Bell of the brawl: actress Catherine Bell stays fit with kick boxing and martial arts

When Catherine Bell was cast as TV drama "JAG's" new female lead, Marine Major Sarah McKenzie, you would never have guessed she was killed off in her 1995 debut. Bell was originally hired to play the lost love of Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb (played by David James Elliot). The character met an ultimately demise, but Bell was brought back as Rabb's equal in the form of McKenzie--"Mac" for short. Bell proves herself a worthy ally. When asked about the genesis of her new character, Bell says, "After I got the part, they wrote in that I looked like the woman who died on the show, but they also wrote the character around my physicality and strengths."

A 5'8 1/2" brunette beauty, Bell appears the model of femininity off screen. However, looks can be deceiving--especially when you see her tackling and choke holding big Marines. "I'm really into kick boxing, boxing and martial arts, so the writers added that, plus her expertise with guns, to my character," says Bell. "I've always gone to the shooting range, and I like to think of myself as a pretty tough chick. I can certainly hold my own."

Bell proved this point when she was grabbed in an elevator by an unknown attacker. "My instincts just kicked in, and I backhanded the guy in the face," she explains. "I didn't know kick boxing then, but the boxing kicked in without any training. I guess when it comes down to it--don't mess with me."

By her own account, Bell is an avid risk taker not only with self-defense, but with adrenaline-boosting sports like bungee jumping and sky diving. "I only went sky diving once," sighs Bell, explaining how her parachute collapsed after being hit by a dust devil. "I was OK. I just got banged up a bit." However, bungee jumping is another story. "I did that a couple of times and I would do it again," she says. "But I'm definitely into safety. I especially don't want to get hurt now that I'm on the show."

The actress recently took up the tamer sport of golf, adding another activity to her various athletic endeavors. "I'm a firm believer in living life to the fullest and trying everything at least once," says Bell.

While winning this physical and dramatic role has definitely been a boost to her acting career, Bell is not a novice to the cameras. She began modeling at the age of 16, but does not have happy memories of her time on the runway. "About 10 years ago, at the end of a four-month modeling tour in Japan, I became really depressed," she says. "I started eating way too much and got into that whole ugly eating disorder thing." She gained about 20 pounds, but Bell says the support of family and friends, "plus a return to nutritional eating habits and regular exercise," enabled her to lose the excess weight. The results of her struggle stand as testimony for what good food and the right exercise can do. "I'm about 128 pounds," says Bell. "And that's OK with me."

Nutritional staples in Bell's food regimen now include vegetable juice and egg white omelets for breakfast, and chicken, fish or lean beef for lunch and dinner. "I will reach for the occasional bag of Doritos, chocolate or cookies, but most of the time it's carrots or an apple instead," says Bell. "Diets don't work for me--moderation is the key." When asked about guilty pleasures, the actress responds, "Mashed potatoes and gravy. I could eat a whole plate of that."

To make sure she fits into her snug uniform, Bell stays active, though she has given up her childhood sports of basketball, baseball and t-ball. "I used to be on the playground playing these sports with the boys instead of gossiping with the girls," remembers Bell. "Now, I do more outdoor sports with my husband, like mountain biking, snowboarding, skiing and dirt biking. They're all great for the legs."

In addition to her outdoor sports and kick boxing, Bell will drop and give her trainer 50. "Just like boot camp, he really works me hard," says Bell. "We meet sometimes at a local college and run up and down the bleachers. He'll have me run up one at a time, then two and then three. Then I come back down and go up sideways. It reminds me of a boot camp workout because I come back and do a bunch of push-ups, then go up the stairs, do more push-ups, tricep dips, run up and down the stairs again, then finish with sprints and sit-ups."

According to Bell, her abs need special attention. "I do crunches, but probably not enough," says Bell. "My legs are muscular and strong even when I don't work out for a while, and that comes from my eight years of kick boxing and martial arts. For women, those two exercise forms are great because they work your hips, butt and inner thighs as well as the upper body, just from hitting the bag. You get an amazing upper-body workout kick boxing."

With hectic 12-hour workdays on the set, kick boxing also provides a stress management program for the "JAG" star. Another form of stress relief involves just getting away from it all. "When I'm not kicking and jabbing, my husband and I just go to our house in the mountains, where I just completely relax. I lie on the couch and read, watch movies and catch up on all the old films I've never seen."