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From working out to speaking out,
Alexandra Paul of TV's "Baywatch"
shows that her life is far more than just
a walk on the beach.
by Carol Slezak
December 1995
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Not surprisingly,
Paul attacks exercise with the same energy and commitment she demonstrates
in her other pursuits. How does she find time between her acting and her
activism to work out? "Well, I do have more of an ability to be selfish
than other people I know, because, for instance, I don't have childrem
to take care of, " she says. "But the reality is, you just have to make
time to work out. So what if you're tired after work? You're going to be
working the rest of your life, you're to be tired, so find a way to work
it in."
She often works 13-hours days, but--heeding her
own advice--never uses fatigue as an excuse not to exercise. "It's a given
I'll be tired when I get to the gym," Paul says, "but working out perks
you up. I've never felt anything but better when I leave the gym." Her
tips to others is simple: "Write your workout time in a book as a date
with yourself. It is so important--don't let people encroach on this time."
Paul started her workouts back when she was about
14 years old but began her current strength program only about two years
ago. "I used to left weights several years ago," she says, "but I stopped
because my boyfriend said I looked too blocky." Needless to say, that boyfriend
is history. Since begginning again, she likes the way she feels and the
way she looks. "It's a great stress reducer," she says, "The gym is a haven
for me."
She has been a vegetarian since her teen years--Paul
cheerfully admits she began vegetarianism just to antagonize her parents
but says she continues for reasons both philosophical and physical. She
notes that working out makes her eat more and says she often supplements
her protein intake with MetRx bars.
A one-hour stationary bike ride each day and abdominal
crunches five to six times a week are staples of Paul's exercise program.
Sge goes to a health club for her weight workouts, where she does a program
designed for her by her friend Jim Garfield, a certified personal trainer
who counts many celebrities among his clients. "Alexandra has a high level
of activity and does a lot of cardiovascular work," Garfield says. "Her
weightlifting routine is designed to provide strength and definition. She
uses light weights and a high amount of repetitions [12 to 15] per set."
He notes that prior to beginning training with him, Paul had never received
intruction on proper form, but that she has learned quickly.
Paul's
routine is broken up over four days: chest and back; biceps, triceps, and
shoulders; legs; and butt. Although she says she prefers free weights for
her upper-body work, she uses machines for some exercises. If she needs
to miss a day for any reason, she picks up where she left off during her
last workout.
Garfield believes that Paul recongizes her exercising
"as part of her job as well as part of her joy." He sees a special quaility
in Paul: "Alexandra is so tenacious tha she follows the instruction she's
given in terms of form and function to the nth degree. She's one
of my better walking billboards."
Aside from the gym and her "Baywatch" schedule,
Paul devotes many hours to the Popluation Education Project which she began
more than two years ago with David Abramis, a professor at Long Beach State.
Her commitment to PEP's ideals is unmistakable. "I believe in the importance
of population stabilization," she says firmly. "This issue actually underlies
all of our environmental issues, yet it is seldom addressed."
Yes, Paul truly practices what she preaches. She
looks forward to the day when hydrogen will present a feasible alternative
to powering motor vehicles, and no one wears leather--not even for a HOME
GYM AND FITNESS photo
shoot.
So what does Paul do on her free time? Check that--does
Paul have free time? She manages to sneak in a few minutes now and
then, sometimes in the form of hiking or in-line skating. Often, though,
she confesses that she uses that time to "talk on the phone incessantly,"
adding that she has to use the phone in order to keep in touch with her
family and friends.
Paul's drive and energy must feed off each other--how
else could she successfully balance her acting career, serious fitness
training, and public-interest pursuits? Garfield sums it up well: "Alexandra
is reflective of someone committed to high-level intergration of the physical, mental, and spiritual."
© Copyright Home, Gym, and Fitness 1995.
Slezak, Carol. "Weighty Matters: Alexandra Paul." Home, Gym, and Fitness. December 1995: 34-38.