Supermodel and fitness expert Kim Alexis headlined the Spring to Health program, held Saturday at Hickory High School in Hermitage.

The program, which focused on health and well being, was organized by NuBridge Development and Sharon Regional Health System, with the goal of informing the community about the benefits of healthy living, according to the schedule of events.

The program featured a health fair, a presentation on heart disease in women and a Kung Fu and Tai' Chi exhibition.

Ms. Alexis headlined the event, talking about her life and struggle for happiness.

After a long career as a model, fitness expert and broadcaster, Ms. Alexis talked a great deal about trying to "find what works for Kim," balancing the pressures to be thin as a model with the healthy lifestyle she'd always lived.

"I'm older now, I'm heavier, but I'm a lot healthier," Ms. Alexis said. She described how different diets affected her health.

Her first experience of not feeling thin enough was right after she was "discovered" at the age of 18, she said. She was told to lose 15 pounds.

"I realized I was going to have to change who Kim was to make it there," she said.

What followed were diets, hours of exercise and learning about supplements, nutrition and vitamins.

One diet, consisting entirely of brown rice, didn't work for her at all.

"It's kind of embarrassing," she said. "But on that diet, I couldn't go to the bathroom for a week."

Other diets made her feel tired or made her unhappy. She even tried fasting, but that was unsuccessful as well.

"I felt bad," she said. "It hurt, watching other people eat."

After fasting because she felt fat before a shoot for Vogue magazine, the photographer threw his hands up and walked away from his camera, saying, "I can't work with her, she has no life in her eyes."

That made her realize something wasn't right, Ms. Alexis said.

Now, she said, she eats for her blood type, does moderate exercise and drinks plenty of water.

A devout Christian, the mother of five said she didn't know what God had planned for her.

"I love speaking to young girls," she said. "There is such a problem with body image in young girls today," she said, saying that may be the direction God wants her to go.

After her talk, Ms. Alexis answered questions from the crowd on diet supplements, nutrition and seaweed baths.

Debbie Wasko of Hermitage said she enjoyed hearing the supermodel talk about her life.

"It was interesting to hear how she got started," she said. "I also enjoyed the presentation on heart disease."

Dr. Maryann Payne of Sharon Regional's Heart institute gave a presentation on heart disease in women. She told women how to recognize the signs of heart disease, and described the procedures used to treat it.

"I thought it was very good," said Jody Moretti of Hermitage. "I just wish there were more booths at the fair, and that they stayed up longer."

Booths at the fair included Sharon Regional, the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, FedEx, Magnotto's Shop N' Save, Leslie Sansone In Home Walking, the Acupuncture Health Network and Muscarella Gourmet Food.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Amanda Smith-Teutsch at: ateutsch@sharonherald.com