About Denise

Denise Austin promotes a sensible, realistic, and enthusiastic approach to fitness and eating: She works out only 30 minutes a day and never skips a meal! Her health and fitness philosophies have won her countless fans throughout the United States, from whom she receives over 10,000 letters and e-mails a week. When you watch Denise on television, read her books, or follow her videos, you can't help feeling like she's there with you cheering you on. At 5 feet 4 inches and 120 pounds, Denise has been named "America's favorite fitness expert." She gets the energy to tackle challenges and achieve her success from the gratification of knowing she makes a difference in people's lives and inspires them to feel better about themselves.

Born on February 13, 1957, Denise grew up in San Pedro, California. She started gymnastics at the age of 12 and earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Arizona, graduating in 1979 with a degree specializing in exercise physiology. She began teaching aerobic exercise classes in the Los Angeles area, earning her own local television program two years later. In 1983, Denise married Jeff Austin, a sports attorney and brother of tennis champ Tracy Austin. They moved to Washington, D.C., when Jeff accepted a job with a sports marketing firm.

In her 25 years of working to promote health and fitness, Denise has sold nearly 20 million exercise videos and DVDs. This grand accomplishment landed her an induction to the Video Hall of Fame in December 2003. Since then, she has completed two more exercise videos. In September 2004, Denise Austin's Personal Training System was released, allowing people to customize their workout. And Denise will be launching her first exercise video especially for kids and their families, Denise Austin's Fit Kids, in December 2004.

Denise has authored eight books on fitness. Her most recent one, Sculpt Your Body with Balls and Bands, has a new system to help firm up and shed unwanted pounds in 12 minutes a day! Her column, "Body Work by Denise Austin," appears monthly in Prevention magazine and highlights target exercises that zero in on problem areas of the body.

In addition to books and videos, Denise is entering her 20th season on television. You can watch this exercise maven on her own shows, Denise Austin's Daily Workout and Fit and Lite. Daily Workout began in 1987 with the name Getting Fit, and it aired for 10 years on ESPN. In January 1997, her show moved to sister station Lifetime TV, now the number one cable network in the country! The show's 18-year history makes Denise Austin's Daily Workout the longest running fitness show on television. In fact, the show was so successful on Lifetime that the network gave her a second show, which is how Fit & Lite came into being.

The sequence starts at 7 a.m. daily on Lifetime TV. The airing of Fit and Lite focuses on yoga and Pilates and gets the body warmed up before the high-energy Daily Workout comes on at 7:30 a.m. Denise is very proud to say that these are the nation's most popular TV shows in the Health and Fitness category!

Recently, in 2002, President Bush appointed Denise as a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS), an organization that strives to promote, encourage, and motivate Americans of all ages to become physically active and participate in sports. Denise is especially excited about the PCPFS's special emphasis on programs to help the nation's youth lay the foundation for active and fit lives. This momentous opportunity to represent the President in getting American adults and children fit and healthy is a tremendous honor for Denise. So far she has visited schools in 10 different states, and her goal is to visit and work with the youth of every state in America.

A dynamo of energy in a size 5, Denise Austin is a true motivator. She has become a veritable fitness empire, complete with books, shows, magazine columns, videos, and DVDs, as well as her own line of workout equipment, a signature shoe, and bodywear by Danskin. But Denise believes her greatest achievement yet is being mom to her two daughters, Kelly and Katie, who are now 13 and 10 years old, respectively. "I celebrate my career," Denise says, "but my family is my biggest joy in life."