FWIW (very little): I think weightlifting is one of the keys to looking youthful, especially for women. A strong upper body accentuates the hourglass figure,

FWIW (very little): I think weightlifting is one of the keys to looking youthful, especially for women. A strong upper body accentuates the hourglass figure, and the cues that go with muscle tone (in the arms, usually) also contribute immensely to an overall impression of beauty and vitality. I think women tend to be afraid of really weightlifting (ie heavy weights that make you struggle), either because it is so weirdly testerone-ish or because they are afraid of "bulking up". However, if you don't lift heavy weights nothing happens (women and five pound barbells are a pet-peeve of mine), and bulking up is really, really hard, for both men and women -- if you work out 3 days a week and stay away from the protein drinks (and steroids), you won't see any bulk at all, just tone and reshaping. I think Pilates and Yoga are cool, too, but there is a little bit of the Oprah's book club thing going on ...