AARP Hearing Center
Denise Austin
You know her as the sunny fitness guru with infectious energy and a library of exercise DVDs to her name. Early on, Denise Austin earned a gymnastics scholarship to the University of Arizona and cohosted the Jack LaLanne fitness program. Recognized for her ability to inspire her audience with fun, often cardio-based workouts and personal encouragement, Austin hosted her own fitness programs on a variety of television and cable channels for decades and served two terms on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. Austin is also the author of best-selling fitness and diet books, including Side Effect: Skinny: Denise Austin’s Fat Blast Diet.
Jorge Cruise
Weight loss coach, celebrity fitness trainer and frequent TV personality, Jorge Cruise is also a New York Times best-selling author of diet and fitness books, including 8 Minutes in the Morning and The Belly Fat Cure. Cruise is also a committed yogi, and his workouts often incorporate both yoga postures and interval training to burn belly fat and build lean muscle. An early advocate of intermittent fasting, Cruise says his motivation to help others lose weight was motivated in large part by seeing his own father improve his diet to overcome cancer.
Bryant Johnson
A former member of a U.S. Special Forces airborne unit, Bryant Johnson now works as a court clerk, Army reservist and, in his off-hours, as a personal trainer in Washington, DC. Bryant is also the author of 2017's RBG Workout, which offers illustrations of the twice-weekly, hour-long workouts he created for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whom Johnson trained for more than 20 years — starting when she asked for help with strength training after a bout with cancer. He also works with the cancer survivors group 2unstoppable.org.
Lorraine C. Ladish
As a bilingual Florida-based influencer and yogi, Lorraine Ladish's mission is to empower women — especially women over 50 — to achieve their goals. She’s the CEO of Viva Fifty Media, a bilingual venture that celebrates midlife and beyond. Her latest book on embracing age, Tu Mejor Edad, (Your Best Age) was published by HarperCollins in 2017. In addition to her many writing and speaking engagements, Ladish blogs about yoga at TheFlawedYogini.com.
Kathy Smith
Kathy Smith has held a spot at the forefront of the fitness and wellness industries for more than 40 years and has rightly been called a "fitness titan" for her iconic library of exercise videos. Today, along with her many fitness projects, speaking engagements and ski trips with her daughters, Smith produces a highly acclaimed podcast and builds her collection of New York Times best-selling books, videos, lifestyle products and fitness equipment.
More From AARP
8 Things to Do at 50+ to Help You Live Longer
It’s never too late to make small changes to improve your health