By Leslie Price
Jenn Sherman came to work in the fitness industry by happenstance. It was almost 20 years ago that “A friend dragged me to my first spin class and I became obsessed,” she says. “I connected to it from the very first sweat. It might’ve been the teacher, it might’ve been the day, it might’ve been the music, whatever it was. I fell in love with indoor cycling.”
She started going to classes almost daily, then decided to get certified to teach. Sherman was working at her local studio in suburban New Jersey while her kids were in school. Peloton came calling, and the rest is history.
These days Sherman is an empty nester, known both for her fitness career and the videos she posts with her best friend, Pam “Sunny” Sunshine. She’s started talking more publicly about aging, menopause, and facing the next chapter of her life with enthusiasm instead of dread. I spoke with her to find out what’s shifted for her physically and mentally in her 50s, the new habits she’s trying to build, and the advice she gives to women who feel too busy to work out.
That indoor cycling era was so cardio focused. How have you evolved what you’re doing physically as you are getting older?
I was that girl. I was that cardio-chasing lunatic. I’m not saying I never picked up a weight here or there, but it was never my focus. Around 50, things were just not working the same way. I still love indoor cycling and I teach at Peloton. But what’s important in terms of taking care of my body and my mind has completely changed.
What were you experiencing?
Even before menopause, I was already starting to feel those shifts in hormones. I wasn’t feeling like myself. My mood was all over the place. I was doing the same things at the gym, and eating the same way, but I wasn’t getting the same results.
I’m 58 now, but around eight years ago, things were starting to happen cognitively – just forgetful little moments and things like that. I won’t remember our conversation in three hours. It’s that insane.
I wasn’t prepared, and I’m now hearing from so many women that they weren’t prepared either. And so we’re trying to get that conversation going.
Aside from your ability to build community, I’m struck by your positive mindset. Is that a part of what you’re pursuing in terms of your health?
When I talk about this Back Nine Era, I’m trying to reframe the narrative. You can either come into your fifties and start to shrink away and just give into all of this stuff, or you’re going to come in loud and be like, you know what? This doesn’t have to feel like negative energy all day and all night.
It’s an era that comes with privilege and wisdom. If you ride with me at Peloton you know I say what I feel. I don’t hide it. I am so not one of those people that tries to make it like it’s rainbows and unicorns all day long. But I am in such a good place with where I am and how I’m feeling at this age. I’ve got myself a plan.
What I tell women of my age is: Life is not over. You’ve got to make some adjustments. Women are overwhelmed. Just start small.
There are things that we have to pay attention to: body mass, muscle mass, balance, mobility. I don’t know how you feel about protein, protein, protein, protein. It’s like, ugh. But I have to actually pay attention if I’m getting protein or not.
This isn’t about what I look like today. This is about what I want to feel like in 10 years from now. This is about being able to pick up my grandchildren and being able to run around and play with them. And you can’t just ignore it. This time in our life is coming, whether you like it or not.
When you talk to women who haven’t had a workout program, how do you advise them to get started? What about those of us who are in the phase of being very busy with responsibilities, kids, and work? What are the tips?
When I’m speaking to women in their late forties that still have kids in school, it’s crazy hectic. I don’t have children at home anymore. I gained much more free time. So I have to be cognizant of talking to a large group that isn’t experiencing maybe the same exact moment that I’m in right now.
For people that are really stressed on time, I say: I know you can find 20 minutes. And that 20 minutes is going to make you a better partner, a better friend, a better mother, all those things that we’ve heard.
No one’s saying it needs to be seven days a week. Let’s try three to four days a week. Three days a week is going to be better than no days a week. Walking on a treadmill or walking outside is going to be better than not doing anything at all. I was someone back in the day who was like, a walk wasn’t a workout for me, and boy has my mind shifted. Obviously everyone knows the benefits of walking.
Try to find something that you like. I’ve tried to be a yoga person. As much as I would benefit from it, it is not for me. I’m finding other things that I’m loving. There’s something out there for everyone. Start small and you can make it happen. Everyone can make it happen. You just have to prioritize it.
Have you seen a shift in the way your body responds to exercise as you get older? I have noticed it takes a lot longer to build a baseline, so you have to be really patient.
This is long haul stuff. It can get frustrating to go through phases where you feel like nothing may be happening, but it is happening. You are building that strength, even if it’s gradual. You’ve got to keep the body moving.
It’s not just that your muscle mass changes, but also your skin and the elasticity. You’ve got to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and know that this is just a part of aging. Forget about wanting to look like what I looked like in my thirties and forties. I’m trying to preserve how I think I looked in a pair of jean shorts from five years ago.
It’s a cycle of your life that you can either go into, like I said, feeling really negatively about or know that you’re going to come into it with a different mindset and seize it and do everything you can to feel your best. At this age, it shouldn’t just be about physical aesthetics. It’s about human connection and doing things that bring you joy.
I talk a lot about the power of saying no to things at this stage of your life. Our whole life with raising kids and families and all that stuff, we’ve done everything for everyone else. We kind of take a backseat. When you move into this era, it’s time for you to be a little selfish. Say no to things that don’t serve you, that perhaps bring you anxiety, [or] things that you’ve said yes to in the past that you felt pressure to do.
Can you define what the Back Nine Era is? Will it be a program?
It started with one video I had posted where I was downstairs in my gym talking about how I’m doing things differently than I used to do. It’s not about the cardio chase for me anymore. It is about picking up weight. It’s about building strength, it’s about protecting my bones and being concerned about muscle mass. I was sitting in front of the mirror making this video and it just came flying out of my mouth. I said, in this Back Nine Era, I want to be the strongest version that I can be. The back nine is a golf reference. I’m not a golfer, but the back nine holes are where you are playing for the long game, not the short game. It is not a program I’m releasing on Peloton, because a lot of people have thought that. (Hopefully it will come and that would be amazing.) It really stemmed from a conversation, giving it a name. It’s a mindset for a time in our life that no one really prepares us for mentally [or] hormonally. It’s about training smarter, not harder, building strength with intention and owning the identity shift that we just talked about.
You get to a point, at least I did in my mid fifties, where you have this realization that time is finite. I have so much more life to live, and I’m looking forward to this next decade or two or three, but you do have to start making some things a priority. If you’ve never picked up a weight before and it seems scary, go out and get yourself a pair of five-pound dumbbells. The beauty of where we are in fitness now is that if you don’t belong to a gym, we all have a phone and there is so much information.
I need to ask you about your high-profile friendship. What is it like to become a social media influencer at this age with a friend? It seems daunting.
It was daunting. It still is daunting. To give you a little background, I didn’t join Peloton until I was in my mid forties and social media was part of the job at Peloton. We have to put ourselves out there, so I had to literally figure it out.
With help from the team at Peloton, I became more and more comfortable. It was a lot for someone like me because I really was just a stay-at-home mom doing carpool and soccer drop-off and all that stuff. The Sunny and Jenn thing came out of nowhere. We wound up in a viral TikTok situation.
One thing led to another, and now I’ve got this thriving, very fun side business. Peloton is my real job and my best friend, Pam Sunshine, AKA Sunny, has a full-time career as well. When it’s not the thing that’s keeping the lights on, there isn’t the same kind of pressure. We have figured it out slowly and in our own time – like 55-year-old women who still can’t edit a video. It has been a learning experience, but it has been fun because I’m doing it with my best friend.
Things have landed in our lap because women of this age want to hear like-minded women talk about how they’re living their healthiest, best life. I’ve always been very outgoing, a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of personality. I am who I am. I am still a hot fucking mess.
I’m not going to tell you that it’s been easy because it hasn’t been. I didn’t know an affiliate link from my elbow a year ago.
I know the two of you have done some touring. What are you hearing from women?
It’s a room full of women in their mid forties, but we have women show up that are 70. We talk about marriage, we talk about kids, we talk about friendship.
There is a portion devoted to menopause and what the hell that looks like and how it can look so different for everybody. Sunny and I had very different journeys. She’s still going through it and has been in it for over 10 years. I have had an easier time with it. But that doesn’t take away the hormonal changes, the sleep changes, the mood swings. Everyone gets a touch of that, right? Fitness is obviously a huge part of it as well. I’m the Peloton instructor, but Sunny is in kickass shape at 59.
We’re blessed that we’ve got this 40-plus year friendship, and so we talk about that and how important it’s to nurture the handful of friends that you have. You’ve got to treat a friendship with a lot of love and care if you want it to sustain and grow. We’re both wise asses up there and very, very authentic. That’s kind of what the night looks like. We just announced two more dates. If I’m being honest with you, every time we put a show on sale, I say no one’s going to come.
And every time they come and it sells out and it’s a great night out. That’s just been super fun and really crazy for Sunny, by the way. I mean, I had to throw a Xanax down her throat before we walked out from that first show. It’s been amazing to watch her blossom in this spotlight.
As someone who’s been in the fitness world for so long and is continually refining what you’re doing to make yourself feel and look your best, what are some of your priorities for this year? I heard mention that you were learning to play Canasta?
I’m a game person, but I never thought I’d play one of these games. That’s what my mother does with her friends. She sits around and she plays Mahjong. Even five years ago, I’d say I’ll save that for the nursing home. Well, guess what? Sunny dragged me to two Canasta lessons and this month I am playing online. I’m using my brain and how dare I have made fun of it because I am in it.
For this year, I am going to start figuring out how to prioritize my sleep. My whole life, I’ve been someone who likes being up later at night. This lack of sleep, it builds and it builds and it builds. I’m on my phone way too late at night. I am a scroller. I am entertained by Instagram and I admit it. I’m on TikTok.
Having to put my phone down at 9 pm has been torture for me. It depends on what’s going on – sometimes I just can’t put my phone down – but I am now prioritizing getting into bed earlier and starting the whole routine earlier. It is helping. I don’t know that the quality of sleep is changing, but I know that I am getting more hours a night because I have made it a priority to start earlier. I have started to read again. I have missed it so, so much.
And really prioritizing friendships. I recently had a talk with my husband where I said, listen, I love you. I love our marriage. We’re in this for the long haul. I love our kids. Sunny and I, we work together. We live five minutes away from each other, but I am going to start doing more girls nights out. Guess what? Because I can and they bring me so much joy and I treasure my friendships with my girlfriends. I don’t have a ton of friends, I don’t need a ton of friends, but the ones I have, I want to put time into those friendships now. They’re more meaningful now than they ever were before. It’s things like that. Telling myself I’m going to be as badass now as I was 10 years ago. That is the goal, and I am hell bent on it not being any other way.
Twenties are for discovery, thirties and forties are for building, and fifties and beyond – I’m saying they’re for refinement. You have to do something to make it happen, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming and it can start small, and that’s how you do it one step at a time.