Mag dara torres

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92 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | OCTOBER 2012 HEALTHY LIVING BY NICK TATE D ara torres missed the chance to compete in a historic sixth Olympic Games last summer when she was narrowly eliminated from the U.S. swim team — finishing less than one-tenth of a second behind competitors half her age. But the experience did nothing to dampen the 12-time Olympic medalist’s enthusiasm for sports, health, and wellness. Her close finish in the U.S. time trials — at the astonishing age of 45 — became one of the most inspiring sports stories of the year, especially for those pushing into middle age. How has she maintained her athletic greatness? It’s not just because exercise and eating right is what she does — she has made it who she is. This is a lesson that can benefit even non-Olympians. To stay in shape, fitness needs to become a part of a person’s identity, she says. “When I work out, I feel most like myself and most comfortable in my body and mind,” she says. “I feel motivated to continue to set new goals for myself and go after them and give them my all. You might think that this tenacity comes from being an Olympic athlete, but I believe it’s the result of living in my body in an active way. “Working out and staying in shape is simply how I take care of myself, and when I do this, everything else in my life falls into place.” Dara Torres Offers Age-Defying Fitness Secrets After five Olympics, the legendary swimmer tells Newsmax how we all can stay in shape into middle age and beyond. :: MAIN/THE WASHINGTON POST/GETTY IMAGES 1982/RONALD C. MODRA/SPORTS IMAGERY/GETTY IMAGES 2000/AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES

Transcript of Mag dara torres

Page 1: Mag dara torres

92 N E W S M A X M A X L I F E | O C TO B E R 2012

H E A L T H Y L I V I N G

b y n i c k tat e

Dara torres missed the chance to compete in a historic sixth Olympic Games last summer when she was narrowly eliminated from the U.S. swim team — finishing less than one-tenth

of a second behind competitors half her age.But the experience did nothing to dampen the 12-time

Olympic medalist’s enthusiasm for sports, health, and wellness. Her close finish in the U.S. time trials — at the astonishing age of 45 — became one of the most inspiring sports stories of the year, especially for those pushing into middle age. How has she maintained her athletic greatness? It’s not just because exercise and eating right

is what she does — she has made it who she is. This is a lesson that can benefit even non-Olympians. To stay in shape, fitness needs to become a part of a person’s identity, she says.

“When I work out, I feel most like myself and most comfortable in my body and mind,” she says. “I feel motivated to continue to set new goals for myself and go after them and give them my all. You might think that this tenacity comes from being an Olympic athlete, but I believe it’s the result of living in my body in an active way.

“Working out and staying in shape is simply how I take care of myself, and when I do this, everything else in my life falls into place.”

Dara Torres Offers Age-Defying Fitness SecretsAfter five Olympics, the legendary swimmer tells Newsmax how we all can stay in shape into middle age and beyond. ::

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That message, from her book Gold Medal Fitness: A Revolutionary 5-Week Program, not only informs the way Torres lives her own life — as an athlete, single mother, and best-selling author — it also is a prescription for healthy living for anyone, at any age.

In an interview with Newsmax, Torres says her disappointment at not making the 2012 Olympic team won’t stop her from trying to motivate other people to exercise and stay healthy, using her own experiences to provide a model and example. “I’d like to still be out there helping other people,” she says.

INSPIRATIONAL LIFE STORYTorres has become known as much for the personal

challenges she has faced, with bulimia in college, recovering from multiple injuries, divorce, and becoming a single mother at age 39, as her age-defying Olympic achievements. She competed in her first Olympics in 1984 as a teenager and went on to swim in four more, winning 12 medals in all. At the 2008 Beijing Games, she became the oldest swimmer in Olympic history.

Outside the pool, Torres has been a commentator on Fox News, ESPN, and the Discovery Channel, and been featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Torres’ workout guidelines emphasize four key elements that she pays close attention to: stretching,

strengthening, cardio training, and active recovery. Stretching/strengthening: Although she has done

Pilates, Torres has become a devotee of a form of resistance stretching known as Ki-Hara that builds strength and flexibility by working the body’s core muscles. Movements are modeled after how the body naturally moves. Ki-Hara usually involves working with a trainer, and you can get more information about it at Ki-Hara.com.

Cardio training: The cardiovascular benefits of moderately intense exercise — 150 minutes per week, at a minimum — are well-known. But cardiovascular health also has another benefit, Torres says. A fit body “craves healthy, clean foods and rejects sugary, starchy, processed foods that slow you down.” Torres favors biking or elliptical machines for cardio when she is not swimming.

Active recovery: One aspect of working out that Torres says gets too little attention: recovery. Let your body rest between workouts; allow your mind to stop thinking and just relax. If your body feels tired, don’t feel guilty about taking a day or two off and doing nothing physical. “The recovery part is big because the older you get the less hormones you have, and the less hormones you have the harder it is to recover,” she explains. Active recovery also means eating a balance of whole foods from all the food groups (complex carbs, lean protein and “good” fat, with plenty of fiber) and replacing fluids.

DON’T SWEAT THE SWEETSTorres does not follow a strict diet plan. She’s been

known to indulge her sweet tooth on occasion.“I do watch my diet in the sense that, you know,

everything’s in moderation,” she says. “But I don’t like to really use the word diet, I just really try to eat well and satisfy cravings here and there.”

Beyond these strategies, Torres said it’s important to be mindful about exercise: setting goals, keeping a focus on why you’re working out, and making sure to mix things up to keep your mind and body challenged.

“I think listening to your body is the most important thing,” she tells Newsmax. “If you’re tired or feel pain, take things slowly. And as you get older, you have to listen to your body more.” She says it’s important to do different forms of exercise to allay boredom. “Relax and have fun,” she says. “Practice and working out can be something you enjoy and look forward to, not just something you look forward to finishing.”

Since she stopped swimming competitively, Torres has cut back on the intensity of her training regimen. But she continues to work out every day — typically 40 minutes of aerobic activity on a bike or an elliptical machine. And what about swimming? “I’m spending no time in the pool right now,” she acknowledges, “unless I’m at the beach, and there’s a pool there and I’ll jump in because I’m hot.”

Torres says she will definitely not try to compete for the 2016 U.S. Olympic swim team when she will be 49. (Asked if it’s even a possibility she offers a straightforward, “No.”)

But she says she can’t ever envision a time when she won’t be working out. For her, it’s a lifelong pursuit, not just because of the physical benefits.

“I love the way it makes me feel,” she says, “and I can’t imagine that will ever change.”

LIFE AQUATIC Torres has been a competitive swimmer for most of her life. From left: Torres, after winning in the 1982 Spring Nationals in Florida; at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia; with teammates after winning in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.