To say Taylor Swift has had a year is an understatement, and to do everything she's done is no easy feat, from a creative, physical and mental standpoint. So, unsurprisingly, the pop icon has been utilizing a strict conditioning program for her record-busting Eras Tour, which sees her taking fans through the various "eras" that have made up her storied career. Now, she's revealed exactly how she stays in shape for those three-hour-plus performances, and it makes perfect sense.
Swift was selected as Time Magazine's Person of the Year, “the individual who most shaped the headlines over the previous 12 months, for better or for worse." Along with her highly publicized romance with football star Travis Kelce, the pop icon debuted "Taylor's Version" of her albums 1989 and Speak Now, and released an Eras Tour concert film that broke its own records at the cinema. She's had a big year, and staying in shape for it has required a lot of training and care. In her cover interview with the outlet, Swift detailed how she began training for the blockbuster tour:
Every day I would run on the treadmill, singing the entire set list out loud. Fast for fast songs, and a jog or a fast walk for slow songs.
It was a departure from her usual pre-show prep, Swift said, where in the past she would tour "like a frat guy." Along with refraining from drinking while on tour (she "doesn't want to know" what performing with a hangover would be like), the singer utilized a set program at her gym, New York City's DOGPOUND, incorporating strength, conditioning, and weights.
She also worked with choreographer Mandy Moore—no, not that Mandy Moore—who was recommended to her by her friend Emma Stone, who worked with Moore on La La Land. Explaining her training for the show further, the "Cruel Summer" singer said:
Then I had three months of dance training, because I wanted to get it in my bones. I wanted to be so over-rehearsed that I could be silly with the fans, and not lose my train of thought.
However, Swift also leaves room for rest and recuperation following the performances, which is necessary after three hours of performing choreography, playing instruments and, notably, stage diving. Speaking about how she recovers after a show, the signer said:
I do not leave my bed except to get food and take it back to my bed and eat it there. It’s a dream scenario. I can barely speak because I’ve been singing for three shows straight. Every time I take a step my feet go crunch, crunch, crunch from dancing in heels.
That commitment to conditioning is important, says Swift, because she needs to remain healthy to keep the tour going without a hitch. She knows how important it is for her to give it her all every night as she said:
I know I’m going on that stage whether I’m sick, injured, heartbroken, uncomfortable, or stressed. That’s part of my identity as a human being now. If someone buys a ticket to my show, I’m going to play it unless we have some sort of force majeure.
One such force majeure was a heat wave that hit Rio de Janeiro during one of Taylor's Brazilian tour dates last month. The temperatures inside Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium soared to 41 degrees Celsius (105 Fahrenheit), with a heat index of nearly 59 C (138 F), reported AP News.
During the performance, the singer could be seen gasping for breath in between songs and several attendees fainted, including 23-year-old fan Ana Clara Benevides Machado, who died at the hospital after experiencing the heat before the show. Of the tragedy, Swift wrote on Instagram that she had a “shattered heart” and rescheduled the next show.
In the Time interview, Swift also gave insight into how she's handling her mental health these days. She's adopted a "life is short" outlook that has opened her up and allowed her to be more relaxed in the public eye, as she said:
Over the years, I’ve learned I don’t have the time or bandwidth to get pressed about things that don’t matter. Yes, if I go out to dinner, there’s going to be a whole chaotic situation outside the restaurant. But I still want to go to dinner with my friends. Life is short. Have adventures. Me locking myself away in my house for a lot of years—I’ll never get that time back. I’m more trusting now than I was six years ago.
It's no wonder Taylor Swift is able to perform a three-hour show, keep up with all her upcoming projects and make it look like it's easy. She puts in the work and training to make sure she can maintain a healthy lifestyle while continuing to break records and perform for her fans. And there will be plenty more of Taylor in the public eye as the Eras Tour continues through December 8, 2024, culminating in Vancouver, Canada.
