rehabilitated? Fitness instructor Mr. Nelson Aspen didn't think so -- until he discovered aerobics in his late teens.

"It was almost a case of tricking myself into liking exercise as much as I liked watching TV or reading a book,'' the young American explained. "When I discovered aerobics that did it for me. It wasn't intimidating, the music was inspiring, and jumping around having a good time led to tremendous fat burning.'' And Mr. Aspen had plenty of fat to burn. As a teenager, he was so large that he couldn't participate in gymnastics at school "because it became a case of back and foot problems.'' As a child, he preferred to stay home rather than be subjected to the taunts of playmates.

Once bitten by the aerobics bug, however, Mr. Aspen never looked back -- until he reached 128-lbs. and then realised he'd gone too far.

"It was too much of a weight loss, but I was so excited to be thin for the first time. I couldn't sustain either extreme, and needed exercise to get the way I should be,'' he related.

Though he says he no longer gets on scales -- "I won't live under the pressure of numbers'' -- he has become so attuned to his estimated 150-lb.

body weight that he soon knows when it changes.

Like many successful keep fit enthusiasts, Mr. Aspen is a realist. He knows a life of total self-denial won't work for the average person like himself, so he recommends keeping weight fluctuations within a ten-pound limit.

And he warns that there is no "quick fix'' solution to getting fit and losing weight -- including fad diets.

"We live in a quick-fix society with short attention spans,'' he admits, "but the only way to find peace in body, mind or spirit is through moderation. It's necessary to like yourself at every stage. You can't be in any rush, you have to find a programme you can live with, and your physical activity should be in harmony with your diet.

"Starving yourself definitely won't do it. Deprivation diets don't work because you cannot live your life knowing you are giving up something forever.

Besides, exercise without proper diet results in flabby skin.'' Instead, Mr. Aspen advocates approaching fitness in a rational and positive manner.

"If you can change one active habit for one sedentary one it will change your entire perspective on fitness,'' he promised. "Not everybody is going to be a marathon runner. You can be a turtle as long as you are moving. Find your niche, whether it is walking, dancing, tennis or something else, and do your best.'' To prove his point, his exercise classes contain a real mixture of humanity.

"It is not unusual to find a very overweight 45-year-old woman standing next to a 25-year-old marathon runner or a Ford model. Everyone is welcome, everyone is encouraged, and everyone gets a great workout,'' he said.

As a resident of Los Angeles, Mr. Aspen says he lives among fitness fanatics who are always looking for something challenging and new.

"People in LA tend to be more fit than other areas of the country, and the average person considers himself an athlete. They enjoy activities which are structured like an athletic event -- it sort of satisfies the Bruce Jenner in them!'' For that reason circuit training has become "enormously popular.'' "That is intermittent cardio-vascular aerobics with weight machine work,'' he explained. "I have developed a high-energy, high-intensity Power Step cross-training programme which I teach in 90-minute classes. People have almost a look of euphoria by the end of it because they feel as if they have just completed a race or competition, and it is with themselves.'' Included in this programme are exercises conducted around a current hot item in fitness equipment: a platform with steps on it.

"Steps allow you to travel around them rather than be confined to one machine,'' the instructor said.

Another advantage of "step'' is that it can be done in the home, which in turn has created a boom market for step training videos.

"Step is a phenomenal success,'' one of New York City's first step aerobic instructors related. "I was resistant to modern step instruction, and now I teach master classes for other instructors.'' In fact, Mr. Aspen will soon be going to England to teach master classes in his training programme, and one of his "pupils'' will be Princess Diana's trainer.

"I am thrilled that my work will find its way to Princess Di,'' he smiled.

"I am working on some of my best funk moves just for her.'' As busy as the fitness instructor is, that is not his only activity. He is also a correspondent for a British television show, This Morning, produced by Granada, and reports live from LA on unusual American fitness trends.

One TV report covered actress Michelle Phillips' preference for boxing when she's not working on Knots Landing.

Next he will do a report on pet fitness with actress Betty White of Golden Girls.

Acting and writing are other facets of his busy life.

"I was a child actor growing up in Philadelphia, and I moved to New York at 17 and did some work on soaps -- Search for Tomorrow and Another World. I have also done theatre and commercials,'' he related.

Having studied writing at New York's Hofstra University, he has now written two novels, one about Bermuda, for which he is trying to find a publisher, and is also working on screen plays for two feature films.

Of English ancestry, Mr. Aspen is "just crazy'' about anything relating to British history, and finds Bermuda's history particularly fascinating because "it is a complete blending of British and American history.'' A life-long visitor to the Island with his family ("my father is an advisor to the Monetary Authority''), he loves to spend time in the library pursuing his interest in its history and getting to know as much about local life as he can.

"It doesn't thrill me to vegetate by a pool,'' he said. "I want to go to the places where locals go and explore.'' In fact, because Bermuda is Mr. Aspen's "resort of choice,'' he has been using his latest vacation to explore the possibility of filming a fitness video here.

Meanwhile, he will continue to enjoy "the most perfect job in the world because I wear comfortable clothes and listen to my favourite music'' while looking to the future.

"I would like to expand my broadcast journalism,'' he said. "Hopefully, I can mesh that with my fitness career and become the Phil Donohue of health and fitness.'' EASY DOES IT -- American instructor Mr. Nelson Aspen demonstrates one of many simple exercises designed to improve body fitness. A lifelong visitor to Bermuda, Mr. Aspen is considering making a fitness video on the Island he describes as his "resort of choice.''