How models keep those great bodies - Annual Black Health & Fitness Special

Ebony, July, 1997 by Aldore Collier

MODELS are among the most revered and recognizable figures on the planet. Their alluring bodies, sensuous smiles and elegant wardrobes are the objects of many fantasies.

The bodies and faces that grace magazine covers, billboards, runways and product advertisements are often the result of dedicated, rigorous fitness routines, and the methods of staying in shape are as diverse as the models themselves. Some run, others power walk, do aerobics or ride bicycles to keep those bodies in peak condition. Virtually all watch what they eat.

Roshumba, a New York-based model who has done ads for various products and designers for 10 years, stays in shape with a personalized workout that she calls "Afrobics." "I incorporate African dance movements with aerobic exercise," she says. "I take African dance classes weekly and go to aerobics classes. I take components of both."

The routine, which she does for 30 minutes several times a week, is more fun than work. "It's fun because you have cool drums and get to mix it with funky music. I like the variety," she says. Her routine also includes yoga every other day for 30 minutes.

Williams adds that having a busy lifestyle also helps keep her in shape.

Liza Cruzat, an EM cover girl and one of the top models in the Midwest, stays in shape by running and dancing. "I run about four miles, maybe three days out of the week," she says. She also plays tennis and takes some form of dance, like a modern dance or a jazz class or a ballet class. The daughter of Dr. Edward Cruzat and fitness expert Millie Cruzat, she often attends her mother's dance class, "Millie Cruzat's Total Fitness and Body Awareness," meaning, she says, "the mind and body."

Like all top models, she watches her diet. "I'm considered a vegetarian," she says, "but I eat chicken and fish. I do try to watch the sugar. That's the hard part. That's my weakness."

Veteran model Wanakee is frequently seen modeling apparel in catalogs like E Style. She stays in shape by keeping it all "fun," she says. "I don't believe in panic," she says. "You can't diet or exercise under duress. Otherwise, it won't be fun."

She keeps her figure sexy and trim with a combination of swimming, biking and taking weekly ballet classes. "In the summer, I take ballet classes twice a week, and I ride my bicycle quite a bit," she says. "I swim at least twice a week."

Because Wanakee models as well as runs a company, she says that in general she's just too busy to eat. "It sounds funny, but it's true. When I can, I go to salad bars," she says.

For Michael Dyer, a Los Angeles model, who has modelled for major corporations, keeping his body firm means repeatedly running up and down 180 steps near the beach in Santa Monica. "There are 180 steps. I go up and down 10 to 12 times. Sometimes I'll do a little less for more speed instead of endurance," he says.

His routine also calls for him to work out at a health club doing leg extensions, bench-pressing and weight-lifting. "I also do some step aerobics and go to dance classes." In addition to that, he takes self-defense classes. "Those classes are a good workout and help with balance," he says.

No less dedicated is EBONY Fashion Fair model Kelly Hudson, who works out with free weights and tries to do "100 crunches (sit-ups) in the morning and 100 in the evening." Hudson recommends drinking lots of water and cutting back on fried food.

What should people do to look like these models?

Exercise regularly, these models say, and stick to a sensible diet. It's also important, Cruzat says, "to keep a positive attitude about yourself and to adopt a dancing regimen that integrates the mind and body."

The bottom line, she and other models say, is to keep a positive attitude about how you want to look and feel. Roshumba Williams says her secret is simple. "I like to have a nice figure," she says.