Middle-Aged Olympic Inspiration

The controversy surrounding Olympic swimmer Dara Torres’s sculpted body has been a heated one. Some people say her chiseled abs are admirable. Others say she looks “extreme,” “ugly,” and even “like a man.” Several people defend her body as a product of her athletic status, and other people say the $100,000 it costs to help Torres look that way is completely absurd.

Regardless of the general consensus, middle-aged women across the globe are crediting 41-year-old Torres for giving them the push they needed to start exercising again.

Experts say a huge reason why people are motivated by Torres’ accomplishments is that she has more of an everyday woman appeal—one that doesn’t seem quite as other-worldly as that of a Hollywood starlet. Torres has also maintained a light-hearted approach to her age, often joking that she can’t read the scoreboard so well, and that she does not recognize the iPod tunes the youngsters play during warm-ups.

This type of attitude has helped other middle-aged women and men startup a fitness plan or continue with their current one.

We want to know: What helps you stay motivated to keep moving through middle-age? [MSNBC]