That's Fit

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Paul Paddick, or as his friends call him, Paddie is one of the coolest guys I've met in a long time. I recently spent the weekend on tour with The Wiggles in Chicago, IL and discovered a ton of things about the guys who seem to actually live in my house with my family and I. Paddie's character, Captain Feathersword, "the friendly pirate" is the silliest and most athletic guy on morning television. He's a dare-devil who seems to stop at nothing to make both the tiniest of tots and their parents giggle. He's also a trained opera singer! What a wide variety of skills. Aye?

Never seeing Paddie outside his costume, I was blown away as he walked in my interview room to workout with me. He's totally built. Broad chest, big arms, strong back. Nice! The kind of man women would drool over at the gym and men would strive to be like. Not only in fantastic shape, Paddie is thoughtful, down to earth, smart, and the kind of guy everyone would want to hang with at the game for some tailgating. In fact, he reminded me very much of the police officers at my husbands department. One cool guy.

The other neat thing about Paddie is his history. He wasn't always in great shape. In fact, he describes himself as formerly chubby and is now very passionate about children getting off to the right start nutrition wise. He even shot a video with me begging parents to provide healthy foods to their children and cut back on the junk. I was grateful to get to know him and hope to do some more pushups with him in the future! Ahoy!

Fitz: What do you do to stay fit?

Paddy: I do 150-200 pushups a day, sometimes with my 2 year old son on my back! I also get a work out playing with my son, chin-ups.

Fitz: What's on your MP3 player?

Paddy: My entire CD collection and movies but mostly I listen to R & B Maxwell, Incognito, Justin Timberland, Geore, Café del Mar and the odd musical.

Fitz: Your character, Captain Feathersword is a nut! Were you guided when you first accepted the role, or is this wild man mostly your creation? Are you also really silly in real life? How do you come up with this stuff?

Paddy: I took on the role from Anthony but then the character changed to fit my different personality, which yes, is slightly nuts. Yes, I am quite silly in real life as well. Most of the stuff we come up with is during the shows. It just evolves; which really is the best way.

Fitz: Sticking with the craziness factor, you don't wiggle...you flip, flop and fling your poor body all over the place. Do you have gymnastics or stunt training?

Paddy: I did circus training as part of my drama degree, and I also did adult gymnastics training. I wish I had learnt as a kid. I've also trained for stage fighting which helps with the falls.

Fitz: Do you have a fall-back healthy meal? Something you eat when trying to progress physically?

Paddy: Not a healthy meal as such, just more healthy food that I've cooked and prepared. Then I know the fat content, protein content etc. But n meat – maybe grilled chicken breast.

Fitz: What is your favorite sin food?

Paddy: I love chocolate in particular. Cadbury's fruit and nut – YUM!

Fitz: Your shows are so high energy! How do you get up for it, when you're not in the mood or feeling sick?

Paddy: I've actually (touch wood) never had a show off due to illness is 14 years! Doing the show really vibes you and so does working with your friends. But most of all, seeing the joy and laughter of the children in the audience – that's the best pick me up.

Fitz: Do you lose weight on tour?

Paddy: No! I actually gain weight, as I have more time to myself (no looking after my 2 year old son). I have more time to work out with weights, so I tend to bulk up.

Fitz: Who inspires you to be fit?

Paddy: Growing up it was movie action heroes like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Swarzenegger. Watching the gymnastics on television too. Gymnasts have fantastic physiques, all useful muscle.

Fitz: If you had to box one of the Wiggles....who would you fear most?

Paddy: Henry the Octopus....all those arms!!!

Fitz: How many push-ups can you do?

Paddy: I can do a maximum of 80 in one go, but I usually do four sets of 50.

Fitz: What's your favorite vacation spot? Do you workout on vacation?

Paddy: Hayman Island in the Whitsundays. To be honest I'd have to say yes. I am a little vain and I don't want to look bad on the beach. Ha ha!!! Yes, maybe I look a bit bad, but not as much as normal.

Fitz: What do you feel about the massive amount of junk food marketed to children?

Paddy: It's a huge problem. As a parent, I am very aware of what my child eats. Also growing up with a weight problem (I was a big kid and teenager) I am very aware of how much junk food is marketed towards children.

Fitz: How did you land your awesome job with the Wiggles?

Paddy: Sheer luck. I got to know Anthony through a friend while I was doing another show. My show had a break and Anthony had to have an operation, and he asked me to fill in for him for 5 weeks. When my show ended, The Wiggles decided they needed someone permanently. So I jumped in.

Fitz: What was the origin of Captain's Magic Buttons?

Paddy: The Wiggles wanted to work out a way to get my singing training into the show, so the magic buttons just evolved.

Fitz: If you could put the Magic Buttons coat on one of the Wiggles, who would you choose and what would you make them do?

Paddy: Jeff, and I would push the Stay Awake Button for the whole day.

Fitz: You're a cutie. Out of all your fan mail...how much is from kids, and how much is from Moms?

Paddy: Most of my fan mail is from children and occasionally the mums will add a little note on the end.