That's Fit

What worries people most about growing old? It's not wrinkles and gray hair. It's something far less superficial.

About one-third of 28,000 respondents in an MSNBC online aging poll said they are most worried about their ability to take care of themselves. One-fifth said they're afraid of losing their mental abilities, and 16 percent are afraid they'll grow very ill and experience a lot of pain. Only seven percent fear looking old and wrinkly.

The biggest priority for nearly 60 percent of respondents: Staying strong and healthy.

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.