Denise Austin is a pioneer in the exercise and sports industry. A five-foot-four-inch dynamo, she has sold more than 20 million exercise videos and DVDs, authored 10 books on fitness, and starred in the longest running fitness show in the history of television.
Denise's trademark zest for life, positive outlook, and can-do attitude have endeared her to millions of fans across the country — and around the world — and earned her the reputation as "America's favorite fitness expert." A multimedia talent, Denise is a top-selling author and a highly sought-after speaker and TV personality. Her upbeat energy and unique ability to make people feel that she's right there with them, cheering them on, have inspired the millions who watch her on television, read her books, or follow her videos and DVDs.
A native of San Pedro, Calif., Denise started gymnastics at the age of 12 and earned an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Arizona. In 1979, she graduated from California State University at Long Beach with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education, with an emphasis on exercise physiology. She began her career teaching aerobic exercise classes in the Los Angeles area and went on to cohost the The Jack LaLanne Show, in 1981. (Denise considers Jack LaLanne one of her role models, and she is delighted to still speak regularly with the 94-year-old fitness legend.) In 1982, she earned her own television program on KABC in Los Angeles and released her first two workout videos, Rock Aerobics and Rock Hard Abs. From 1984 to 1988, she was the fitness expert on NBC's Today Show.
During more than 25 years promoting health and fitness, Denise has created 84 workout videos or DVDs. Her enormous number of sales led to her 2003 induction into the Video Hall of Fame. Her latest workout DVDs, Denise Austin Body Burn and Dance With Pilates and Denise Austin Get Fit Daily Dozen: 12 Moves in 12 Minutes, were released in December 2008, and a new book is planned for January 2010.
On television, Denise has created a loyal audience with her two major television shows: Getting Fit, which ran for 10 years on ESPN, and continued on under the new name Denise Austin's Daily Workout, when it moved to the Lifetime Television Network. Daily Workout and a second Denise Austin show, Fit & Lite, both appeared on Lifetime through March 2008.
In addition to her role as a popular spokeswoman for such major brands as Idaho Potatoes and Nature Made, Denise has championed the benefits of heart health and good nutrition throughout her career. She is serving her second term on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, a position she was first appointed to by George W. Bush in 2002. She has also testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and helped launch the new food guidance system of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (mypyramid.gov) her contributions to heart health were honored by Woman's Day magazine and the American Heart Association when she was presented with the Red Dress Award in February 2008.
Denise has been married for 25 years to Jeff Austin, a sports attorney and brother of tennis champ Tracy Austin.
They share a home with their two teenage daughters, Kelly and Katie, and their dog Madonna.
Photographs by Hilmar Meyer-Bosse
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