and prevent us from even being able to stand up straight in the first place. muscles are designed to be strong and flexible. they're designed to be capable of easily holding us upright and keeping us mobile all day long. but with a lack of spine exercise, we let them become weak. and in case you're wondering, walking is not a spine exercise. the human body is made of 620 muscles, and we obviously need them all. when one muscle is weak, damaged, or atrophied, it indirectly affects the entire body. so, we need to exercise every muscle to prevent them from atrophying and from damaging the rest of the body. the best way to understand how interconnected our muscles are is to try this little exercise along with these people in colorado. so, all of

you at home who are watching, stand up and try this. so, let's just stand up, and i want to talk about our feet. so, i want you to imagine that your ankles are stiff and they don't move at all, ok? so, just lift--squeeze your ankles so that they don't move. and now i want you to start moving around. just walk a little bit. so, just walk around the room with tight, tight ankles, ok? ok? do you feel that? ok, you're all walking around with tight, tight ankles? ok, so, now walk with your tight ankles back to your chairs, ok? so, here we go. now, isn't that what old looks like? >> yeah. >> isn't that--ok, you can sit down. [laughter] so, tight ankles looks like what old--old walking. ok? right? doesn't that look like old walking? so, i made you be really tight. what i wanted you to feel was how one group of muscles

affects all other groups. as we age, two of the most common bone conditions are osteoporosis and arthritis. arthritis is the grinding down of the joints, and osteoporosis is the disintegration of the actual bone. the number-one way to prevent and reverse these conditions is regular exercise. when someone gets diagnosed with osteoporosis, they're instructed to do weight-bearing exercises, which leads people to believe that they have to lift weights or do exercises using weights. but have you ever tried lifting a full-grown adult, or even a child? the human body weighs a significant amount, and there's no necessity to lift more weight than we already carry. imagine lifting a watermelon. now consider the fact that your own arm weighs approximately

the same as that. just lifting your arm and doing proper arm exercises will be enough weight to work your arm and shoulder muscles. >> i am pushing 80. i am a young 78-year-old, and i have to say i guess i give a lot of that credit to classical stretch. i have arthritis. i have arthritis in my hands, in my fingers, in my feet, and my hands now are stronger than they have ever been. and i--i work in the world of art. i curate quilt exhibitions, and i've been doing it for over 25 years, and i want to continue to do it, and i can, because my hands and my fingers are so strong, i can handle the quilts, i can hang them, i have full-body reach, i can hang them on the walls, i can take them down, i can pack

them, send them off, open packages, and i can actually unscrew lids on jars. so, i'm really just so grateful. >> ok, now get your hands out. ok, so, now, i want you to put your hand on the other arm. ok, right here, ok, and do this. what do you feel happening? >> [indistinct chatter] >> this is all working, right? ok, so, all these--this part is working these things. ha ha! so, your fingers are like a little marionette controlled by these muscles up here. now, one of the things that happens as we age is arthritis. so many people have arthritis in their hands. so, we don't want any shrinkage to happen here. so, do this again, and feel that when you move your fingers, you're moving these muscles, but if you don't move your fingers, these muscles don't do much work. so, what

happens when you don't do much? >> atrophy. >> atrophy. yeah. you don't use it, you will lose it. >> i do exercise a lot. you get your blood moving, and that starts everything else and your muscles moving. everything moving, and deep breathing along with it. stretching, getting all-- really, you tend, as you grow older, you tend to go like this, and she has you going like this. she's wonderful. but this exercise stimulates your body and keeps everything in balance. i can kick now in balance. it's wonderful. >> when i realized how important it was to work every muscle in the body, i consciously designed workouts to engage all 620 muscles. engaging our muscles means moving them. think about

this. everything about our body is designed to move, from our muscles to our joints to our arms and our legs. i realized that humans were designed to move, and i made constant movement the main focus of the workouts. it became clear to me that atrophy prevention was the number-one objective. my challenge was to make exercises that were easy enough for anybody to be able to do and that people could relate to immediately. i sought to create gentle, twisting, turning exercises that never stopped moving, because movement is what prevents atrophy. that's why classical stretch is an anti-aging program, because it prevents and reverses atrophy. >> what classical stretch offers that differentiates it from other exercise programs is a full-body approach that is

accessible to everyone. elderly, youth, people with injuries, people without injuries. it maximizes your body's muscular potential and eliminates the risk of unnecessary muscle atrophy as well as reducing the risk of diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle. you don't need to be squatting 100 pounds to be considered fit. classical stretch offers a therapeutic approach that's sustainable for any population. >> this is called going through the muscle chains. we're going from the foot right through your back. you're gonna feel your back muscles working right up, and then once your arm gets above your head, you're gonna feel the abdominal muscles working. you're gonna feel right through your sides, and then you're gonna feel the pectorals. so, this is how, in this program, we work all 620 muscles, doing everyday-type movements. increasing the flexibility and the strength

at the same time. the logical place for anyone to turn to when they want to exercise is the fitness industry, but the truth is that the fitness industry is failing us when it comes to keeping our bodies pain- and injury-free. most fitness programs, like aerobics classes and strengthening equipment, compress the joints with their high-impact moves and excessive strengthening. so do activities like running, tennis, and skiing. this causes premature wear and tear on the joints, so that by the time people reach their forties and fifties, many have dropped out due to pain or injuries from joint compression. now, there's a solution to this problem. people need to start doing an equal amount of decompression exercises to counteract the damage that compression exercises cause. this way,

they'll be able to do their favorite sports or workouts well into their seventies and eighties. no one should be forced to stop doing the activities of their choice. it just means that you also have to do decompressing exercises so that you can continue being active well into your senior years. at 64, when i attend fitness conventions, i look like a dinosaur. it makes me so sad to see that my peers are incapable of teaching anymore because they're in too much pain. i've been doing them for 20 years, and i'm certainly not ready to throw in the towel. i know that i can keep teaching well into my seventies and eighties, because i know how to protect my joints. you might find it disingenuous of me to be so critical of the industry that i'm part of and that i love, but the truth is,

the fitness industry is in its infancy, and like anything young, it's still going through growing pains. as i've shown you very clearly, we desperately need to exercise, but we need to do it safely, and we can do it safely. despite the fact that there are many flaws in the fitness industry, at the end of the day, any exercise is better than none. >> hi. i'm jan kanemoto and i'm 64, and this is my second year of doing this fitness retreat. and i actually have been involved in a lot of different fitness programs and fitness my whole life. i've done running until my knees gave way. and i still do a bit of weightlifting and cardio, but i will have to say for the last 4 1/2 years, i've really been dedicated to stretching, and classical stretch in particular, and it's raised my fitness level

a lot higher. it has toned me, it's helped my flexibility, it's helped my posture, and it's definitely helped my balance, which i think is really important as we get older. >> another place many people turn to to solve their aging problems is the medical profession. many of us who are aging have the wrong idea of the role that doctors are supposed to play in keeping us young. we can't rely on doctors to solve our aging problems, nor should we. sure, they can remove our fat with liposuction, they can lift our sagging skin with nips and tucks, and mask our chronic pain with medication, but what they can't do is to prevent atrophy and keep us fit and agile. doctors can't give us good

posture. doctors can't give us energy and control our weight. doctors can't prevent atrophy. exercise alone can do that. doctors are supposed to cure our diseases and heal broken bones and burns. doctors are not there for the daily upkeep of our lives. we're responsible for the daily upkeep. when we go to the dentist, we don't expect them to brush our teeth every day. we know that we have to do that job ourselves. when we buy a car, we don't expect the dealer to fill it up with gas and keep it clean. that's our job. we've been told over and over again that to stay healthy and strong, we have to exercise on a regular basis. and it's time to listen. if we don't exercise, our muscles will weaken and atrophy, causing weight problems and making us feel old, tired,

and unhealthy. the point is that there's no pill or surgery that a doctor can prescribe to make us feel fit and strong. we can only achieve that with exercise. >> about 12 years ago, i was diagnosed--i had severe back pain, i couldn't figure out why, and a lot of it was an inability to move without just-- wrenching, gripping nerve pain on my spine. to make a long story short, they diagnosed it, took picres of my spine, and when you take a picture of a spine and you look at each little disc, it's supposed to look like a marshmallow. well, there were a few of mine that were just hairline, little areas that didn't even have a disc at all. and that's when the neurosurgeon informed me that this body has this thing called degenerative disc disease and that my spine will continue to

deteriorate over the years and that i should plan on having surgery every 2 to 3 years. and i was appalled at that and i said, "i really am surgery-averse. i want to try everything i can," which i did for about a year and a half after that diagnosis, including physical therapy, including massage, including more and more strenuous exercise, and it got to the point where my body shut down, i blacked out, and i said, "ok, i have to do the surgery, i have to do something different here." so, i did the surgery, and after that, i knew i had to have a new rehabilitation program, and so, i started watching the pbs specials and started doing the classical stretch when i could. since that, i've become religious about doing this exercise and this type of program, and i've been doing it since that, and it's been over 10 years since i've had the surgery, and the back pain relief workout was something that i just did regularly, because my whole

thing is, if you can move and go, then you can get on with life. if you lay in bed and put ice on your back, it doesn't work. >> the power of life is found in every cell of the body. the power of life does not yield easily to death. life fights for every second of existence. life is a powerful force, and we all have that force coursing through our veins. all life needs is the smallest incentive, and it will fight to stay alive. we can be strong if we choose to be strong. we can be energetic if we choose to be energetic. we can be independent if we choose to be independent. and if we choose all of the

above, then we must choose to move. we must choose to exercise. thank you. [indistinct chatter] [laughter] >> i really enjoyed that program. >> i did, too. i learned so much from "aging backwards with miranda esmonde-white," and you can learn, too. all you have to do is support your local public television station. >> and you know, it's so easy just to pick up the phone and call right now. you know, your local public television station has brought you this program and many, many others, so, really, now is the time to give

your support in whatever level you want, and we have some wonderful thank-you gifts. >> make that call and you can start aging backwards today. >> "aging backwards" demystifies the aging process and provides viewers with a weapon to combat the physical aspects of aging. pledge your support and continue to enjoy great healthy living programs brought to you by your local public television station. pledge now and these special thank-you gifts will be yours to enjoy. consider the affordable $72 pledge level and you'll receive your very own copy of this pledge show, "aging backwards with miranda esmonde-white." if you can increase your commitment to the $150 pledge level, we'll include a copy of this pledge show and these classical stretch workouts. "one-hour full-body workout," a zero-impact cardio workout that focuses on calorie burning as well as body toning. 4 30-minute workouts on dvd with the following themes: body shaping, pain relief, posture improvement, and weight loss. if you're a fan of "classical stretch," then you'll want to practice the revolutionary techniques of "aging backwards with miranda esmonde-white" right away. and of course, you'll receive these gifts as our thank-you. if you already believe in the healthy lifestyle techniques of "classical

stretch," consider the $252 pledge level. you'll receive this complete package of thank-you gifts for showing your support. the age-defying techniques of this pledge show, "aging backwards with miranda esmonde-white," "one-hour full-body workout," 4 30-minute workouts on dvd, and only at this pledge level will you receive your very own copy of miranda's book "aging backwards." make the commitment to your health and your local public television station for a monthly pledge of only $21. pledge now and enjoy the collection of dvds and miranda's new book as convenient reference materials in the comfort of your own home. "aging backwards" makes a clear argument that how we age is a choice and not inevitable. scientific and intelligent, yet entertaining and accessible, "aging backwards" provides readers with useful and applicable information on how to slow down and reverse the aging process through exercise and other lifestyle choices. please make your pledge right now. thank you for supporting your local public television station. >> we are joined in our studio once again by miranda esmonde-white, the creator of "aging backwards," and miranda, in talking to you earlier and watching the program, the thing that strikes me the most is that this is

really for everyone. it's very accessible. >> it is. i started it, i created it for baby boomers in my fitness center, and then, as it's grown, it's now being used by 3-year-olds up to 93-year-olds. and everyone in between, whether they're in good shape or whether they've got some serious aches and pains and serious body conditions. it's good for them, too. >> so, it's not just, you know, the person on the street. you've also got, if i'm not mistaken, some big athletes and other people using this program as well. >> we have the montreal canadien hockey team, we have supermodels, we have hollywood movie stars, and we have just average people who want to look good. >> and what's great about the "aging backwards" program is it encompasses so much. you get a book, and you get the "classical stretch" dvds, and those appeal to people with a variety of needs, don't they? >> that's right. the dvds address people who have aches and pains, whether it's knee

pain, hip pain, back pain. it also helps specific ones for weight loss, for posture improvement, and everybody needs to have good posture. body shaping. i don't think there's anybody alive that doesn't want to have a nice shape to their body. >> something a little bit better. yeah. >> yeah. and then there's the zero-impact cardio workout. so they're all accessible to everybody. >> and i love that. all ages, all abilities, and actually, if you'd like to get started aging backwards, you can do so right now by reaching out and supporting your local public television station. we've got some fantastic thank-you gifts, and we're gonna go to larry. he'll tell you a little bit more about those. >> thank you, kris and miranda. we'll be getting back to "aging backwards" in just a moment and interviews with miranda, but we hope you're enjoying that this public television station has brought you this very special program, and it's now time to make a commitment to the station at whatever level you can. we have operators standing by. also, you can do it on the web. just go to your computer and do so. we encourage you to pledge at the $72 level because then you can own the program "aging backwards" for yourself.

it's a great companion, but here's the thing i think would be great. if you want to put miranda's advice into practice, at the $150 level you can get the two dvds. one of them is 4 half-hour workouts, another one is a one-hour workout, and that way, you can actually put in the practice with "classical stretch," what she's talking about. and finally at the $252 level, you can get "aging backwards" book in addition to the dvd workout "classical stretch" and the program. make a commitment to your health and also to this public television station at the same time because we work on the honor system here, and that's because we have put the program out there for you to see. now it's time for you to partner with us and become part of the public television family at this station. now let's get back to kris and miranda with some more of her interview. >> thanks, larry. miranda, the thing about aging backwards is it's never too late to get involved in it. i know some of our friends are sitting at home right now saying, "oh, you know, i'm old. my elbow hurts, my knees hurt, i can't get out." >> that's so common, and people are so worried that they're not gonna be able to change their

bodies no matter what age they're at, and what they don't realize is their body is hungry and eager to change. it just needs the right program to do it. >> well, maybe they've been turned off by other programs that were too labor-intensive or made you sweat too much or were just too hard. >> they were too hard, and they didn't get the results, but the human body is designed to be mobile, and it's designed to stay fit. it's a self-healing machine that we just have to self-heal it. give it the opportunity. like our muscles. people don't realize it, but your muscles are designed to be strong. they're not designed to be weak. >> they're not couch potato muscles. >> no! >> so if i'm a couch potato and i want to start this program, i can still do it without injuring myself. i mean, how would i start it? >> well, first of all, i really suggest people get the dvds and the book, and the reason why is because you need to follow something. so the book has got

8 workouts for every level, and the dvd, they can follow these in the correct pathway. so it's the speed, and then you go at your own pace. so i'm whipping away-- >> i think that's really important about the own pace thing because you don't want somebody to be turned off by overexerting themselves when they first begin a program. >> and you don't need to. tha's the illusion about fitness is that the body just needs you to move, and then it will say, "oh! well, then you still need those cells," so then the next day, you've got a little more mitochondria beefing up those furnaces, and you can work a little harder. so work as gently as you want at the beginning because you're gonna find that very rapidly those muscles start giving you all kinds of strength. so nobody has to feel they have to go 100% at the beginning. >> that's what i wanted to ask you about because if you haven't done an exercise program for a long time or you've tried them and they just have been too much, a little

bit overwhelming, if i start doing your program and i'm not ready to get into it full tilt so i'm kind of just very relaxed and very easy in my movements, will i get any benefit out of it? >> 100% you will because your body knows something's happening, and it responds, even if you're not going at your future maximum, but the trick is that people don't understand is that the body--if you push it too hard it will fight back. so if you don't push it too hard, then it will go, and you'll advance faster. >> miranda, i really like to think of this program, the whole "aging backwards" program, as a kind of an investment in your future. you mentioned future before, and i think that's very important for our viewers to understand is that no matter where you start, at what point in your life you start, you are still trying to make your future brighter, and this program can help you do that. >> it absolutely will, no matter where you're at, whether you're young--it will keep you young for as long as you live--and if you're already starting to see sort of the

effects of aging in your body, it will slow those down and reverse many of them so that you're going to have a brighter future. so no matter what, you're investing in your future. >> exactly. it's never too late to start investing. >> that's right. >> if you'd like to start investing in your future today, all you need to do is reach out and support your local public television station. we will thank you with the "aging backwards" program, with the dvds, and with the book. larry's gonna tell us more about that right now. >> and thank you, kris and miranda. we hope you enjoyed "aging backwards" and the interviews we had in the studio, brought to you by this public television station. it's so easy to support this station. it's ever important because it's a partnership between you the viewer and this station. call the number on your screen or go to the web site, and you can be a member of this station. at the $72 level, you can get "aging backwards," and you'll own this dvd for yourself. at the $150 level, you can own these two dvds and you can put in practice what miranda said, and

finally at the $252 level, you get "aging backwards," the two dvds, and this wonderful book that miranda's put out "aging backwards," and you can start working to a more healthy, youthful life. so what are you waiting for? make a commitment at whatever level you can. it supports this public television station, bringing you all this wonderful programming. we work on the honor system here, which is we bring you your programs, and then you can watch them at your leisure and make a commitment. we are supported by you. so what are you waiting for? this is your very last chance. call right now.

>> rose: welcome to the program. we begin this evening with "the spymasters," a dormanty new fil. >> it's about what the mission of the c.i.a. should be and has the c.i.a. become so seduced by covert paramilitary operations that it has neglected the analytical side. you know, bob gates was eloquent on this. he said, you know, imagine how different the world would be if we hadn't gone into iraq, if they'd gotten weapons of mass destruction and we hadn't invaded iraq. he said, this is the kind of stuff we used to be really good at, but when you