#LifeGoals — Shapprell Dallas on her fitness journey and social media fame

By Kimberly Jarvis | Sep 6, 2018
special to espnW.com

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for many parents — school-age students head back to the classroom after their summer respite. For 47-years-young fitness trainer Shapprell Dallas, the start of the 2018-19 academic year was different.

Her only child, Destiny, recently enrolled at the University of Miami. She no longer had a kid to cart around to school, doctor’s appointments and more. She was dropping her little girl off at college.

But Dallas, who resides in the Orlando-metro area, didn’t want to give in to an empty-nester “my-life-is-slowing-down” mentality. She was starting anew, and this stage of life was anything but empty.

Raising a child absorbed much of her time, and now, with a bit of free time on her hands, she hopes to grow Top Bodies Fitness Company, a gym and fitness center, with her husband, Patrick Dallas. She also wants to write the sequel to her book “Getting Fit Before, During and After Pregnancy,” which was published nearly two decades ago. It’s as if she was hitting a reset button.

Though motherhood is a lifelong job, Dallas discussed the next chapter of her life as a mom-athlete, her workout routine and how she gained nearly 40,000 Instagram followers.

espnW: Do you have more time to dedicate to fitness now that your daughter is in college?

Shapprell Dallas: I do. However, I was dedicated to fitness when my daughter was home with me. It’s not just that my schedule opened up because my daughter went off to college. I’m just as busy as I was then. The only difference now is the free time outside of work. Now I’m spending more time on projects I had on the back burner because I wanted to spend more time with her. 

espnW: What was the impetus for becoming health- and fitness-conscious?

SD: I don’t like to use the word addicted, but [working out] is the best type of addiction. I love fitness so much and what it has done for me personally. I’ve had family members who were stricken with heart disease and hypertension. I won’t let that happen to me. Poor eating habits and lack of exercise is what leads to all these medical problems. I committed to living a healthy lifestyle years ago, and I know I’ll be working out at 57, 67 and 77 years old. It’s just who I am. I’ll be the old lady pushing her friends in the wheelchairs because I’m going to be fit. I live by that.

espnW: What is your fitness routine?

SD: My favorite exercises are bun and ab training — I do no less than 500 and sometimes up to 1,000 reps per day. The ab exercises include [crunches, bicycles, jackknifes and leg lifts]. I work out in the morning for 45 minutes, Monday through Friday. I love doing machines and free weights on various days of the week. In the evening, I also teach 60-minute classes including kickboxing, dance fitness and a boot camp.

espnW: Do you have any suggestions for those who want to start working out but are limited on time?

SD: My husband and I always tell people there are no excuses. Even if all the gyms in the world went out of business, you could still get your fitness on. I would tell anyone who wants to ditch a sedentary lifestyle and become more fit and healthy that it will no doubt be the best decision they could ever make. They could even start with something simple, like taking the stairs as opposed to the elevator. Or when you go shopping, park far from the entrance on the back row and walk the extra steps. I would also recommend focusing most of their attention on diet and nutrition. If you exercise daily, yet still take in far too many calories, you will not see the rewards of your labor.

espnW: You’ve garnered lots of buzz on social media for your ageless appearance and dedication to fitness. What has that experience been like?

SD: I have mixed emotions about it. I use social media as a marketing tool to stay visible. I am so thankful and humbled by the attention and recognition it has given me. I am most appreciative of all of the wonderful things that have come to me from being online. I’ve never looked at myself as being “social media famous,” but people keep telling me that I am. I will humbly accept it. I take social media for what it is. I’m very thankful for what it’s done for my career and humbled by the compliments.

espnW: What does your daughter think about you becoming a social media personality?

SD: She is so supportive and absolutely loves it. She grew up in the gym and was known as the gym baby. I taught classes and worked out my entire nine months of pregnancy. I was a full-time mom and business owner; I took her to the gym every day. My husband teased that our daughter was going to grow up hating or loving the gym because she was here all the time. Fortunately for me, she loved it. This summer was the first time she didn’t participate in volunteer activities, so we were able to work out together. She was fully active with me; she became my little workout partner. Since she started at the university last month, she has been going to the gym and following her workout guide. She tells me all the time, “Mom you’re my motivator.”