More Energy in 2011: 7 Questions with Fitness Queen Denise Austin

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Ever catch yourself wishing for more energy? Stop wishing and start working towards extra energy with help from America's favorite fitness queen, Denise Austin.

As part of our ongoing "7 Questions with..." series of insightful interviews, Diet-to-Go chief editor John McGran sits down with Austin to get her secrets to increased energy and better health.

Austin, who remains fit and fabulous at age 50, has a great new book, GET ENERGY: Empower Your Body, Love Your Life (Center Street).

In the book which will be released January 7, 2011, Austin shows readers how to super-charge their lives, using her innovative lifestyle plan.

Diet-to-Go: You're known for your fitness routines, so what inspired you to write a book about energy?

Denise Austin: Well, I travel all over the country and talk to so many different women. The No. 1 complaint I always hear is "I'm always so tired, I have no energy..."

I also get a lot of letters through DeniseAustin.com from women who tell me they are always exhausted and stressed out. I decided it would be great if I can share what I know to help anyone who has ever felt tired and low on energy by writing this book. Finding energy is what GET ENERGY! is all about.

DTG: Why are so many people lacking the energy needed to live the life they want?

DA: First of all, with today's tough economy, some people are taking on more responsibilities in their full-time jobs and some are even taking more than one job. With so much to do, people end up bringing their work home to continue it there on their laptops, iPads, BlackBerries, and they even bring their work to bed.

Even those whose work is at home have more to deal with, because now they have to stretch what income they have to meet the family's needs, and that means more work, like tightening the budget and cutting back on some conveniences that may have cost money before. The demands of life are great nowadays.

Secondly, a lot of people are sitting more because of the technology we have-cable, smart phones, iPads, computers and laptops-and sitting too much lowers our energy levels. Studies show that the average American sits 8 hours a day.

Circulation is important-it's what gives you energy, and we can't get circulation if we're sitting around all the time. When you sit at hip level, you're almost disrupting the blood flow from the upper body to the lower body, so it depletes your energy. We need to take a break from sitting down!

The book offers quick tips on how to sit up nice and tall so you can breathe better and how to stand up and stretch to get the circulation going. When you have good energy, it improves your attitude, and a better attitude gets you more good energy.

It's a positive cycle. A better attitude makes you more optimistic, so you're not pulled down by negative thinking. One suggestion I have is to just stand up every hour, even if it's for just a minute.

DTG: Thanks to you, my New Year's resolution is to acquire more energy in 2011, but how do I get started?

DA: Waking up and doing a 5-minute workout with GET ENERGY! is a great way to start your day out right. Throughout the book I also have "Revive in 5" tips, which teaches you how to renew your energy in 5 minutes.

Just follow these 5-minute tips and you will feel better instantaneously, and that should be a good motivator to follow everything else the book has to offer.

DTG: What are some of the great side-effects of being more energetic?

DA: You feel better. You can get a lot more done in day. People want to be around you more because you have energy and it makes you a better friend, worker-and for those with a significant other, a better lover. And energy is contagious-like enthusiasm.

DTG: How should I recharge my resolution should my willpower start to slip come February?

DA: One of the things I do is change up my exercise routine all the time. I work out 30 minutes every day and changing it up helps me maintain my motivation. Like I would run one day then do Pilates the next.

Changing it up all the time also jumpstarts your metabolism constantly, which is a great fat-burner. It can also be as simple as changing my music. I think music is a fabulous motivator. It also helps to engage a friend with your workouts. Every Sunday, I organize workouts with my girlfriends.

DTG: Do I need a gym or a trainer to get in good shape?

DA: No. A friend, spouse, or your girlfriend or boyfriend is the perfect personal trainer. The idea is that someone else is encouraging you to stick to it-so you won't get out of it so easily, and it works the other way, too. It keeps you both motivated and you're in it together.

You can incorporate one of my new DVDs into your workout: Denise Austin's Quick Burn Cardio You can accelerate fat loss with two 20-minute calorie-crunching workouts!

DTG: Can 15 minutes of work really empower me for 12 full hours? Not even those small energy shots promise that much energy!

DA: Absolutely. Even 10 minutes will empower you, but 15 is better. It changes your metabolism, tones muscle, and gets your circulation going.

Click here to preorder Denise Austin's "GET ENERGY!" which will be released January 7, 2011.

ABOUT DENISE: A native of San Pedro, California, Denise started gymnastics at the age of 12 and earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Arizona, graduating in 1979 with an exercise physiology degree. She began her career teaching aerobic exercise classes in the Los Angeles area and went on to cohost The Jack LaLanne Show in 1981. During more than 25 years promoting health and fitness, Denise has created 82 workout videos or DVDs. Her enormous number of sales led to her 2003 induction into the Video Hall of Fame.


Author: John McGran

Archived posts 2010

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