Dara Torres Embodies Ageless Fitness

Dara Torres Embodies Ageless Fitness

Dara Torres was the first U.S. swimmer to compete in four Olympic Games and then went on to make the games a fifth time in 2008. She won a total of 3 silver medals at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Dara Torres inspired people around the world when she became the oldest swimmer to win an Olympic medal in August 2008. Now, in “Age Is Just a Number,” the 41-year-old mom describes the hurdles she overcame on the road to Beijing, including failed marriages, infertility and her father’s terminal illness. An excerpt.

Outside of swimming, Dara has made a name for herself as a TV commentator and a print model and was the first athlete to appear in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in 1994. She was a feature correspondent for Good Morning America, worked on-air for ESPN, TNT and Fox News Channel including stints on NHL Cool Shots and Fox Sports Sunday.

Dara also has joined the "Got Milk" campaign to promote the connection between drinking milk after exercise with maintaining healthy muscles and bones. Here is an excerpt from her Muscle and Bone Workout tips.Dara talks frankly about diving back in for this comeback; about being an older athlete in a younger athletes’ game; about competition, doubt, and belief; about working through pain and uncertainty; and finally, about seizing the moment and, most important, never giving up. A truly self-made legend, the story of this five-time Olympian will resonate with women of all ages, and with anyone daring to entertain a seemingly impossible dream. Additionally, the high-quality protein in milk helps build and maintain muscle mass and the calcium and vitamin D in milk helps keep bones sturdy and strong. Women tend to lose muscle mass and bone density as they age. Daily exercise, along with adequate amounts of protein, calcium and vitamin D, can help.

Dara blasts her music and hits the stair climber for a bone-building workout. Or, on a nice summer day, you may find Dara and her daughter playing in the park -- fitting in playtime and exercise all in one. If you don’t have access to a gym or a stair climber, running, aerobics, dancing and even brisk walking can give your bones a boost. You can also use the stairs in your house for an at-home stair climb or walk the stairs instead of the elevator at work. Find what works best for you and stick to it. Enlist a buddy or find activities to do with your kids to help you stay motivated.

In her new book, Age Is Just a Number, Dara reveals how the dream of an Olympic comeback first c ame to her --during her first, hard-won pregnancy. In the book, Dara recounts how she returned to serious training while still nursing her infant daughter and coping with her father's long battle with cancer.