Stunning
Stephanie Beacham keeps her mermaid figure shipshape by mopping
the home decks like a good sailor.
"When I want
to exercise - I do housework," says the 46-year-old
actress, who plays a sexy scientist on seaQuest, NBC's
exciting new underwater adventure.
"You'd be
surprised how much exercise you get vacuuming, scrubbing the
tub, dusting the counters and windowsills, and mopping the
floors. I also love washing my car. You get a lot of exercise
that way, too!"
"I have a
housekeeper who comes in once a week to do some stuff. The rest
of the week, I do it myself."
But while
housework keeps 5-foot-5 Stephanie at a curvy 120 pounds, it was
a struggle to get there.
The British-born
actress, whose classy looks and accent made her a natural to
play the tycoon's wife in The Colbys, found herself
locked in a battle of the bulge when she made the big
California.
"I find it
hard to stay thin here," she reveals. "I can't resist
the pastries.
"I was
overweight until I went on a moderation diet and stripped off
the pounds. I changed my eating habits to more on the light side
- and it's worked very well."
But the brunette
beauty refuses to torture herself, like many actresses and
models do, with starvation diets.
"I don't
deprive myself completely," she says. "You've got to
find a diet that agrees with your body.
"I try to
avoid fatty foods as much as possible and I keep tabs on my
cholesterol levels.
"For
breakfast, I have a bowl of grain cereal and low-fat milk, a cup
of coffee and glass of orange juice.
"I take my
vitamins - a B-12 tablet, a multivitamin pill and vitamin C
drink. Three times a week, I drink a glass of water with equal
parts of royal jelly and ginseng.
For lunch,
there's nothing better than traditional English roast beef. But
I stick to a large salad instead, with endive, chicken,
radishes, pine nuts and a slice of whole-wheat bread.
"If I feel
myself fading in the afternoon, I'll have a cup of English tea
and a gooey treat - a coffee eclair with custard, whipped cream
and chocolate icing.
"Dinner is
chicken or fish, broiled, backed or roasted with lots of steamed
veggies like carrots, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli.
And I love roasted red potatoes. I'll have red meat about every
three weeks.
"I also
drink a lot of water. I take a six pack of mineral water to work
with me every day. And I'll drink a glass or two of
fresh-squeezed orange or grape-fruit juice, and a couple of cups
of tea on the job.
"I eat in
moderation - that's the key to my success. And of course,
there's the housework to keep me toned."
