Chokachi, 58, wanted to "make a statement" when he returned to the "Baywatch" set nearly 30 years after he first appeared on-screen as beloved lifeguard Cody Madison.
asserted
he → want → Madison
After climbing out of a dark place following an arduous recovery process due to Achilles tendon ruptures, Chokachi said that he "found a higher operating system" within, and became hyper-focused on optimizing his brain chemistry to benefit both mental and physical health.
asserted
he → climb → health
"I'm up at 3.30 in the morning every day and ready to go.
asserted
I → go → morning
My body's like, 'It's time to go,' and everybody thinks I'm insane, but it's my dream window of time, I love it," Chokachi told Fox News Digital.
asserted
Chokachi → go → Digital
He cited neuroscientist Andrew Huberman's approach to health as an influence on his own routine and noted that former Navy SEAL DJ Shipley also helped shape his mindset.
WATCH:
asserted
Shipley → cite → mindset
BAYWATCH' STAR DAVID CHOKACHI CREDITS EARLY-MORNINGS, TWO-A-DAY WORKOUTS FOR PEAK FITNESS
asserted
CHOKACHI → credit → FITNESS
Shipley "found this program of stacking micro wins, which are the little things you do, but you do them every day, and you recognize them, like, 'OK, that was a win,'" Chokachi said.
asserted
Chokachi → find → them
"The easiest win you can do in a day is get up early, like, really early – I mean it doesn't have to be 3:30, but if you're getting up before other people are, and you're being productive, subconsciously you start to — your brain starts going, your body starts going, 'I am a badass,' you know?
asserted
you → do → day
And it works, I'm telling you," Chokachi said.
asserted
Chokachi → work → you
In the pursuit of personal challenges, Chokachi doubled down with prepping to be on-screen once again playing a role that made him a global superstar.
asserted
him → double → role
"With 'Baywatch,' I realized, on the original, the more fit I was, the more stories they'd write for me, the more episodes I'd be in ...
asserted
I → realize → episodes
not that money is everything, but you want your character to take off," he said.
asserted
he → want → ?
"I've always been into fitness because I grew up playing sports my whole life.
asserted
I → grow → sports
So I did the same thing on this, but I like doubled down because I was the original coming into this new cast and I wanted to make a statement and I made a statement."
asserted
I → do → statement
Chokachi said he trained twice a day for six months before stepping on set.
asserted
he → say → set
"And I showed up on set and when it was time to take my shirt off ... we were shooting a rescue and people were just like, 'Oh my God.
asserted
people → show → rescue
Dude, what have you ... how old are you?'" he recalled.
asserted
he → have → ?
"They just, they can't believe it."
asserted
they → believe → it
"I have an ice plunge and a sauna, and that's usually how I start my day," Chokachi said.
asserted
Chokachi → have → day
"That alone burns a lot of ... brown fat, which is the fat we want to get rid of at the fastest rate by being cold, and ice plunge is really good ... it's a positive stressor on your brain."
asserted
it → burn → brain
He added, "So I do that routine, and by the time I've already done that, I'm like, I'm off to the races, like, and I just go."
asserted
I → add → races
According to the National Institutes of Health, brown fat actually helps the body generate heat by burning calories when exposed to cold temperatures, though research has not established cold plunges as an effective weight-loss method.
uncertain
research → accord → method
"Baywatch" first aired in 1989 and ran for a decade before its last episode in 1999, followed by two seasons of "Baywatch: Hawaii."
asserted
Baywatch → air → Baywatch
The show became the most widely viewed TV series in the world, with an estimated weekly audience of more than 1.1 billion viewers across 142 countries in 1996, according to Guinness World Records.
uncertain
show → become → Records
While Chokachi may have felt he was at his physical peak back then, he said he's "way more fit" now than ever before.
uncertain
he → feel → peak
"I have a leaner fitness," he said.
asserted
he → have → fitness
"I used to just bang weights and run back then, so I was a little beefier.
asserted
I → use → weights
And now I live like ... I don't go out, I don't party ...
asserted
I → live → ?
I'm not obsessed about diet, but I don't drink or do anything."
asserted
I → drink → anything
He added, "I'm not that diligent, but I do do everything in a day that has gotten me to where I'm at now.
asserted
I → add → where
And the crazy thing is, it not only helped my fitness level, I feel like I'm doing the best work as an actor I've ever done in 30 years of being an actor, which is wild."
asserted
which → help → years
Chokachi's next personal challenge will be at the 3rd annual Malibu Moves race, where he plans to complete a 5k carrying a 45-pound weighted backpack, an activity known as "rucking."
asserted
he → plan → rucking
The effort will also serve as a qualifying test for his local community fire brigade.
asserted
effort → serve → brigade
"It's an awesome day," Chokachi said of the local event held at Zuma Beach.
asserted
Chokachi → say → Beach
"I've never lived in a place where there's such a real presence of community like Malibu, and, the people ... they go out of their way to help each other.
asserted
they → live → other
Whether working with Wings of Rescue to help transport dogs at risk of euthanasia because of shelter overcrowding or volunteering with the brigade to keep his community safe, Chokachi is grateful to be living well and helping others along the way.
asserted
Chokachi → work → way
"I want to maximize my time on this planet," he said.
asserted
he → want → planet
"I want to make this planet a better place than it was when I'm gone.
asserted
I → want → ?
I want my daughter to learn from what I'm doing."
asserted
I → want → what
The Aporia
