Shape up with TV’s Hottest Host
with Santana Rodriguez / @santanafit
Photography by Sarah Krick
Catching up with Fitness Champion Santana Rodriguez! Multi cover girl, talented model and actress now producing and hosting her own Award-winning TV Show “Shaping up with Santana”, get to know all about the unstoppable force that is Santana.
Hello Santana! happy to have you on FHM. Could we start by you telling us a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, and what got you started on your journey into modeling? Well for starters, I am an adventurous, ambitious, motivated entrepreneur, print model, TV Host, producer, former actress and former champion fitness model. I am from Buffalo, NY but my origins are derived from Puerto-Rican and Brazilian descent.
You’re making waves in the fitness industry, and we love your passion for health and fitness, what are some of the championship titles that you have? Some of my championship titles include: Miss Team USA Modelquest National Champion, Ms Los Angeles, and Ms Figure Goddess USA just to name a few.
Can you tell us a bit about your Award-winning show, Shaping Up with Santana? Absolutely. “Shaping up with Santana” is an international fitness exercise TV series comprised of 10 episodes where the workouts are done in real-time. It’s a home-based workout show where you can whip right into shape by doing these exercises right from your living room. Since gyms were closed, our show was released on streaming TV the week of quarantine. Little did we know that we were facing a pandemic at the same time as the scheduled release of our show. It actually worked out perfectly because we had the most viewers ever imaginable. It was a blessing in disguise. As far as the content, I try to make the show as fun as possible by creating movements that the audience can enjoy. I also incorporate fitness and nutrition tips that can aid in weight loss. The show currently runs globally on ROKU as well as Apple TV and streams 24/7. This is great because you can turn on the show anytime it’s convenient for you and get your workout in. The best part of our show “Shaping up with Santana”, was winning the “Global achiever’s Award for Best fitness series” of 2021-2022. You can also catch it on the TV Show website at ShapingupwithSantana.com.
Do you have any role models in the industry, or are there any people you’d absolutely love to work with and why? My role models have been Marisa Tomei, Jennifer Lopez, and Scarlett Johansson. I would love to work with Marisa Tomei, Rosie Perez, Cardi B, or Sophia Vergara in a comedy-type series or film.
What advice can you give on keeping a healthy lifestyle between extremely busy schedules? This is very tough for many people to do when keeping a busy lifestyle. However, I would suggest traveling with your own bag of snacks. Like almonds, fiber-based snack bars, apples, grapes, carrots, etc. If you can’t get into a gym, try running at a nearby track, walking at a park, going hiking at a nearby park, or even climbing stairs wherever available. Also, try to make a big pot of dinner so you can have it for the next few days when you don’t have time to work. Make sure you eat organically, stay away from sugary and processed foods, or have a meal prep company deliver your foods, and carry bottles of water with you everywhere.
Are you currently working on any new business ventures or modeling projects, and could you tell us more about it? I’m actually working on a new book, a new product line, more modeling shoots, and more productions. That is all I can say for the time being.
On the topic of love and lust, do you have a celebrity crush, and what do you look for in your ideal partner? I don’t really have a celebrity crush but if I did, it would be someone that is a cross between Michael Douglas and Tim Tebow. I answer this question in detail coming up.
Mixing business with pleasure, do you think lovers can go into business together? I’m sure some couples can make it work however, I personally would prefer to keep it separate. I’m the type of person that needs my space and my own individual life separate from my partner. I do believe some lovers can go into business together but for me, that’s just too much time together. I want to be able to miss my partner.
You’re a wonderful mix of tough as nails yet incredibly feminine and delicate, what sort of man would be extremely attractive to you? The type of man that loves his mother, loves God, has a strong work ethic, has worked on himself, is adventurous, smart, is passionate about music, can dance, loves to dress up, loves to involve himself in charitable organizations, has a strong value system, loves sports, smells good ( I love cologne), athletic, business-oriented, likes to travel, dine-out, loves to help people in need, empathetic, compassionate, funny but still stands up for himself and his partner.
Would you let FHM take you out on a date, and if so, what are we doing? Absolutely, we are flying back to my original hometown of Buffalo, NY to have the best pizza ever and then taking in a Buffalo Bills game afterward so you better be a big Bills fan. If it’s off-season, then we are going bowling.
We love the perfect balance of strong, empowered, tenacious yet a humanitarian and kind-hearted being, what are some of your favorite things to do in your downtime to self-care? For self-care, I love to go to the spa, meditate, take a walk, get a facial, listen to audiobooks where I can be a better me, therapy, cook an amazing meal, listen to music, take a trip to my hometown to spend time with family. I also like to spend time with my little one from Big Brothers Big Sisters Club of LA. My little one is 11 years old that I was matched with. We have been matched for close to 5 years. She is a breath of fresh air and serving with this organization was the best decision I have ever made. It’s self-care by serving someone else.
If you had any last parting words of wisdom and advice to our readers out there, what would they be? Life is short and you can’t take it back. Make the most of your life and dreams because it is the one gift you can only make use of only once in your life. Please follow me on Instagram. To book me for work opportunities, guest appearances and endorsements, please contact me directly at santanafit@gmail.com If you would like to become a sponsor on my television show, please contact me through ShapingupwithSantana.com or through santanafit@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Santana, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to sit with us. We hope to see you again soon and wish you all the best going forward!
