How Martha Stewart Prepared to Pose on the Cover of 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit' at Age 81

"To be on the cover at my age was a challenge. And I think I met the challenge," Stewart said during an appearance on Today Monday

Chances are you've never seen Martha Stewart like this before!

The lifestyle guru and business maven is one of four stars posing on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 2023 issue (others include Megan Fox, Kim Petras and Brooks Nader). And after debuting the cover exclusively on the Today show Monday morning, Stewart opened up to Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb about why she agreed to do the shoot and what she did to prepare.

"I'm sort of shaking because it's odd to go to an island and get changed into nine different bathing suits in one day in front of all those people," Stewart said, after seeing the cover for the first time. "I like that picture. ... And it turned out okay!"

She went on to explain that she was first asked to do the cover in November 2022, just a few weeks before the photoshoot was scheduled at the end of January. "That was kind of a request that I've never had before," Stewart recalled. "To be on the cover at my age was a challenge. And I think I met the challenge."

To get ready, Stewart focused on good old-fashioned diet and exercise.

"I didn't starve myself, but I didn't eat any bread or pasta for a couple of months," Stewart said. "I went to Pilates every other day and that was great; I'm still going to Pilates every other day 'cause it's so great. And I just, I live a clean life anyway — good diet and good exercise and healthy skincare and all of that stuff."

She told Guthrie, 51, and Kotb, 58, that she sees her appearance as "a testament for good living."

"I think all of us should think about good living, successfully living, and not aging. The whole aging thing is so boring. You know what I mean?" Stewart said. "I have a hospital called the Center for Living at Mt. Sinai. I started this hospital with Mt. Sinai and it's all about growing old gracefully. We don't think about aging, we think about successful living and we try to install in people the desire to eat well, exercise well, have friends to have pets — to do all the things that make you happy as you get older. So that's what I'm all about."

Also helping her, she said, was her genes. "My mom was my role model," said Stewart, pointing to a throwback photo she had posted of her mother for Mother's Day. "After four kids, she was still wearing a two-piece bathing suit. And she still had two more after that and she was still wearing a two-piece bathing suit, so that's pretty fabulous. My genes are good."

Elsewhere on Today, Stewart praised her father for instilling confidence in her early on, explaining that he encouraged her to educate herself. She also recalled how she worked as a model before building her empire, saying that learning how to pose in front of the camera was also a confidence booster.

She also looked back at the photoshoot itself. "It was kind of fun," said Stewart. "I mean, they were prodding me and pinching me and pouring water all over my head! ... There's no tricks. They tell you you look okay. That's nice. They sort of reinforce that it's okay to be doing what you're doing."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

As for the decision to do the shoot, it's one "yes" in a long thing of "yeses" Stewart has been saying in her life.

"When you're through changing, you're through. That's one of my mottos," Stewart said. "And so change is very good, evolution is very good, trying new things — being fearless is very good. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of anything."

"I hope [this cover] does give people, women especially, an opportunity to revisit their lives and get with the picture."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.