Obsession with youth is not only the plague of modern society. In the 1930s, a retired British army officer stumbled upon a remote monastery in the Himalayas where the monks were rumored to have found the fountain of youth. Amazed by their age-defying health and energy, he attributed their vitality to a series of yoga-like postures they practiced daily – as had generations of monks for thousands of years. These Five Tibetan Rites are believed to work by stimulating and balancing energy centers in our bodies called chakras that correspond to each of our endocrine glands. "They're like electricity transformers, receiving and regulating energy and transmitting it throughout the body," explains Sydney-based Carolinda Witt, who's been teaching the rites for more than seven years.

Witt says practicing The Five Rites is like flicking these energy switches to ON. And they're easy to do. In fact, she's made modifications that focus on breathing and building core strength so you don't have to be a veteran yogini to get yourself, well, turned on. Plus, it's yoga, so you'll create a leaner, stronger body! Start with three repetitions of each posture daily and in order. Add two per week until you're doing 21 in about 10 minutes. When you finish each move, pause and take three energy breaths. The directions are below.

Rite #1: Spinning
Harmonizes chakra spin rates. Improves balance, focus and coordination.

Rite #2: Modified Leg Raise
Strengthens and tones the core, hips, lower back, legs and neck.

What if instead of having surgery to open up a clogged artery, your doctor told you it would be a better idea to log 30 minutes on the bike? According to findings presented at the European Congress of Cardiology 2009, cardio can actually be more effective than going under the knife. Plus, it's a lot more fun and costs a tad less, too.

If it seems too good to be true, honestly, there's no catch. "A moderate aerobic workout like biking or brisk walking for about a half hour a day or at least five days a week can train your heart to be healthier so you won't need a stent," says Dr. Christopher Cannon, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. A consistent exercise plan slows the heart rate and lowers blood pressure so your heart doesn't have to work as hard. "Therefore it can make do with a slightly reduced amount of blood from the blockage," says Cannon.

Cardiovascular risk gradually increases for everyone as we age, but the risk jumps sharply after menopause. "Although we don't know why for certain, it's likely estrogen acts as a protector against heart disease," Cannon says. "As estrogen levels decrease it leaves women more vulnerable." And here's a fact to ward off any thoughts you might be having resembling, 'this won't happen to me': The American Heart Association's latest figures show 1,314,000 angioplasties -- the procedure that inserts the stent -- were done in the United States in 2006.

Upside Down Pigeon Photo: Dorit Thies

If you're over 40 and not practicing yoga, you have to ask yourself, why not? Like green tea, it has so many health perks with so little risk, there's no reason why it shouldn't be part of your lifestyle. Need some convincing? Research abounds touting how yoga improves muscle strength, flexibility, endurance and balance -- all of which reduces injury risk. Emotionally, it relieves stress and anxiety and leaves you with an overall sense of well-being. That's a lot of anti-aging science. And I'm not even done: By keeping you less frazzled, it also helps control your cortisol levels, a hormone that increases fat stores around your belly when it remains elevated for too long. These combined benefits will help you take years off both your body and mind.

Certain postures specifically promote youthfulness. Ask your yoga teacher if she can integrate these moves into her practice or do them on your own. I was introduced to them during a yoga retreat hosted by expert Beth Shaw, who's trained over 75,000 instructors around the world. (That's her in the pictures.)

Upside Down Pigeon (or Dead Pigeon)

• Physical benefit: Walking, running and cycling can't be beat, but they also tighten up hips, making them more susceptible to injury, says Shaw. This hip opener will keep them loose and improve your flexibility.
• Emotional benefit: Hips house emotions, acting as a storage depot. This move helps release a lot of pent-up -- and often negative -- feelings.

Photo: mikebaird, Flickr

If your excuse for not engaging in sweat-dripping, pavement-pounding workouts is your worry about either getting or worsening your arthritis, you're in luck. A study with more than 1,200 participants found no link -- let's reiterate, that's zero, nada -- between osteoarthritis and exercise, even high-impact. And although obesity is an independent risk factor for the joint condition, physically active overweight participants fared just as well as their slim peers. The average age was in our Fit After 40 range, 53.

"What's particularly convincing about the study is they also took an MRI of each subject's knee. They discovered that those who performed the most vigorous weight-bearing exercise had the thickest, healthiest cartilage," says Dr. Harvey Simon, editor of the Harvard Men's Health Watch. What's more, these findings were consistent with another study published last year that found no connection between running and arthritis. In fact, running seemed to actually benefit joints.

In both studies, none of the members had arthritis to begin with. But other research shows that exercise at any level can even help those who already have it. "A lot of people don't exercise because they think their arthritis pain will be exacerbated but the opposite is true," says Dr. Patience White, chief public health officer for the Arthritis Foundation. So for those of you who are using your arthritis pain as an excuse not to move, listen up: "When physical activity is combined with a weight loss program, you can actually prevent arthritis pain and decrease the progression."

Photo: jupiterimages

It's easy to ignore what we can't see, like the bra-line bulge accumulating on our backs, for instance. Another reason we don't think about it much is that muffin tops get all the attention; they're front and center and directly affect whether or not we can get into our skinny jeans. But our upper backs are another spot that our slowing metabolism helps turns to pudge if we don't pay attention to it.

While you can't spot tone away fat (it's going to distribute itself wherever it damn well pleases), you can tighten up your muscles -- specifically your lats, rhomboids and traps -- and you will definitely see a difference. Here are a few moves that will do the trick, courtesy of Celeste McMillin, a personal trainer at WITH-U (Wellness in Total Health University) in Tustin, Calif. Do two sets of 12 to 15 reps a few days a week.

• Cobra: Lie face down on floor, arms at sides. Squeeze shoulder blades together, engage abs by pulling belly button toward spine and tighten butt. With chin tucked, lift chest off floor. Hold for 2 seconds. Lower and repeat.

Photo: Andrea Cross

While everyone knows 43-year-old Dara Torres is a five-time Olympian, here are two other amazing facts about her: On August 1, 2007, just 15 months after giving birth to her first child at age 40, Torres won the gold in the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Nationals. Then three days later, she twice broke her own American record in the 50-meter freestyle that she had originally set 26 years before. I caught up with her in the midst of her latest project, BP's Younger for Longer Challenge, to find out more about it and to learn how she stays in such stellar shape.

That's Fit: What was your impetus for this project?

Dara Torres: I've always maintained that age is just a number, and we should never put an age limit on our dreams. This is a contest that perpetuates that message. It reaches out to both men and women encouraging them to share their ideas in an essay about what keeps them young and healthy. (The winner wins $10,000 worth of BP gasoline with invigorate, a new formula designed to help keep cars running longer, and a one-on-one with Dara. Click here to enter.)

TF: What's the single most essential aspect of your life that you feel keeps you youthful?

DT: Fitness. It's always been a part of my life. My daughter's only 3, but I already have her taking gymnastics, dance and swimming classes. It doesn't have to be a purposeful workout, you just need to get out there and move, even if it's just a brisk daily walk. Exercise not only makes you feel younger, it relieves stress, and you automatically look better. It's a win-win.

Photo: Joao Paulo Esperanca, Flickr

Heredity is not on my side when it comes to cholesterol. So once my "bad" cholesterol hit 285, I backed off on saturated fats almost completely. (The "almost" is Phish Food.) It helped: My LDL now hovers between 225 and 235. But new research shows my exercise routines might also be helping to keep the level less high.

In the first study to find a link between fitness and dips in levels of LDL, an hour of moderate or a half hour of vigorous activity yielded a decrease of almost 4 milligrams per deciliter of LDL cholesterol in white women, and more than 10 milligrams for black women. And for those past menopause, the benefits were even greater: 5.9 milligrams for whites and 14.68 for blacks. The study was conducted over nine years and included almost 9,000 people between the ages of 45-64. The decrease wasn't found in men.

Besides working out and limiting your intake of saturated fats, you can also eat more of some foods that are known to reduce LDL levels such as walnuts, salmon, oatmeal and flax seed. You might also consider taking an omega-3 supplement once a day.

High LDL isn't the only factor associated with cardiovascular disease. Click here to learn more and find your risk score for a heart attack.

Photo: Mike Baird, Flickr

About a month ago, while running from one end of the supermarket to the other in a mad rush, I tripped over my flip flop and went flying across three check-out aisles, hitting the concrete-hard floor. But because I do push-ups regularly, all I suffered was severe humiliation and a bruised knee.

When we fall forward, we typically reach out and our hands hit the ground first. If we're strong enough, our wrists and arms absorb much of the impact. Researchers who study the biomechanics of aging say push-ups are an effective way to strengthen your upper body so you can break a fall safely. If that's not enough incentive to get you into them, how's this: You'll also sculpt enviously sexy cocktail dress arms and shoulders. Ah, now I have your attention.

"The exercise is regarded as the ultimate measure of physical fitness for a reason: In order to lift your entire body weight, you need to engage almost every major muscle group - the arms, chest, abs, hips and legs," says Adam Feldman, a personal trainer in Nanuet, NY. So it's damn hard. But when you can drop and do 10 without a sweat, you'll feel a sense of pride you just don't get from doing a bicep curl. "We included a push-up in the Challenge this year and women felt strong and empowered when they were able to master it!" espouses Self's Fitness Director, Meaghan B. Murphy.