Jane Seymour radiates the kind of vibrancy and good health one would expect from a mother returning to her beachside home after an afternoon of playing in the surf with her twin sons, John and Kris. "While they were digging in the sand. I was running and walking-my fast walk I call it,"explains fire 54- year-old actress "I regularly do the elliptical machine, isometrics,some light weights and stretching. Today, though, I was with the kids. Being with them and doing some movement is just for my health"
And that commitment to her health shows. She is happily married to her fourth husband, lames Keach, and enjoys her real -life role as mother to a family that includes the twins and children from her previous marriage. Best known as TV's Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman," the actress, author, painter and motivational speaker says her love of her kids and the love of a man helps keep her healthy. "Absolutely," confirms the former ballet student. 'Love and laughter are definite health boosters and dance too because it's so joyous and brings something into your spirit."
The picture of heart health
It's the creative combination of dance and art that inspired Seymour to create her latest series of paintings, "The Red Dress," originally commissioned by the California Pistachio Commission (Seymour is their spokesperson) with proceeds going to women's health initiatives 'It's a series of women dancing in red dresses... the red connotes women's heart health. There's nothing shrinking violet about a woman in a red dress. Red is such a life-asserting and passion-asserting color that says. 'I'm here and definitely part of life.' I'm trying to alert women to the risks of heart disease and to the fact that we've been so brilliantly trained to check ourselves for breast cancer, but you're actually nine times more likely to die of heart disease than breast cancer in this country. The fact is that it's a silent killer. and you need to get regular checkups and start living a heart healthy life. "
Taking charge of her health
With her health and heart blooming and her speaking career soaring, does Seymour worry about her own heart health? Well, of course, she says. There's stress from travel and speaking. plus the challenges we all face with motherhood. Seymour also has a family history of heart dis ease, as well as problems she faced during her "most recent pregnancy. "My mother is 91 and has heart disease. But she's doing pretty well. I always had perfect everything when it carne to my health, but having twins at 45 really did stress my body." she says. "I developed preeclampsia-elevated blood pressure -that could have killed me. I felt no symptoms but had an emergency C-section because of it."
A low dose of Benicar maintains Seymour's blood pressure and she takes a daily multivitamin pill plus actinol once a week to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis. She also recently returned to hormone replacement therapy in the form of a very low dose of estrogen; progesterone cream. "I had stopped for a while but my doctor said your joy, your experience of life, you need to have energy and well-being. So I'm finding the cream to be terrific," Seymour reports. I obviously monitor my risk for breast cancer and other diseases, but I've decided it's the right thing for me now. I'm certainly perkier and happier than some other women my age."
Seymour's healthy diet is another key to her good health and vitality. 'I love to taste life," she says, noting that she keeps her kitchen stocked with healthy snacks like pistachios.
©Women's Health
(August 2006)
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