Austin, Denise 1957-

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AUSTIN, Denise 1957-

PERSONAL: Born February 13, 1957, in San Pedro (some sources say Palos Verdes), CA; daughter of Joe (a professional baseball player) and Rita Katnich; married Jeff Austin (a sports attorney), 1983; children: Kelly, Katie. Education: Attended the University of Arizona, 1979.

ADDRESSES: Home—Alexandria, VA. Offıce—c/o Paradise Video, 88 Francis St., Newark, NJ 07105-3593.

CAREER: Fitness guru; former competitive gymnast. Founder of A+ Body, c. 1980-81. Appeared on television programs, including (as cohost) The Jack LaLanne Show, 1981-82; (as host) Daybreak LA, KABC, Los Angeles, CA, began 1982; (as resident fitness expert) Today Show, NBC, 1984-88; Getting Fit, Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), 1987-97; and Denise Austin's Daily Workout, Lifetime, 1997—; also hosts Fit & Lite, Lifetime. Appeared on Oddville, MTV, Music Television (MTV), 1997.

Creator of fitness videos, including Hips, Thighs & Buttocks, 1988; Denise Austin's Complete Workout, 1989; Denise Austin 30-Minute Fat-Burning Workout, 1990; Denise Austin Stretch and Flex, 1990; Denise Austin's Pregnancy Plus, 1991; Denise Austin's Step Workout, 1992; Swingin' to the Big Bands, 1993; Denise Austin Hit the Spot: Abs, 1996; Denise Austin: Tone & Tighten, 1999; Denise Austin Anti-Aging Baby Boomers' Workout, 1999; Denise Austin Bounce Back after Baby, PPI Entertainment/Paradise Video, 1999; The Ultimate Fat Burner, 2001; Get Fit Fast: Abs, 2002; Beginner's Yoga Essentials; Beginner's Tone Up; Beginner's Aerobics; Indoor Workout; Indoor-Outdoor Workout; The Complete Workout; Step & Shape Workout (also known as Step & Sculpt); Pregnancy Plus; Six-Minute Waist Trimmer; Low-Impact Fat-Burning Workout; Power Kickboxing; Kickin' with Country; Anti-Aging Workout; All New Super Stomachs; Denise Austin: Trimwalk Indoor Workout; Denise Austin Hit the Spot: Buns; Denise Austin Hit the Spot: Thighs; Denise Austin Hit the Spot: Arms and Bust; Denise Austin Hit the Spot Gold Series: Totally Firm—Complete Workout with Weights; Denise Austin Hit the Spot Gold Series: Rock Hard Abs—Quick Sculpting Workout; Denise Austin Hit the Spot Gold Series: Sizzler-Cross Training; Denise Austin Hit the Spot Gold Series: Fat-Burning Blast; Denise Austin Hit the Spot Gold Series: Easy Toning (also known as Total Energy); Fit & Fat Free; 30-Minute Target Toner; Pilates Mat Workout; Power Yoga Plus; Fit & Fabulous at Any Age; Blast Off 10 Pounds; Mat Workout Based on J. H. Pilates; Power Kickboxing; Anti-Aging Cardio Workout; and Step Reebok.

MEMBER: President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

WRITINGS:

FITNESS GUIDE BOOKS

Non-Aerobic Workout: Easy-to-Do Exercises to Shape the Entire Body, 1989.

Hit the Spot!: How to Target, Tone, and Slim YourProblem Areas, Fireside (New York, NY), 1997.

Jumpstart: The 21 Day Plan to Lose Weight, Get Fit, and Increase Your Energy and Enthusiasm for Life, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Denise Austin's Ultimate Pregnancy Book: How toStay Fit through Nine Months—and Bounce Back after Baby, Fireside (New York, NY), 1999.

Fit and Fabulous after 40: A 5-Part Program for Turning Back the Clock, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Lose Those Last 10 Pounds: The 28-Day FoolproofPlan to a Healthy Body, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Pilates for Everybody, Rodale Press (Emmaus, PA), 2002.

Also author of 12 Minutes To: Hot Legs; (with Jerome Agel) Denise Austin's 1-Minute Exercises: The Only Personal Trainer You'll Ever Need; and 18 Minutes to Rock Aerobics.

OTHER

Non-Aerobic Workout: Easy-to-Do Exercises to Shape the Entire Body (taped reading), Peter Pan Industries, 1989.

Author of columns for the Washington Post, beginning 1984, and Healthy Living magazine.

SIDELIGHTS: Denise Austin is one of the most visible fitness gurus in the United States. As the former resident fitness advisor on the Today show, the host of several top-rated daily workout television programs, and the creator of countless exercise videos, Austin has appeared on the television screens of millions.

Athletics run in Austin's family. Her father was a pitcher for the St. Louis Browns major league baseball team in the 1940s, and her mother was once the New York State champion in jump roping. So it was no surprise when Austin showed an aptitude for gymnastics as a child. She competed internationally in her teens and was ranked in the top ten in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 1976. After graduating from college (which she attended on a gymnastics scholarship), she founded her own fitness company, which designed exercise programs for workplaces and health clubs. The company was so successful that Austin had to hire some of her friends to help her out; after Austin was discovered by television fitness show host Jack LaLanne and hired by him as a cohost, launching her media career, Austin gave the company to her friends completely.

In her books and videos, Austin "gives the basic commonsense advice we all need to hear: fad diets don't work, and successful weight loss means cutting calories and increasing exercise," Los Angeles Times reviewer Jane E. Allen wrote, referring specifically to Lose Those Last 10 Pounds: The 28-Day Foolproof Plan to a Healthy Body.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Fitness, January-February, 1989, review of Denise Austin's Complete Workout, p. 27; January-February, 1990, review of Denise Austin's 30-Minute Fat-Burning Workout, p. 15, and review of Denise Austin's Stretch and Flex, p. 16; July-August, 1991, Peg Jordan, review of Denise Austin's Pregnancy Plus, p. 42.

Better Nutrition, February, 2000, Patricia Anderson-Parrado, interview with Austin, p. 24.

Billboard, Debbie Holley, review of Hips, Thighs &Buttocks, p. 51; January 28, 1995, Catherine Applefeld, review of Denise Austin: Trimwalk Indoor Workout, p. 78.

Booklist, November 15, 2000, Nancy Spillman, review of Lose Those Last 10 Pounds: The 28-Day Foolproof Plan to a Healthy Body, p. 657.

Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY), January 14, 1999, Lauri Githens, interview with Austin, p. C1.

Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH), September 23, 2002, Lee Sivitz, interview with Austin, p. D3.

Daily News (Los Angeles, CA), July 2, 2001, review of Fit and Fabulous after 40, p. L5.

Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH), September 25, 2002, Meredith Moss, interview with Austin, p. C3.

Entertainment Weekly, January 8, 1993, John Hanc, review of Getting Fit with Denise Austin, p. 45.

Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, December 21, 2001, Holly Hanson, review of The Ultimate Fat Burner, p. K0852; May 24, 2002, Holly Hanson, review of Get Fit Fast: Abs, p. K3365.

Library Journal, March 15, 1991, Jeanne P. Leader, review of Denise Austin's Pregnancy Plus, p. 125; November 1, 1992, Ellen Druda, review of Denise Austin's Step Workout, p. 127; July, 1999, Susan B. Hagloch, review of Denise Austin Bounce Back after Baby, p. 151; March 1, 2000, Kristine Benishek, review of Lose Those Last 10 Pounds, p. 116.

Los Angeles Times, January 19, 1998, Candace A. Wedlan, interview with Austin, p. 2; April 24, 2000, Jane E. Allen, review of Lose Those Last 10 Pounds, p. S-2.

Muscle & Fitness, February, 1999, Michelle Basta Boubion, "Sculpted to Perfection: Denise Austin's Full-Body Workout for Flex Appeal" and "Denise Austin: Behind the Smile," pp. 116-124.

People, June 13, 1988, Kristin McMurran, review of Hips, Thighs & Buttocks, p. 19; June 27, 1994, Maria Eftimiades, interview with Austin, pp. 115-116.

Publishers Weekly, April 19, 1999, review of DeniseAustin's Ultimate Pregnancy Book: How to Stay Fit through Nine Months—and Bounce Back after Baby, p. 69.

Response, January, 2003, Charles Wesley, profile of Austin, pp. 22-26.

Shape, December, 1990, review of Denise Austin 30-Minute Fat-Burning Workout and Denise Austin Stretch and Flex, p. 66.

Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), January 14, 1996, interview with Austin.

Sunday Times (London, England), April 19, 1998, Amanda Ursell, review of Hit the Spot!: How to Target, Tone, and Slim Your Problem Areas, p. 36.

Total Health, June, 1990, "Total Health Celebrity: Denise Austin," pp. 12-13; December, 1990, review of Denise Austin 30-Minute Fat-Burning Workout, p. 57; April, 1993, review of Swingin' to the Big Bands, p. 56; December, 1998, Lyle Hurd, Jr. and Josephine Mahi, "Denise Austin: Healthy American Fitness Leader," p. 48.

Video Business, October 15, 2001, John Gaffney, interview with Austin, p. 26; February 11, 2002, "These Two Are Really Working Out," pp. S1-S2.

Video Magazine, August, 1992, April P. Bernard, review of Denise Austin's Step Workout, p. 45.

Vogue, April, 1989, Rachel Urquhart, review of DeniseAustin's Complete Workout, p. 219.

Washington Times, May 10, 2001, Christian Toto, interview with Austin, p. 4.

Woman's Day, April 2, 1991, review of Denise Austin'sPregnancy Plus, pp. 28-29.

Women's Sports and Fitness, September, 1989, Kristine Clark, review of Denise Austin's Complete Workout, p. 48.