Actress and children's book author Jamie Lee Curtis is all for aging naturally. To prove it, the almost 50-year-old bared her body and soul for the May-June issue of AARP The Magazine. Flaunting her gray hair and topless top, Curtis shows she's a fan not of glamorous bodies, but healthy ones.

Curits's latest health endeavors include dropping 20 pounds by ditching crackers, bread, granola, and other floury, sugary, fatty stuff and giving away all of her uncomfortable shoes and most of her jewelry. She just doesn't wear these flashy, fancy items, so why keep them? They also weigh her down on the scale, she says.

Curtis, who posed for More Magazine in 2002 with no makeup, no touch-ups, and nothing more than a sports bra and briefs, says she is more confident than ever about they way she looks.

"I think I have finally found what I hope beauty is, or at least, beauty as it applies to me," she says.

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I'm confused. Do the editors of women's magazines want us to lose 10 pounds instantly or stuff our faces with the sugary, fatty treats they advertise? The magazine sitting in front of me right now -- I won't mention any names -- features a full-page ad for Hostess 100-calorie packs of cupcakes. One hundred calories -- great, if you don't care about the fat and sugar in these sweet little treats.

In the same magazine, there's a recipe for chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting and a lollipop too. There's more -- macaroni & cheese; sweet, salty, and crunchy granola bars; waffles; Rice Krispies Treats; and creamy salad dressings. Then, readers learn how to lose a quick five pounds. Hey, I have an idea -- how about not eating anything splashed all over the ads?

Maybe it's how magazines stay in business -- by fattening up the audience and then enticing them into setting hard-to-reach diet and exercise goals. And so readers never make progress and keep coming back for more, sure one day to find the magic fix for looking and feeling good. The funny thing is, there is a fix. It's just not magical. Eat less than you burn. Or burn more than you eat. Either way, it's simple. So I say, enjoy your women's magazines. Just ignore the food ads and heed most of the diet and fitness advice. Then, you'll be on the right track.

This is not a diet, nor a scam.....just an old trick of the trade. If you're someone who tends to over-eat, you may want to consider eating a big juicy apple right before meals. Apples are low in calories, free from fat, high in nutrition, high in fiber and unusually filling! Have an apple before each meal, and I promise you will have far less room to overdo it on the higher calorie, higher fat options. As a result you'll consume fewer calories each day. Consuming fewer calories than you burn leads to weight loss.

Of course, you should continue to exercise most days of the week. Consistent cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training is vital to living fit. The apple trick is a terrific tool in the struggle for weight loss. Grab a bag and give it a go.

The hot topic with one of my music groups, a female singer songwriting organization known as Indiegrrl, is how to keep yourself marketable as you get older and have to compete with the young gals in the music business.

Ahh Yes. The body parts going south, the hair going white, the wrinkles in your face and neck starting to look like raisins, the hot flashes are like tropical vacations, and your joints so stiff that you walk like you just got off a bucking horse. I'll hit the big 50 this year and I have earned every wrinkle, white hair, and less than perky body part. Here lately I have felt like I was 100. So how can we age gracefully to stay in the game with the younger gals or should we just accept what is.....is what is.

It's hard for older women in the music industry business unless you were an established very well known artist in the days of "Yore". Especially hard for independent artists not signed with major record labels. But you can't lose sleep over it and worry yourself to a stressed state. What you will have to do is find the niche that you can market yourself. It may sometimes mean doing more exercise and watching what you eat more which is hard when you are on the road. It may mean less alcohol to relax after a show and more herbal teas. It may mean that you have to have that 8 or 9 hours of sleep instead of that 5 or 6. Although my band and I can rock with the best of them it is hard to get clubs to book a more than middle aged, short chubby gal that doesn't wear tight jeans or mini skirts and shake her "groove thang" at the crowd. I didn't get started in this business as a solo artist until I was 45 so I was a very late bloomer. Got cancer and got busy living my dreams. My advice to those middle aged or older women in the music business or any business that is male dominated or dominated by the more youthful crowd, is to be honest and promote yourself as close to the picture of reality as possible. I personally tell night club agents or theater personnel when working bookings that, yes I am not your young twenty well built, gorgeous marketable female, but if you have a crowd that likes true to gut vocals and heart felt lyrics with some kick ass musicians that accompany me on stage while I rip at my guitar, then we are your band. If that is not what you are looking for then I'm not wasting your time or mine. I've taken so much prednisone over the years that I am as well rounded as the "Great Halloween Pumpkin" Charlie Brown but it all boils down to being comfortable with yourself. Personally I think Emmylou's long white locks are just as pretty as her long dark locks of days past. And Stevie Nicks may have packed on a few extra pounds over the years but oh how her eyes still sparkle with mystery. It is the true fan that will know when a woman has character with her body and her music.

Here's a FitList sure to appeal to those of us who can't seem to crawl out of bed without that morning haze about us. I don't know about you, but especially around this time of year it takes me forever to finally climb out from under the sheets. But there are a few exercises available which help wake up the body and get you more energized.

The aptly named Bed Pretzel technique is similar to a runner's stretch in bed. Here's how they describe it: "Lie flat on your back in bed, bend one knee and draw it close to your chest. Then slowly bring the entire bent leg across the body to the opposite side, gently twisting the spine." This will help wake up your spinal cord.

Everyone is familiar with the Bend and Reach. As pictured, all you have to do is get out of bed (the hardest part) and reach one arm over your head while stretching out your side. Be wary though: if you haven't ever done something like this then it could be easy to overdo it and hurt yourself. Otherwise these wake-up calls could energize your mornings better than that double shot espresso! Read here for more tips.

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