.
Doug Lotz 23:41
Exploration that is that’s pretty wild.
Shannon Decker 23:44
Yeah, it’s he’s, he’s kind of a, you know, my lessons Decker. So people say you’re Decker’s daughter Decker has a daughter then he’s as big tough gruff surfer dude beard, and he has a hood on and everything and I come along like Hi. Um, so that’s kind of in my blood he would when I was younger, he would always take us boogie boarding surfing. He actually would surf really big gnarly waves out in the Pacific Ocean and stuff called Westport. And he would put me on his back. So I’ve hold on to his nakki six, three and really strong. Now you know where I get it from. He paddled me out in the Riptide next to this huge long jetty out, you know, mile out to the big waves. And then he plopped me on the board sit me and you know, in front, when a wave came, I’d climb back on his back he paddle for the wave. And then he would whip me around in the front and surf me on these crazy when I’m on there’s no chance that’s happening by the way. So then fast forward I in the surfing world and surfing culture, it’s it’s your your Kook, which is like person who thinks they’re really good surfer or like, doesn’t really know what they’re doing doesn’t know about surfing culture and doesn’t know how to be out in the lineup. It’s kind of this culture where you don’t really talk much about it. You don’t share your Secret spots. You don’t tell people how good you are how good your waves were, you’re very humble, right? So I came to Santa Barbara and I would just drive up the coast to this spot called Halawa, because it reminded me of the like, rugged, rocky coast that I would always like, like hardcore, stormy waves and I, I’m really comfortable and all like elements because I was just so used to like very intense ocean, right? So then you come down to Malibu and Santa Barbara is a lot more playful, a lot more user friendly. So I would drive north to Santa Barbara, north of Santa Barbara, cuz that’s what I’m more comfortable in. So for a girl that’s kind of like a big deal, you know, I shortboard I don’t really longboard as much which is also rare for girls nowadays, not as much. But when I was younger, I’ve been all over the world. So traveling, so Indonesia, Australia, Mexico, Hawaii, all those places. So now fast forward, I moved to LA and I’m in the gym every day. So my mom like, Don’t you miss or thing? And I’m like, no, not really, serving takes up so much time. It’s like, you need to spend so much money on it and store the equipment. And I think now my true joy comes from being in the ocean. So I think I think my heart and my soul I’m like so comfortable and in the ocean water and the salt water and it revives me and it makes me feel so good. And I still love surfing, but it’s not my priority. I right now my heart’s in the gym, but it’s definitely a part of me. I’m still I can hold my own out there. I still love it. Like, I’m so comfortable out there. But no, I don’t not as much
Doug Lotz 26:41
I grew up doing a lot of sailing, my family is just like, that’s their thing. That’s like literally, I was like on the rail, you know, but like, three years old, like basically tied down on my life jacket. So you know, the sea has always been sort of, you know, my happy place and a passion of mine as well. boogie board had like the rest of them as a kid. Never like, I never really took up surfing. And that was before the pandemic hit. I was thinking about that as something to go off and do. While we’ve, you know, I’m 100%, our company’s 100% distributed, it’s all remote, right? So we can kind of work from anywhere, which is great. If anybody’s thinking of starting a company that way, I highly recommend it. But also recommend that you think about how you’re going to operate because it’s very challenging when you’re all remote in different places. But
Shannon Decker 27:31
well, my website designer, she’s amazing. Her name’s Emily. She’s so talented. She does logos graphic design. And she started surfing here in LA. And then she is now in I think Sayulita currently she did Indonesia. And she’s just like, disciplined, diligent, but she gets her surfing, she has her work times works off her computer. She’s amazing. She’s doing it, she can work from anywhere. So
Doug Lotz 27:59
it’s a thing. I mean, it’s inspiring thing for me, too. I’ve seen people, you know, take it up. And it’s kind of a very Zen flow kind of activity and something that I feel like can help you just sort of lock in and relax a little bit. And people will do like a session in the morning. And then like, you know, hit their laptop, like for the rest of the day. Right? That seemed attractive. I don’t know, you know, what, what would you recommend for a brand new person starting out? Like what do you how do you even get started just go to a school or like a lesson or something. I mean, it’s kind of tough right now. But
Shannon Decker 28:27
yeah, take a lesson. You start on the beach. It’s basically a burpee up onto the board. Like, mind your back. And then and then you know, even just go to Hawaii, like you can still have some some first world you know, resources over there. Yeah, Converse. Yeah, Mexico, Indonesia, Australia. People are so happy to I think people’s true joy is exposed in the surfing world. You know, you just have this, this peace in this joy that bubbles out of you just from being in the ocean, like you said, and you kind of find your centers. I think people are so happy to share that and see that light get turned on within you. So I think you you would have an easier time than what your brain is telling you getting.
29:12
I think that’s often how it is with a lot of things. You just got to get out there and do it and then kind of see what what the universe gives you in return of it.
Shannon Decker 29:20
Are you married? Do you have kids?
Doug Lotz 29:21
No, no, no. Yeah. No, I don’t kids.
Shannon Decker 29:24
Do you have a dog?
29:25
I don’t anymore. I don’t have it. I’m like, completely like have zero. Yeah, I
Shannon Decker 29:30
We got up and holding you back.
Doug Lotz 29:33
Right now like literally it’s the pandemic that’s kind of gumming up the works. But
Shannon Decker 29:39
I’ve traveled more this year than anything. I haven’t knock on wood. I haven’t gotten COVID but just I you know, I’ve traveled a lot. And I’ve just because I’m so used to working so much. So I’m like, Oh wow, I can actually like take advantage of your thing. Yeah. And so my clientele kind of got cut in half and I liked it. So I kind of kept it that way and took advantage. Living my life a little bit more, and I’ve been very safe, I get tested. Often I wear my mask I wash my hands like not saying that you’re not gonna get cold, but you just as long as you like do the guidelines, then I think you’re good. A lot of countries are just making you, you know, get tested four days before or? Yeah, there’s regularly are everywhere.
Doug Lotz 30:24
Yeah, so, yeah, I guess I can revisit the old plans. Cool. I kind of want to turn back for a second to something we mentioned briefly earlier. And, you know, that was about diet and its importance. And, you know, I know, we’re both in sort of the fitness part of all of this, but like, you know, I’m curious, obviously, you know, as, you know, as an influencer, maintaining your, you know, your your looks and your sort of the body that you have, it’s, I’m sure a huge part of it has to be right, it has to be a huge part of what you do. I know everybody’s different. I know some people, I’ve seen people who just seem to be able to eat anything, but like, I’m kind of curious. What’s, what’s your thought? What’s your, what’s your diet look like? What would you make? And it’s hard to make recommendations on a personal level. But if you had any, what would they be?
Shannon Decker 31:13
Yeah, no, you’re exactly right. Most of the girls that I’ve modeled with for the last 15 years, the skinniest ones eat the most, I’m telling you, it makes no sense.
Doug Lotz 31:22
So they’re just blast, but some sort of crazy, you’ve been tabble ism that we can’t even
Shannon Decker 31:25
know. But that goes back to like, my point is that like genetics plays such a big role there. Well, that game, like you can’t describe it, genetics, what’s worked for me might not work for you, because you have different genes. Right. So I think my advice on this would be that I think it’s, I think it’s very personal. And I think sometimes you have to go through some trial and error to connect to your body, listen to your body, you know, what certain foods make you feel like I think, you know, if you’re trying to intermittent fast, but for some reason, your mood is nasty in the morning, and you do better with you know, a balanced breakfast, like, you know, for example, I struggle with like kind of extreme PMS every month. And so, for me diets really, it’s really important for me to eat in the mornings, and I need to eat something that is carbs, which are not the devil. protein. Yeah, healthy fats and fibers. That combination regulates not only my blood sugar, but my hormone levels, which makes me happy and energized and be able to do my job. So that’s what’s most important to me. The days I don’t do that and I forget to eat because I’m on the go. And I’m drinking coffee. Like I can feel my I’m not right. So that’s I go by the for me personally, I go by the 8020 rule. So I eat very clean and I often throughout the week, my work week, and then Saturday and Sundays like I work so hard, like I love to, like order in or get food I love so much like I you can follow me on Instagram, you know that I’m an eater. I’m hungry all the time. But so I eat clean, which means you know, maybe I’m I’m doing a grilled chicken wrap and no mayo and you know, making little decisions like that that add up. So then when the weekend comes, I can have a truffle pizza with a glass of wine. That was like my last trade I had that I posted about you know, so I think that works well for me. I think some of these fad diets You know, I think do your research I think to ask around dm people like me trainers who What do you think nutritionist What do you think you know, but it’s everybody’s different if you’re a breastfeeding mom, compared to a guy who’s trying to build muscle you can’t have the same diet. It’s like it’s it’s personalized, you know, just fitnesses So, I don’t know, I think that there’s most of my clients, I try to get to the root of their eating habits. So if my client is bingeing and I know it Why Why has she been? Oh, she’s working nights in the hospital and she’s exhausted So okay, how we’re gonna fix that so understand the route understand the problem understand the problem, then you can start you know making adjustments within that your diet world to fix that. So that’s kind of where I stand. I love food a lot. I think that I’m very chill when it comes to food as a as a trainer, and I think my clients find me for that reason I’m not super restrictive. And that’s, I think, for the sanity not the vanity comes along. You want five extra pounds off of you. I’m like, that’s your life. Like that’s your cupcake with your best friend on the beach. That’s your family dinner taco night. Like, what life is short. I’ve had so much crap happened to me and lost so many people that I’m like, I’ll take the five pounds, which is a rare mentality to have as a trainer, but, you know, that’s just me.
Doug Lotz 34:48
Yeah, no, but it’s real. And it’s, I think it goes to what’s you know, what’s really going to make you happy in the long run. It’s like, you know, you can you you What are you working for, if you’re suffering your whole life on you know, this really The restrictive meal plan,
Shannon Decker 35:02
and your body feels that stress. So your body a lot of times the second you stop stressing, you end up losing the five pounds anyways. Yeah,
Doug Lotz 35:10
right. Right. Exactly. That’s definitely. I mean, you know, sleep is obviously massively important too, and just, you know, controlling your adrenaline and your, you know, cortisol and everything.
Shannon Decker 35:26
That was huge for me, I was teaching spin 10 times a week and building my training business and, you know, teaching group fitness A lot of times, you know, it’s like, I was just so shocked, I would, I would fall asleep everywhere, I probably wasn’t the best girlfriend or person to be around, you know, it was just like I was, my adrenal glands were just not there. We’re just shot, you know, and just over producing and just constant data, just go go. Well, and it was so unhealthy. You know, so a lot of people are overtraining and disrupting their, their system for sure. So,
Doug Lotz 36:04
yeah, actually, I mean, that’s a big, so it’s funny, because like, with cardio cast, we’re doing this thing called burn. And we’re trying to basically give pay people to work out more, because, you know, we see what people’s habits are. And we know that like, you know, okay, one workout a month is not going to like is not a fitness plan going to make you know, it’s like, so are you we want to try to get people in and do things more regularly. But at the same time, overtraining, for some people, it can be a real issue as well. I’ve known people who, I mean, they’re already working stressful jobs. And yes, working out can be a good way to de stress and at least declutter your mind and everything. But I’ve also seen it get to be overdone to the point where like, you’re adding stress to your body. And that will actually hinder you rather than help you. And so for those, you know, those select few people who I say, if you because just in general, I’m thinking about, you know, I’m sure there are a lot more people out there who will be finding it harder to even get motivated or get it all. But for those people who are, you know, really going at it? I think it’s tracking what you’re doing, not in like just trying to maximize, but also looking at your recovery and looking at the periods in between? And are you getting enough? sleep? Are you you feel good, like, you know, does the immediate feeling or the happy chemicals that come from working out or one thing, but like, if you’re drained all the time, you should think about that. And so anyway, I
Shannon Decker 37:26
started taking two recovery days instead of one, I think three years ago, I want to say, yeah, so it’s, it’s so good. You know, it’s important. A lot of my clients, I make them do that, too. And they fight me so hard.
Doug Lotz 37:41
Well, because if they’re with you now, like they’ve made this motivational switch, and they’re like going at it, and then you know, you’re there helping them so I can see how that’d be like, what, like, but I’m ready. Where can people find out more about you and you have any projects or anything going on? or?
Shannon Decker 37:58
Yeah, so you can follow me on all social platforms at Shannon Shape. And then my website has a lot of programs that I do not market enough. So if you’re listening, go check those out. It’s Shannonshape.com. And then you can train with me on the Shred app, which is so exciting. So cool. I’m all my eggs are in that basket. And we’ve just launched classes. So you’ll be seeing me a lot more in regards to that technology. So it’s a whole new fitness platform that anybody can make a class for, or do a workout with workout with your friends, the technology is crazy. So that’s the thing I’m most excited about.
38:41
Well, thanks, everyone for listening and tuning in. And please don’t forget to subscribe to the show and leave us a review. You know, good or bad. I’m sure the bad ones will be amusing as I like to say. You can also follow us at CardioCast app on Instagram and check out our app CardioCast on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You know the cool thing about fitness apps in general is that it’s not a one stop for everything. You know, there’s a lot of different things you can do in terms of different like like just like you wouldn’t go to the same class every single time like you know the gym. There’s a lot out there. So, especially with cardio cast, everybody can use a break from from zoom meetings and video calls in the legs to get a little screen back in for yourself.
Shannon Decker 39:27
That’s for sure. Thank you so much.
39:32
Hey, everyone. If you like the CardioCast CoolDown, please don’t forget to leave us a review wherever you’re listening. You can also connect with us on Instagram at CardioCast app, and check out our website, CardioCast.app and check out our app on the App Store or Play Store. See you next week.
