From leg-warmers, leotards, and step-aerobics to Lululemon, and athleisure to spinning, trends in fitness come and go. Except for Denise Austin, that is. Austin is still as enthusiastic as ever to get you off the couch and moving after hosting a long-running exercise TV show for more than ten years and selling millions of workout CDs and DVDs along the way in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.
When I started in the early 1980s, aerobics had just begun to gain popularity, and the music was “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and leg warmers, Austin recalled to Woman’s World in 2022. “Today, everything is very different. But in a similar vein, people just wanted to move around, get some exercise, and feel energised. And during the course of my 40 years in the fitness industry, that has never changed.”
Austin has spent the last 40 years at the vanguard of fitness, and it shows in everything she does, from her five-minute yoga and stretch routines on YouTube to her website’s recipes and lifestyle advice. She also said to Woman’s World that she incorporates positivism into her general wellness routine in order to maintain a youthful appearance. But how did Denise Austin transition from being “The Today Show’s” fitness correspondent in the 1980s to “America’s Favorite Fitness Expert” in the 1990s and beyond? This is everything we know about the legendary fitness figure.
Denise Austin started out teaching aerobics in Los Angeles
Denise Austin, a native of San Pedro, California, knew she wanted to work in motion. She participated in gymnastics as a child. She continued on to California State University in Long Beach, where, in accordance with her website, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1979. She taught aerobics in the greater Los Angeles region after graduating, and Jack LaLanne, the renowned “godfather of modern fitness,” gave her the major break she needed to enter into the fitness business.
In 1981, Austin joined the cast of “The Jack LaLanne Show” as a co-host. He found in LaLanne a mentor and later a close friend. But what initially drew her to LaLanne was her well-known can-do attitude. She revealed to the Washington Post in 2010 that right after meeting LaLanne, she immediately pitched herself as his co-host! Austin responded, “Running up to Jack LaLanne at a dinner party and introducing myself… I told him, “I can do handstands and aerial cartwheels on your programme!”” when asked what her “smartest move” was.
She revealed to the Los Angeles Times in 2009 that co-hosting LaLanne’s TV programme was a significant professional turning point for her at the time: “In the 1980s, California—and Los Angeles in particular—served as something of an aerobics epicentre. Then, in 1983, there was “Daybreak With Denise” [on KABC in Los Angeles]. Then, from 1984 to 1988, I appeared as a fitness expert on the NBC “Today Show.” So, in a way, that started my career.”
Denise Austin has sold more than 25 million VHS and DVD workout videos
Denise Austin put out her first two VHS exercise videos in the early 1980s. Thereafter, DVDs from “Fit in a Flash to Burn Fat Fast Latin Dance and Yoga Booty Lift” as well as titles like “Swingin’ to the Big Bands,” “Stretch & Flex,” and “Hit the Spot: Rock Hard Abs” appeared. Over the course of her more than 40-year career, Austin has sold over 25 million copies of her training tapes. And as stated on her website, she was inducted into the Video Hall of Fame in 2003 thanks to the popularity of these more than 100 videos.
Austin revealed to the Washington Post in 2010 that her father, a Mars candy company executive, taught her the fundamentals of marketing at a young age. She claimed that her father would go to supermarkets to check over how his brand’s goods were exhibited. Austin used a similar strategy over the years when it came to her own products: “When I go see my DVDs or my sisters or brother go to Target or Wal-Mart, we always check to make sure my DVDs are facing out.”
The only direct-to-home method Austin has used to connect with followers is through workout videos. She has also written numerous books about fitness, ranging from “Jumpstart” in 1997 to “Get Energy” in 2011. Austin has also had the cover of special-issue publications, including those she co-produced with her daughter, Denise Austin’s Fit Over 50 in 2021 and Denise and Katie Austin’s Fit in the Kitchen in 2022.
On TV, Denise Austin led the longest-running fitness show in history
It’s likely that you stumbled upon one of fitness icon Denise Austin’s TV shows if you were channel-hopping in the early morning hours of the late 1980s or early 1990s. According to Austin’s website, “Getting Fit with Denise Austin” ran on ESPN for ten years. Later, she relocated to Lifetime, where she spent 14 years hosting “Fit & Lite” and “Denise Austin’s Daily Workout.” According to AARP, Austin’s TV show grew to be the longest-running exercise programme in TV history.
In addition to exotic on-location settings like the arid landscapes of Arizona and island paradises like Hawaii, St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Turks and Caicos, Austin’s TV workouts incorporated a variety of training disciplines. Austin inspired viewers to exercise alongside her in everything from yoga and stretching to step aerobics and weight lifting with her contagious enthusiasm and upbeat, witty proclamations like “Your spine is your lifeline, so keep it healthy [and] keep it strong!” and “If you don’t squeeze it, no one else will!”
Austin frequently reflects fondly on her many years of dispensing fitness information via her television programmes on her Instagram feed. She released a #TBT clip of one of her beach workouts and said, “So many FUN memories of when I used to film my TV show… I had the BEST time with the entire crew on site!!!” in January 2023.
Denise Austin’s husband is a successful sports agent whose clients have included basketball star Steph Curry
Since the beginning of their relationship, Jeff Austin and Denise Austin have shared a passion for sports. Denise was employed as the aerobics director at a tennis club in Torrance, California when she met Jeff, a former professional tennis player and the big brother of two-time US Open champion Tracy Austin. Even the wedding of the couple included a fitness component! “We were having the time of our lives. It was still the best wedding, according to some “In 2012, Denise recalled something to The New York Times. “What I remember most is leading everyone in aerobics to the Devo song ‘Whip It’ while wearing high heels, my wedding dress, and a veil.
Jeff succeeded as a sports agent after giving up his career as a professional tennis player. David Robinson and Steph Curry, two prominent basketball players, were among his notable clientele over the years. Jeff has consistently been a strong advocate for Denise’s business endeavours as well as her rising fame in the fitness and lifestyle industries. He admitted to Sports Business Journal in 2018 that, whether it was his sister, wife, or daughters, he never felt bad about supporting the achievements of the ladies in his life: “I just enjoy the beauty of the women in my life as it is reflected in me. It’s wonderful.”
Denise Austin’s daughters are following in her wellness footsteps
With regard to the two daughters of fitness icon Denise Austin, the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree. Kelly Austin and Katie Austin have both worked in the wellness or fitness/lifestyle industries. Kelly, who inherited her family’s physical skill, rose to the top of the American female lacrosse rankings in 2008 while still in high school. She has since shifted her focus to more spiritual activities. She offers private consultations to clients in relational counselling, astrology, Reiki, and other modalities.
Katie, Kelly’s younger sister, has more closely emulated their mother’s fitness habits. Katie has established herself as a prominent fitness and lifestyle influencer thanks to her app and YouTube channel. She frequently collaborates with Denise on training videos for publications like PopSugar and their respective social media accounts. She received the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookie of the Year award in 2022.
Katie hasn’t needed to search far for guidance in running her expanding firm. Katie has been able to rely on Jeff for numerous behind-the-scenes activities in addition to her mother’s advice (who revealed to Woman’s World in 2022 that Katie used to follow along to her workouts on set as she was recording them!). In 2018, she told Sports Business Journal that her father had played a significant role in guiding her as she navigated her expanding business. It’s amusing because on occasion, when I get emails from reputable businesses, I’ll say, “My agent will call you,” and my dad will really make the call, she said.
Denise Austin was appointed to multiple terms on the presidential physical fitness council
When President George W. Bush selected Denise Austin to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 2002, she elevated her commitment to fitness to new heights. She was referred to be a “well-known fitness expert” in the White House’s official press statement announcing her nomination, which also mentioned her Lifetime TV show and appearances on the PBS programme “Healthweek.” Other people appointed to the council that year included less well-known people like an exercise physiologist and the director of the state’s health department as well as more well-known people like Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones and running back Emmit Smith of the Dallas Cowboys.
The individuals selected to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, as it became known, serve in an advising and ambassadorial capacity. On its website, the council states that it “promotes programmes and projects that drive individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to lead active, healthy lives through collaborations with the public, private, and non-profit sectors.”
Austin eventually completed a second term on the council and took part in the introduction of the revised food pyramid system by the United States Department of Agriculture (as highlighted on her website). She spoke at the 2005 launch on the significance of getting the required 30 minutes of activity each day and also made an appearance in a TV commercial for the Idaho Potato Commission supporting the new pyramid.
From activewear and athletic shoes to healthy snacks, Denise Austin has been a leader in lifestyle entrepreneurship
Denise Austin has spent a significant amount of time in the fitness industry. Throughout that time, she has remained laser-focused on advancing her career, whether it be by calling a “Today Show” executive producer 35 times in the middle of the 1980s to get a regular segment on the morning programme or by creating a number of product lines along the way. In 2010, she told the Washington Post that building a personal brand had been essential to her long-term success. Her relationship with her followers has also proven crucial. “I have a reputation. My brand is me. I guard my brand, “She spoke. Through Deniseaustin.com, I am in close contact with my readers and supporters.
Consumer goods made in Austin have included athletic footwear, clothing, gym gear, and wholesome snack items. Forever Fit, a line of more than 30 fitness goods that was offered at Rite Aid in 2012 (as stated on Austin’s website), is just one of her numerous endeavours. She co-founded the Ever Better brand of probiotic-rich snacks with her daughter Katie. She collaborated on a line of supportive footwear with the shoe company Easy Spirit in early 2023, and to promote the project, she made an appearance on HSN.
Fans of Austin can also register for a membership on her website in addition to her various endorsements and items. “Being able to help lead each of you towards living a healthy life makes me so happy and it’s why I’m here,” she wrote on Instagram in 2022.
Denise Austin has no plans to retire
One would think that walking the runway in a Sports Illustrated swimsuit exhibition would be among the most nerve-racking experiences. But because her daughter Katie was her runway companion, fitness and wellness tycoon Denise Austin found the entire event to be thrilling and shockingly profound. “I initially questioned if I should be doing this. Are you serious? At 65, wearing a bikini?” But that was really thrilling! “She spoke to the New York Post shortly after the show in 2022. It was much more special for her to do this with her kid, she said. “Walking the runway with my kid was the greatest experience of my life. I’m not over it yet.”
After nearly four decades of success, Austin is still prospering in the fitness sector with her well-liked social media platforms and product lines.
For Austin, the fundamental idea of perseverance is what has driven her many years of encouraging others to migrate. According to what she told the Washington Post in 2010: “I think that’s been the key to my longevity in the fitness sector.” “Simply keep at it. Never give up. There will be countless complaints. Don’t rely on others; make the call on your own. No matter how challenging it becomes, keep moving forward because perseverance is rewarding. The main reason I’m successful is that I never gave up.”
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