Denise Austin is looking forever young – in her workout gear. In a new social media post the fitness queen shows off her fit-at-67 figure in an exercise set while walking on the beach. “Walk OFF belly fat with me,” she captioned the Instagram post. “She’s proof that a good diet, regular exercise, and a positive mental attitude is the best recipe for longevity and beauty,” commented one of her followers. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.
1. Resistance Training
Denise is a big proponent of resistance training. “As we all age, you really need to do some light strength training or any type of resistance training, even more so, to save our bones, to help our muscles work, work miracles on your metabolism,” she told First for Women. “Metabolism is so important because it slows down naturally as you age, so one of the best ways to combat that and fight the drooping, and the aging is muscles. We have 640 muscles and these muscles will help your posture and your muscle tone — they will help keep everything fit and firm. And it’s healthy to have strong muscles for your bones as well as for your joints!”
2. Stretching
Don’t forget to stretch, reminds Denise! “Flexibility after 50 is so important. I just don’t think we stretch enough! I would love more women to stretch to feel better. The one area that is important to stretch is your hips. Women’s hips can hold stress and tension and that could lead to tugging on your low spine. And if your hips and your hamstring stay flexible, it keeps your back healthy. So it all works hand in hand and head to toe,” she says. “Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints,” says Harvard Health. “Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they are weak and unable to extend all the way. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage.”
3. Walking
“Walking is good,” she added to First for Women. Should you walk daily? One study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that walking at a brisk pace for about 30 minutes a day led to a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia and death, compared with walking a similar number of steps but at a slower pace.
4. Lifestyle Over Diet
Austin encourages lifestyle over diet. “Way too often, people start a diet, get excited about it for a few days, and then return to their normal habits when it gets in the way of their lifestyle. The major problem here is that a diet shouldn’t be a fad or an inconvenience — it should fit seamlessly into your lifestyle, so it is easy to adopt and adapt to! Because if a diet is going to work for you, it’s got to be something you can keep up with day in and day out,” she writes in a blog post.
5. Keeping Track of Calories
Denise also recommends calorie counting. “By sticking to a plan that already does the work for you, you will be less likely to stray off course,” she says, recommending her own plan. “If losing weight is truly a goal for you, it takes a combination of regular exercise and eating a certain number of calories. My Plan makes this simple - you choose your calorie level (you can change it at any time!), and you get all your daily meals (plus snacks) recipes delivered right to you! My recipes are equal parts tasty and simple - and always filling, because no one wants to be hungry when dieting! You can start a free trial and check out my eating plan, recipes and workouts today.”
