Says the TV host, dancer and fitness instructor: "That 'push push push' attitude, that 'more pain equals more gain' mindset, is antiquated."
From her time as a Radio City Rockette and Broadway dancer to her work in television and as a dancer and fitness instructor, Amanda Kloots knows there are simply times when the show must go on. For a recent campaign with Advil, she’s encouraging herself and others to pause, instead of push, when pain creeps up.
The 43-year-old is busy with the Amanda Kloots (AK!) Fitness program, which she first developed in 2016, and her supplements brand, Proper. She’s also finding time for a new person in her life: after five years of sharing openly about life as a widow and a mom to six-year-old son Elvis, earlier this year Kloots stepped out in public with a new romantic partner, retired pro tennis player Justin Gimelstob. (Accounts suggest the two met years ago through friends and occasionally had played tennis together.)
Kloots is known for her authentic positivity. About The Strength Shift collab with Advil, she says, “I think the more we talk about the new narrative of acknowledging pain and helping ourselves through that pain, it only keeps us become more active and more resilient.” Ahead, she shares with The Healthy by Reader’s Digest why movement is a gift and how she keeps things balanced.
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The Healthy by Reader’s Digest: Amanda, let’s start by talking about dancing and athleticism. You pro dancers make it look so easy, but it takes training, perseverance, and a ton of strength and conditioning.
Amanda Kloots: To get to a professional level, there is definitely an amount of strength and resilience that you need, and it sometimes does just take a different attitude, a different person, a different mindset. It’s not easy, so I obviously relate to that. It’s a frame of mind, too. During my first season as a professional dancer with the Rockettes, 1,000 girls auditioned and 12 made it. You kind of have to go in with blinders on because I didn’t want to look left and right. I had to stay focused on what my task was, what my goal was.
Taking care of your body and managing the pain through that is also very important. The amount of times I danced on a bad ankle or with a bad knee is not OK. It only leads to further injury that will take you out for longer than you wanted to be. It’s a hard balance. I’m not saying I did it right. I’m not saying I still do it right. It’s a fine, hard balance, especially at that professional level. We should acknowledge it and address it so we can be the best versions of ourselves. That “push push push” attitude, that “more pain equals more gain” mindset, is antiquated.
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The Healthy: Have you experienced injuries in your dance career? Any sites of the body that we might be surprised need regular TLC?
Amanda Kloots: My shoulder was the most recent one. It took me out for a while. It came on in early April, and I just started feeling better in mid-July. It definitely took me out of the game—I had to stop doing things that could aggravate it and focus on different ways of working out and strengthening other parts of my body to let that rest but also keep moving.
It was a reminder: “Amanda, acknowledge pain in the beginning and address it first so that this doesn’t become a problem.” I let it become a problem. It was a good reminder—even at 43—that the mind shift [that] The Strength Shift campaign is trying to encourage is important.
The Healthy: We know you’re passionate about movement. Can you share with us your philosophy of how we get to move, not that we “have” to move?
Amanda Kloots: One of my fitness mottos is we should be so grateful to be able to move our bodies—walking, dancing, jumping—any kind of movement is a privilege. It is a privilege to walk into a gym, to walk into a fitness class. It is a privilege, and the minute you think about it in that way, it completely reframes working out. When you’re injured and you have to stop doing something you love, you really start to appreciate when you didn’t have that pain. It’s a great daily reminder of, “I’m so lucky I’m healthy. I can do this. I get to do this.” It’s just a completely different mindset.
The Healthy: How is Elvis doing?
Amanda Kloots: Elvis is great! He [recently started] first grade, which is crazy, and he loves hockey. He’s so into hockey and sports in general—he loves basketball and soccer, too. He’s a huge Messi fan, but the L.A. Kings still pretty much rule our house. He’s such a hockey man, and I’m a hockey mom.
The Healthy: We’ve been so invested in your personal story. How have you been? What’s been your focus lately?
Amanda Kloots: Life is good, life is great. There are still ups and downs, of course. If we’re talking about healing, I always say healing is a journey and it’s never-ending because our life keeps moving forward. Different layers of the onion always get peeled back, which reveals a new part of yourself that you have to work on healing.
I think the last couple of years have taught me a lot about myself and about being a parent. I’m excited about all the new things in my life—especially Proper, the company I started and am the founder of. It comprises amazing products that are affordable and accessible to everyone, and they taste great. We have a lot of new things coming out, and I’m very excited about all of those.
The Healthy: Always an important question: what is one self-care habit you refuse to skip?
Amanda Kloots: Other than working out, I would say right now I love all things recovery. I refuse to skip the self-care massages that keep my body going. Also, I’m obsessed with sauna and cold plunge at the moment.
For daily wellness updates, subscribe to The Healthy by Reader’s Digest newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:
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