Afternoon Tea with Shaun T

Afternoon tea is an English pass time and anyone that knows me, knows I’m a bit of an anglophile, so what better way than to spend my afternoons after a long day of work having afternoon tea with Shaun T? Many out there don’t know who Shaun T is, which is unfortunate, because he is a cinnamon skinned man with abs so chizzled your eyes hurt from the smack the oil sheen gives you from how hard they pop. He is a fitness trainer and choreographer best known for Insanity, a Beachbody workout system that you can find online.

As for our afternoon tea, it’s a daily thing. He comes to my house and into my bedroom where we "hang" for awhile. From what I can tell, his favorite is tea A greyt time with Earl, mine is Jonesing for Ginger, for relaxation purposes.

I suppose you’re wondering how Shaun T comes to my house everyday.

The truth is he comes as a tinier version of himself and visits me through the 13” space of my computer monitor. He's my own incredible shrinking man. Everyday around 3:30 we have a bit of tea, also known as an Insanity workout together. He tells me to “squat it out” and “get down deeper!” There are moments when I wonder if my legs might not just fall off if I do one more pulse. I often keep going by imagining Shaun T with a tiny teacup held lightly between the tips of his spongy fingers trying to “get insane” without spilling.

I laugh, “ha! You would have sloshed that one about!” as he does a jump squat or a power jack. Sometimes laughing like this is the only way to make it through one of the workouts when I am tired and would rather be watching Scandal while laying in bed.

At the beginning, I thought that staring at his abs and sometimes his ass whenever he turns to show us "proper form” from behind would be enough to take me through the entire program. What I’ve found is there is no body beautiful enough to make me forget that I am puddling like a ditch with a clogged drain after a hard storm. As the sweat pock-marks my floor while I’m completing drills with push-ups and runs and gasping for air, I can only think, Shaun T, you would have lost your liquids everywhere by now!  

Laughter always gets me through a hard workout. When I can remind myself that not only is this hilariously hard but my body is also getting a tremendous amount out of the workouts, then I can make it through almost anything.

My literal afternoon tea is the water I get to drink during our 30 second rests and at the end of my workout. A cool glass of water is all I need to relax and remind me how alive my body feels.

I’ve got afternoon tea scheduled with Shaun T for another month. Feel free to come over some time and join us for tea; I guarantee you’ll feel nice and refreshed afterward.