Anti-Aging Pyramid

Fit and Fabulous After 40: A 5-Part Program for Turning Back the Clock
by Denise Austin

America's favorite fitness expert presents a breakthrough program to win the war against aging - a battle she has personally fought and won.

We all know that aging is inevitable - but how gracefully you age is up to you. Scientific research shows that we can turn back the clock through a targeted regimen of age-busting exercise and nutrition. Now, in Fit and Fabulous After 40, award-winning fitness expert Denise Austin presents her own revolutionary, sure-fire plan to help you stay healthy, strong, slim, and fabulous - no matter what your age! By exercising for just thirty minutes a day, using cutting-edge techniques such as yoga and Pilates-based exercises, and eating for maximum health and vitality, you can build strength, shed extra pounds, improve flexibility and balance, and look years younger. Fit and Fabulous After 40 includes:

• Easy-to-follow workout plans for every day of the week
• Fat-blasting, toning exercises to target specific areas of the body
• Weekly nutrient-packed meal plans with delicious slimming recipes
• Denise's personal vitamin and supplement regimen
• Invaluable advice on common health concerns for women, such as menopause, breast cancer, and heart disease
• Special beauty tips - including anti-wrinkle exercises!

Designed to fit even the most hectic schedules, and easily tailored to individual health concerns, Fit and Fabulous After 40 offers a modern, realistic fountain of youth for every woman.

Chapter 1

Attitude
Beauty
Health
Nutrition
Exercise

Congratulations! Just by reading these words, you've already taken an important first step toward improving your life and your health: You've made the decision to do it. But now you're not sure what to do next. You know that you need to exercise more. You definitely want to lose those love handles. And you would love to diminish your wrinkles and get rid of those brown spots on your skin. So where do you go from here? And how can you create a program that can tackle all of these different issues?

Before we delve into the program itself, let's take a closer look at the aging process and some of the major changes that women face as they grow older.

In Your 40s

Maybe the kids are out of the house (at least in school during the day, like mine) and you've finally gotten a chance to sit, relax and catch up on the latest books. Or maybe you're focusing on your career and spending most of your time sitting behind a desk. Either way, you're probably not getting enough exercise.

Without regular exercise, muscles shrink at a rate of 1 to 2 percent per year. The more muscle you lose, the slower your metabolism gets and the fewer calories your body burns. If your eating habits don't change, your waistline starts to expand and your pants get tighter. You can expect to gain about 10 pounds between the ages of 40 and 50.

All that sitting around combined with a poor diet and perhaps cigarette smoking (please quit now) as well may also be causing your bones to get steadily weaker. Your muscles start to atrophy due to inactivity, and your joints (especially your knees and hips) are beginning to feel stiff and creaky.

If you haven't been taking proper care of your skin, sun damage might appear in the form of wrinkles around your eyes and on your forehead, especially now that the production of collagen - a protein found in skin tissue that gives it elasticity and firmness - has begun to slow down.

In Your 50s

The average woman experiences menopause at age 51, after which estrogen levels decrease by as much as 75 percent. A decline in estrogen causes cholesterol levels to rise and blood vessels to become less elastic, putting your heart at risk. As estrogen levels plummet, bone loss becomes more rapid, upping your risk of fractures. Fat - which had previously been stored in the hips and buttocks, primarily for breast-feeding - begins to collect more in your abdomen and you develop a "pot belly."

Your skin also becomes thinner, drier and less elastic due to this drop in estrogen as well as years of sun exposure and lack of proper nutrition. Wrinkles may begin to appear at the corners of your mouth and become more prominent on other parts of your face and body. Reduced circulation may cause your once-rosy cheeks to look pale and colorless.

In Your 60s

If you remain inactive, your muscles and ligaments keep getting weaker. Your joints get "rusty," and you lose your flexibility. Your weight distribution has also changed due to more fat around your middle. As a result, you lose your balance more easily.

As your muscles and bones continue to shrink, your posture may become slumped. With the exception of your pot belly, your body seems to be getting smaller. Next to you, your grown-up kids appear to be getting taller and taller.

Remember: If you don't use it, you'll lose it. If you rest, you rust.

If you've continued to neglect it, your skin becomes slacker and wrinkling increases. Skin pigmentation starts to clump in some places, causing brown spots. Due to a higher cell turnover, skin cells become irregularly shaped, and precancerous lesions are more likely.

Many of these changes result from the shifting in hormones that occurs as our bodies, no longer primed for childbearing, go through perimenopause (the months or years immediately before our periods stop) and menopause, when they actually do. While most of our mothers sat down with us and rather awkwardly and tenderly explained menstruation, all too often the subject of menopause is overlooked. Even our doctors may be slow to advise us of this natural biological transition. But if we're going to beat the aging process, it's important to understand exactly what's going on inside our bodies and how it can affect our health and appearance - if we don't take action, that is!

For most women, this change in hormones usually begins in their 40s as we begin to lose estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Many women barely notice the transition taking place; others experience headaches, depression and insomnia. One major side effect - and one of the first that many of us notice - is weight gain. But other studies have shown that menopause alone is rarely the culprit, and that calorie consumption and exercise habits are equally responsible for those added pounds. Experts say that after the age of 40, a woman's metabolism slows about 5 to 7 percent each decade. You may have consumed over 2,000 calories a day as a young woman, but after the age of 40 you should probably limit your caloric intake to approximately 1,700 if you want to avoid middle-age spread. This drop in metabolism is partly the result of a decrease in muscle mass - primarily due to a more sedentary lifestyle - that reduces our ability to burn calories.

My Anti-Aging Pyramid consists of five parts: exercise, nutrition, health, beauty and attitude. Each piece of the pyramid works in conjunction with the others to create an overall plan for reversing the aging process. Don't forget: Well-being is more than just exercise. It's more than just eating soy and broccoli. To be truly healthy and defy the aging process, you need balance in every aspect of your life, including your workouts, your diet, your job, your relationships and your outlook on life.

To better explain, I'll use one of my favorite analogies. Your body is like a sophisticated machine - think of it as a Mercedes. If the gas tank is empty, the brakes are shot or one tire is flat, that car is going to sit in the driveway, eventually getting old and rusty. In neglecting to tend to a single problem, you eventually lose the entire machine. Similarly, if you approach your day with negative thoughts, grumbling about your hectic schedule or the lousy weather, chances are you'll lack the incentive to eat well and hit the gym, which in turn can put you in an even worse mood and leave your stress levels soaring as you count up your calories at the end of the day and worry about fitting into that new dress you bought. It's all connected.

Throughout the book I'll talk about each section of the pyramid separately, starting at the bottom and working our way up. Since each building block is interconnected, you may notice some overlap. For instance, water is essential to keep you hydrated while working out, but it's also vital for beautiful skin and hair. So you'll find references to drinking water in both the exercise and beauty departments.

I've specifically placed exercise and diet at the base of my Anti-Aging Pyramid because I firmly believe that a healthy body and happy life start with a regular exercise plan and good eating habits. They are the two most critical parts of your battle against the aging process. Without them you won't have the strength and energy that you need to defend your body from disease and lead a full, productive life.

But don't underestimate the importance of the top of the pyramid, either. Good health and longevity are dependent on doing breast self-exams and getting mammograms, seeing a doctor regularly, and even flossing your teeth. And a positive attitude has been shown to boost your immune system and help stave off illnesses like heart disease and cancer - in my mind, it's one of the most underrated health and beauty tips around!

Just remember: Every little change, no matter how small it seems to you, is a plus. And it will serve as a foundation for the next change. Over time, as your new behaviors become habits, you'll be able to bring them all together easily and effortlessly.

Copyright © 2002 by Denise Austin.

About the Author

Denise Austin, is one of the most popular and trusted personalities in the fitness field. She is the author of 8 books and the star of more than 50 top-selling videos. Her two fitness shows, Fit and Lite and The Daily Workout, appear every day on Lifetime Network.