Arthritis be damned! Jane Fonda launches new exercise DVD to help over-50s stay fit like her - despite having knee AND hip replacements

She's been helping people keep fit for decades and despite being in her seventies and suffering from arthritis, Jane Fonda has no intention of stopping now.
The exercise guru remains a keen advocate of fitness for women of all ages - but has learnt from personal experience that it isn't always easy as you get older.
Now aged 75, she's found she's had to adapt her own fitness regime to the capabilities of her ageing body. And she has found yoga to be a perfect fit because it can build up muscle strength and tone without being too physically demanding.

 

Flexible: Jane Fonda said yoga keeps her strong but she's had to modify some of the moves as she's aged

'I knew that yoga would make me flexible but was surprised to find that it could also keep me aerobically fit as well as strong,' she told MailOnline.

 

The Oscar-winning actress has been doing yoga since the mid-1990s but found as age took its toll, she wasn't as capable of certain moves. 'As I got older, my osteoarthritis made it difficult to do the same demanding postures,' she said.
As a result, she has now come up a yoga routine, aimed at those aged 50 and over, which provides a gentle but effective introduction to the popular form of exercise.
'Having had a knee and hip replacement in the last 10 years as well as back surgery, I needed to find a yoga routine that was safe and effective. I knew that one day I would create a yoga program for folks like me. Well, here it is,' she said of her DVD, AM/PM Yoga For Beginners, which is released next month.

 

Nvere too late: Jane's new DVD is aimed at helping over fifties stay strong and supple

 

Fitness fanatic: The actress said yoga has helped her stay fit into her seventies

The workout is aimed specifically at keeping older generations active and includes morning and evening sessions users can choose to follow on any given day.
The morning work out is designed to help participants feel rejuvenated and energised while the evening versions aim to promote relaxation and relieve tension and stress.
Jane revealed how she fits yoga into her own day: 'I do one 10-minute segment in the morning to get me revved up and ready to go and one 10-minute segment in the evening to chill me out. Sometimes with Richard, my honey.'
It seems that the women who have grown up following Jane's fitness advice remain as resolute as her to stay active.

 

 

Now and then: In her youth, Jane's workouts focused on aerobic activity but her most recent offering is about gentle strength and conditioning through yoga

A survey commissioned to celebrate the release of the DVD found that 60 per cent of 60-69 year olds agreed that fitness was still important in their lives. An admirable 68 per cent of 70-79 year olds said they continued to exercise regularly.
And those in their 80s said they didn't want to sit around in their slippers either - with 25 per cent saying they wanted to keep in shape and continue to include fitness in their weekly routine.
The survey found that older women in Northern Ireland, Wales and the South East were more likely to keep up to date with a fitness regime compared to those in the North East and West.