Denise Austin: 52, Fit and Fabulous

From her perky smile to her energetic can-do attitude, Denise Austin is every part the guru of exercise that she appears.

She's a cottage industry unto herself with loads (20 million sold and counting) of DVDs on aerobics, weightlifting, fat-burning, Pilates, Yoga and more. She's also written 10 books, and at 52, shows no signs of slowing down -- or of looking her age.

A Q&A with her in the Chicago Tribune reveals Austin's secrets for fitting in fitness in daily life, and why feeling fab after 50 isn't such a feat. One secret: mix up your routine, like Austin does with a fitness trifecta of cardio, strength training and flexibility. But her best secret of all: there is no "perfect" body.

"I tell people: It isn't about being a skinny mini. It's about being fit, being healthy, it's how you live your life, how you are balanced," Austin told the Tribune.

Spoken like someone with all those feel-good endorphins running through her head. You know, those things you get when you exercise.

Read the full piece here.

Photo courtesy Horton Group@sxc.hu