1923 star Julia Schlaepfer was thrilled to run into friend and co-star Michelle Randolph at the beach. Schlaepfer, 28, shared images of Randolph soaking up the sun in a bathing suit, and of herself posing in a red-and-white checked swimsuit coverup on the sand. “Look who I found,” she wrote on the story. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Schlaepfer stays in shape and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don’t miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!
Schlaepfer is an accomplished ballet dancer. “Dancing is mainly linked to physical health benefits, but when you dance you are moving different parts of your body in a coordinated way, and this activates several parts of the brain,” says the British Heart Foundation. “One small study even found that dancing is associated with a lower risk of dementia.”
Luckily for someone starring in a Yellowstone prequel, Schlaepfer is comfortable and confident on horseback. “Horse riders are strongly motivated to take part in riding by the sense of well-being they gain from interacting with horses,” according to researchers from the University of Brighton. “This important positive psychological interaction with an animal occurs in a very few sports.”
Schlaepfer is a good swimmer, which is helpful when she has to shoot scenes in deep water. “Just 30 minutes of swimming three times a week alongside a balanced, healthy diet and lifestyle is one of the best ways to stay fit and healthy and maintain a positive mental outlook,” says Swim England. “Do it with friends, and it’s even more fun!”
Research shows travel offers many health benefits, and Schlaepfer is lucky to travel for work. “We were only in Montana for cowboy camp, and then they shipped us off,” she says. “We started in Salt Lake City for a couple of days to film with the live leopard for episode 1. I was on set every day because I was so excited to get started and then we went to South Africa, like all over South Africa. We were in Cape Town, Durban, Limpopo. We were out in the bush for a while. Then we flew up to Kenya for all of the Zanzibar beach stuff. Then we went to Malta for the water tank, and then we ended in Long Beach, California, on the Queen Mary for episode 8.”
Schlaepfer has bonded with her castmates and considers them a second family. “The whole cast really gets along,” she says. “We have created a family. And I know sometimes people say that about their cast, but we really have separation anxiety when we’re away from each other. We get together as much as humanly possible.”