The Biggest Loser hostess and former Days of Our Lives actress Alison Sweeney sits down with Health magazine’s newest issue to chat about family, fitness and so much more! Take a look at a few snippets from her interview below!
On overcoming fears about her career, “When I started to visualize my career early on, I saw myself in a specific way: I’m a very girl-next-door-type character. Then I got cast on Days of Our Lives as the villain… So at 18, I was playing three things I didn’t see myself as at all: maternal, a sex kitten and a nasty villain… That was a great lesson—learning how to fake it ‘til you make it.”
On who she roots for on The Biggest Loser: “The number one thing that I root for is hard work. I relate to people who really want it. I know that the numbers on the scale sometimes don’t reflect the effort. I just love and admire the ones who try.”
On what inspires her: “My dad was an inspiration to me. For any idea I’ve ever had, my dad has always said, ‘Let’s make a plan.’ So instead of it being this big, insurmountable vision, you break it down into the little pieces that get you there. It’s like the Shel Silverstein poem: She ate a whale, one bite at a time.”
On her Biggest Loser “AHA!” moment: “My top health regret is all the years I spent looking at fitness as the enemy. I thought of it as a punishment. It wasn’t until The Biggest Loser that I started seeing it as a reward. Find that switch in your own mind. In a busy life, it’s a luxury going to the gym. But it’s so much cheaper to take care of your body now than to pay the health bills later.”
On family mealtime fun: “In our family, we all make dinner together: The kids help me cook or set the table, and Dave is on the grill. And when someone’s favorite song comes on, we’ll stop and do a ‘Dance break!’… I have videos of us just rocking out to Michael Jackson in our backyard.”
On her ideal day: “My perfect, happy day would be a combination of a couple of hours on set, getting a good workout in and then spending the afternoon in the backyard with my kids and just practicing baseball. I think it’s so important to take advantage of nature, to get your hands dirty, to garden, to play at the beach.”
Photo by Joe Kohen/FilmMagic and Health Magazine
