Straight up with a twist: extraordinary dance routines and lots of ordinary walking are Paula Abdul's elixir of life - Cover Story

American Fitness, March-April, 1991 by Rhonda J. Wilson

Straight Up With A Twist

William Shakespeare would have gotten a kick out of Paula Abdul. Encouraged at an early age to abandon her pursuit of a dancing career due to her 5'2" "you're-not-tall-enough" frame, the career of the highly hyphenated dancer-performer (Grammy-nominated, top-of-the-pop-charts singer) has more twists than her Emmy-award-winning dance routines. In fact, the "wholesomely sensuous" entertainer who is drawing audiences and admirers like bees to honey, is even allergic to sugar itself.

Her sans sweets status is basically Much Ado About Nothing, though. "Whenever I get a sugar craving, I'll just eat a lot of fruit--nectarines, bananas and apples," says the 28-year-old Abdul, who is also allergic to cats, medications, dust and certain types of grass and food. "I was going to go through that whole thing of getting allergy shots, but I decided I know what my allergies are, and I just try to be careful."

Although Abdul may not be cavity-free (she reluctantly admits she still gives in to her sugar cravings occasionally), she is definitely not activity-free. Bursting on the music scene like a Tempest with step-defying videos like "Straight Up," "Opposites Attract" and "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" in 1988, Abdul now likes to do "a lot of" walking around the hills of her Hollywood home. Recently, the notoriously nice-natured Abdul also started studying the aggressive sport of tae kwon do with martial artist Billy Blanks--a seven-time world karate champion who operates a studio in Sherman Oaks, California. "Billy puts together these exercise routines and changes up on them really quickly," says the racially representative Abdul, who is of Brazilian-Syrian-Jewish-French extraction. "It's good for me because it's a lot of hand-eye coordination. Choreographically, it keeps my mind going."

The former L.A. Lakers cheerleader also enjoys stationary shape-ups. Working out on a daily basis with a Stairmaster, treadmill or Lifecycle, she uses three to five pounds of free weights in her workout routine at least three times a week. "I've been concentrating on my upper body," says Abdul, whose second album, "Spellbound," is scheduled to be released this spring. "I'm really trying to work on my arms."

To keep her fancy footwork fine-tuned, Abdul still studies tap with the same teacher she took lessons with when she was eight years old. "Paula is in another realm when it comes to talent," says Dean Barlow, Abdul's life-long instructor at B & B Dance Center in Van Nuys, Calif. "She has this ability to turn her disabilities (height) into abilities and create her own unique style. Paula truly has God-given talent."

The chemistry between teacher and student seems to be contagious. "He's really one of the cleanest tappers I've ever seen or heard," says Abdul, who also studied ballet, modern dance and jazz as a youth. "I vacillate between different teachers, but he's one of the best."

While growing up, Abdul used to go back and forth between fad diets as well. However, they were usually more self-defeating than life-enhancing. With the help of a nutritionist, she now folows a realistic rather than drastic meal plan. Eating three meals a day, she includes lot of chicken, fish, fresh fruit and steamed vegetables in her diet. "I used to be able to rely on my dancing to burn up everything, but as I've gotten older I've noticed it's not the same," says Abdul, who originally made a name for herself by creating choreography for music superstars like Janet Jackson, George Michael and ZZ Top. "My nutritionist worked out a program of making sure I had enough protein, so I didn't feel like bingeing in between meals. I'm trying to make healthy decisions with my food."

Close to beating her life-time weight problem, Abdul is now celebrity spokesperson for anatomy-aware companies like L.A. Gear and Diet Coke. Promoting the sugarless soft drink in a special "ice palace" television commercial and in another with Elton John, Abdul will also be developing a cross-training and casual sports shoe with L.A. Gear. This spring she will star in commercial and print advertisements for the company's new "Sun Blossom" fashion footwear line.

Initially signing with Reebok to endorse its youth-oriented Club Reebok line in late 1989, Abdul was attracted to having creative control at L.A. Gear. "I will eventually be designing my own clothing line with L.A. Gear," she says. "I thought it was good they were L.A. based, too. I loved being with Reebok, but it was difficult because they were based in Boston and Chicago. I also felt there would be more opportunities with L.A. Gear."

She has also taken advantage of opportunities to help those who are less fortunate than herself. Recently, Abdul contributed a remake of the song "Goodnight My Love" to an album of lullabies to benefit the crusade against pediatric AIDS. To be released in May, the album features songs and bedtime stories from Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart, Meryl Streep and Robin Williams.