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Peeples Choice

American Fitness, May, 2000 by Bonnie Siegler

Walker, Texas Ranger co-star Nia Peeples takes a practical approach to staving fit.

While running, the 5' 3" actress gains momentum and catapults her body against a man's well-built chest, flipping over the guy standing behind her. She then gives him a mean sidekick to the abdomen. Is this how Nia Peeples, co-star of Walker, Texas Ranger, stays fit? Hardly, according to the mother of 15-month-old Sienna Noelle and 10-year-old son, Chris. Those onscreen stunts are a far cry from real life. "I do all the stunts myself, but my husband is the show's stuntman and he's taught me so much," says the actress, dancer and singer who hosted her own show called The Party Machine with Nia Peeples during the '80s. "We are both very physical people, but I fit my workout in before everyone in the house gets up. I do 45 to 60 minutes on my stationary bike at 5:30 in the morning, five days per week."

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Peeples does make it a point to be consistent in her aerobic activity. In fact, this was her key to losing the 35 pounds she gained during her pregnancy. "Fortunately, I come from a very athletic background, so the muscle memory is always there," she says. "If I want to drop fat and get my heart in a basic holding pattern that's good for me, then moderately paced aerobic activity is what I've got to do."

She also swims whenever she can for overall body conditioning. "It works your abs, legs, upper body and heart," she says.

With a full production schedule, it's hard for Peeples to find time for exercise. Nevertheless, she manages to squeeze in that one-hour workout for herself Monday through Friday, while weekend exercise is of another nature. "We go out for some outdoor fun," says the 110-pound Peeples, who admits another 3 pounds off her muscular frame would suit her petite body just fine. "So here I am, getting exercise, having fun and spending time with the family," she says. "It's hard for me to justify taking another 90 minutes out of the day to go to the gym by myself when I have a family. The children are much more important to me than how thick my thighs are, but let's not go there."

Well, we did anyway. "You bet those thighs and rear end are my trouble spots," says Peeples, who kicks some butt as rookie ranger Sydney Cooke every week. "But everyone beats themselves up when they look in the mirror--`If I could only have longer legs' or this or that. I think, as women, we have to love the fact that we are women and take what comes along with all that and enjoy it. Thighs, hips and butt are usually women's problem areas that hold more fat than any other place."

To counter thigh anxiety, Peeples does a series of lunges in varying positions, stretching--which is very important--and massage. "That was a miracle find for me," she says. "I had this woman knead my body for a whole year, three times per week, and it helped change the shape of my legs. I think she was getting in there and breaking down the fat between the muscles."

Wearing jeans and a white T-shirt for the interview, Peeples--who also appeared on such programs as the series Fame and Return to Lonesome Dove--looks fit and energetic. "Exercise is a lifestyle change I've made," she explains. "It has not only helped change my body shape, but has also helped reduce stress in my life. My natural shape is a little more pear-shaped, but I started working out to thin my hips and thighs a bit. Then I changed my eating habits."

Diet? "Life is too short to do without the things you love," Peeples says. "Keep it together during the week and be joyful on the weekend. If I'm out biking with the kids and pass an ice cream parlor, you bet I'm going to go for one."

At the Dallas, Texas, house she shares with her husband and two kids, Peeples cooks dinner almost every night. "I know it means a lot to my family, so I do the cooking whenever I can," she says.

Revealing a Pepsodent[R] smile, the California native admits she loves to snack, but leaves out the potato chips and brownies. Peeples brownbags her own lunch to the set everyday, avoiding the craft service's junk food. "I like healthy fast food," she says. "I bring cereal so if I get a sweet tooth craving, I can plunk down some whole grain cereal that has been sweetened with maple syrup or honey. I also bring nuts and herbal fruit teas because they taste better."

The key words in Peeples' nutritional vocabulary are "balance" and "moderation." "I'm aware of everything I eat, but I don't write it all down and measure," she says. "If I had to spend my days measuring everything that goes into my mouth, I would be in big trouble. I don't have time for that. If I'm hungry, I'm going to eat."

And eat she does--every three hours, beginning with hot oatmeal and green tea, then an egg white and vegetable burrito topped with salsa three hours later. "I think eggs are great for you, so that mid-morning burrito is perfect," she says. Lunch could be a grilled fish and salsa or a turkey sandwich. "In the afternoon, I'll usually grab a piece of turkey with a piece of bread."

Peeples Choice

American Fitness, May, 2000 by Bonnie Siegler

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