She’s graced more than 500 magazine covers, appeared in six of Sports Illustrated’s legendary swimsuit issues, ran eight marathons—one a month after giving birth to her first son—and is one of the elite models who helped create the supermodel category.
Kim Alexis has clearly demonstrated superhuman gifts. But on a Thursday afternoon, the author and health and wellness advocate candidly reveals a personal situation that sounds extremely mortal. She has just recovered from food poisoning.
Letting ground turkey defrost on her kitchen counter too long, she thinks, was the culprit.
“I did it to myself!” Alexis says with a hearty laugh that reveals humility and the acknowledgment that she should’ve known better. “After that, I cleaned out the whole fridge. Took everything out.”
And just like that, one of the world’s most recognizable and admired faces dispels any preconceived notions about A-list models being aloof and out of touch with the everyday person.
It doesn’t take long to realize that despite her fame and beauty, the Scottsdale resident will always be that down-to-earth girl from Lockport, New York, a town of about 25,000 outside of Buffalo.
She had been athletic since she was a child and swam competitively in high school. Despite her 5-foot 9-inch slender frame, she didn’t think about being a model until she was a senior in high school and was discovered by Elite Model Management in New York City.
“I always had wet hair,” Alexis says. “My dad always told me I was the most beautiful girl in all of Lockport. I’m sure he told my sister the same thing.”
For the last six years, Alexis has called Scottsdale home, thanks to falling off a horse.
She met her husband of five years, Jeffery Schwartz, through mutual friends while in Colorado. She was at a time in her life when she felt being solo was best.
“I was kind of dating, but I didn’t really like any of the guys,” Alexis recalls.
There was a spark with Schwartz, but a long-distance relationship wasn’t appealing.
“I had moved to New York City. Why would I date a guy who lives in Scottsdale?”
Six months later, Alexis fell off a horse. She recalled Schwartz had also. She called him to talk about it. The spark smoldered into a flame, and she came out to visit him. The outdoorsy nature-lover felt right at home.
“I saw oranges on the trees, the grass … this is where I want to be,” Alexis says.
While a bad knee made her give up running, Alexis remains athletic. She gets her endorphins and heart pumping through daily walks with her 140-pound rescue dog, Stump. At Mountainside Fitness, she can be found on a rowing machine or bike, or working out with dumbbells.
Diet also plays a role. Alexis emphasizes different ways to make dishes healthier and how to incorporate good food into daily eating, like including a salad for lunch or dinner daily. She discusses more of this in her e-book, Cheat Eat.
“Everybody's got their own definition of healthy. I’m constantly on the lookout for what works for me,” she says.
Alexis was a new high school graduate when she was whisked off to Rome for her first modeling job at 18. After landing, her taxi drove by the Colosseum. She was awed.
“I saw that in my textbook six months before. My history book just came alive,” Alexis says. “That’s what was the most fun about modeling. I loved the travel. Seeing how other people lived was just cool.”
By 1983, Alexis had become the face of Revlon and was on her way to hundreds of covers spanning Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour—for which she still holds the record for most covers. She made six Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues, including one five months after having her first of three sons, now all grown.
Over the years, Alexis has successfully transitioned into a spokesperson for fitness, health, and lifestyle products she believes in to encourage women at any age to stay healthy and active. Her books focus on topics she has lived and experienced, from getting discovered to eating clean to her journey with thyroid issues.
Alexis is working on her most recent publication, Super Health, a bound paperback that will be a collection of her five health e-books, creating a handy one-source guide for readers.
Counseling young models to be strong in an industry where they can be taken advantage of is also on her agenda. She recalls leaving home for the first time, making her own money, and living with only the rules she placed upon herself. It can be overwhelming and lead to precarious situations.
However, being an accomplished swimmer gave Alexis a strong sense of self that generated a vibe of, “I’m not going to put up with stuff,” which kept her from being compromised.
“I’d tell them, ‘Don’t feel so desperate that you feel you have to do whatever it is they tell you to do,’” Alexis says. “It’s not about me, but what I can teach people about my experiences.”
Her runway days may be behind her, but the impact Alexis’ career has had on countless admirers remains alive and very present. She often meets fans who recognize her from her cover girl days, and who shares how she motivated them in their own lives.
“You don’t realize it as much when you’re in your 20s. You don’t realize what your photos will do years later,” she says. “To be able to hear stories that I helped to transform or inspire people … it’s special.”
