Stefanie Powers has won fame in the last six years as Jennifer Hart in the immensely successful and popular television series, "Hart to Hart." In the recently cancelled show, which is the highlight of her 24-year career (she also starred in the 1960s series, "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.), Stefanie played an indomitable and adventurous character - a woman much like her offscreen self. Her other recent accomplishments include starring roles in the steamy TV mini-series, "Mistral's Daughter" and "Hollywood Wives," as well as writing a book, Superlife! (Simon & Schuster, 1985) in which this radiant and accomplished woman shares her secrets of good health.
Single and 43, Stefanie is a take-charge woman, who in addition to her acting, runs her own production company and is president of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, a public charity dedicated to the preservation of wild animals in Kenya, to which she devotes much of her free time and bundles of heartfelt energy. The Foundation demands a lot of travel, so she is quite often in Africa as well as Europe and Hong Kong. But she loves to travel, and takes it so seriously that it's almost an occupation for her. When at home she enjoys her pets, takes care of her horses and plays polo - a vigorous sport not mastered by many women. Stefanie possesses undaunting energy and varied interests, lives life to the hilt and is in wonderful shape, due to her own determination and ingenuity which shows through in Superlife! As she says in the book, "The one thing I value over and above all else is health in mind, body and spirit."
Stefanie has always been active. She used to be a dancer, and participated in other sports. It was almost 20 years ago, during the shooting of the film Experiment in Terror that she was first introduced to karate. Director Blake Edwards made the entire cast take karate to improve the physicality of their performances - he did the sport as therapy for his bad back. Her travels in the Orient also exposed her to the Chinese slow-motion exercise system of tai chi, and throughout the years, Stefanie has taken various classes in dance, stretching, aerobics and has kept up with karate periodically. But it was during the "Hart to Hart" period when she found that for the first time in her life, with her five-day-a-week filming schedule, along with her other duties with the Wildlife Foundation, she had no time for regular exercise. Missing the energy and stamina that a good workout gave her, she was determined to solve the problem - and did so with her characteristic creativity. It was then that Stefanie got together with her old friend Judy Quine, President of the Professional Karate Association (PKA), and they devised an exercise program for themselves that could fit into their jampacked professional daily lives.
By putting their heads and their different experiences together and making a "wish list" of everything they needed from a fitness regimen, they came up with the Superlife Program. Although she enjoyed karate, Stefanie found that it didn't fulfill her fitness needs completely. In devising her Superlife formula, she combined this eastern exercise, which is dedicated to evolving the total self, along with other elements to create a completely renourishing exercise and relaxation program. She needed one overall exercise program for her physical, mental and emotional needs - and like so many of us, she just doesn't have the time to run from class to class. The Superlife program, which she practices, is made for those with limited time who seek a lifetime stability of mind, body and spirit. Originally, Superlife was conceived as an instructional program for the Presidental Sports Fitness Program, which Stefanie and Judy then modified for their own use.
Superlife was designed so that career women could do their workouts anywhere - at home, in an airplane etc. It requires no special equipment or trainers and can be practiced piecemeal throughout the day, to regenerate the body and mind. Stefanie does the Superlife exercises daily. They consist of a wake-up routine that can be done in bed, joint rotations, stretches, balancing moves and bedtime relaxation techniques. Stretching keeps her muscles lean, strong and defined, giving her movements fluidity and grace. Joint rotations keep her body flexible, and prevent feelings of stiffness. Balancing moves bring her a security in physical activity and living, and also contribute to her overall stability and resilience. Three times weekly she performs the PKA Power Techniques, which provide her with a good aerobic and cardiovascular workout not to mention body coordination. Along with all that, she also performs the "kata," which is a kind of choreographed karate. The steps are all derived from self-defense moves, such as kicks and fists, which are brought together in a spontaneous and personal dance.
But above all, the two techniques which make Stefanie's Superlife workout special are key breathing and visualization. Key breathing is deep, diaphragmatic breathing that goes beyond the solar plexus to oxygenate the entire body - every muscle gets it breath, and thus its workout. Visualization is a means to making each movement meaningful in the Superlife program. Instead of just doing arm raises, for example, Stefanie visualizes that she is pushing up to the ceiling, as well as reaching up to achieve her goals. It's in this way that her workout affects the total body. Her program provides her with flexibility, stability, resilience, balance, strength and grace - these are all qualities that everyone needs to gain ultimate physical and psychological well-being.
