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Peggy Fleming reveals her secrets to healthy living

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Peggy Fleming was a name most of the world knew in 1968. She became America's sweetheart after winning the gold medal. Now, life after the Olympics has been about healthy living and never turning down a new adventure.

Since the Olympics, she's been a sports commentator, a cancer survivor, a health advocate and now a vineyard owner. Her Olympic skating outfit is proudly hanging on the wall.

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So what keeps this former athlete, and now grandmother, looking and feeling good? Fleming says after a diagnosis of breast cancer, she discovered secret number one: keep active, and do it with a friend!

"Even during my radiation treatments, I went for runs with my friends," says Fleming.

One study of 3,000 nurses with breast cancer found women without close friends were four times more likely to die from the disease. Another one of Fleming's secrets is to look at yourself.

"You really need to look at your body and notice changes," explains Fleming.

She may be onto something! A recent study found when people ate in front of a mirror, they consumed one-third less of their meal. Another one of Fleming's tips is to embrace new adventures. Along with starting her new wine career, she recently took up painting.

"I love color and texture," she says.

And you're never too old to learn something new. A new word actually builds brain volume and reduces the risk of dementia later in life. Fleming says there's still a lot of new hobbies she wants to try.

"I'm not done yet. I'm not done yet," says Fleming.

Fleming has been married for 40 years. She has two sons and three grandsons. Are you looking for another way to keep your mind fresh? A new study out of the Public Research Center for Health shows people who spoke four or more languages were five times less likely to develop memory problems, compared to those people who only spoke two languages.


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