Sally Field, star of the just released Lincoln, looked amazing in her red-carpet sleeveless body-hugging dress. It is hard to believe that she was born in 1946. Apparently, Sally Field once had a pact with Jane Fonda to forgo plastic surgery. We know that Ms. Fonda didn’t stick to her pledge and Ms. Field looks as if she’s had the odd filler. But who are we to judge and, anyway, I just want arms like that when I am well into my 60s.

Sally Field has said of growing (and looking) older: “I don’t want to look old and worn, but what can you do? My real focus is being an actor. I care more about having the opportunity to play roles that I haven’t played than I care if my neck looks like someone’s bedroom curtains.”

Well, she’s looking fantastic. Sally Field’s arms and, for that matter, the rest of her body are all the more impressive because she was diagnosed with osteoporosis. She takes a bone density medication, but just as important is regular weight bearing exercise. Weight bearing exercise is just about the best thing you can do for preventing osteoporosis. And, as Sally Field have shows, you can have posture and muscle tone of a woman 20 years younger.

Examples of weight-bearing exercises include weight training, walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, tennis, and dancing. Swimming and cycling, while beneficial in other ways, are not bone building.

You don’t have to go the gym either. There are some inspiring DVDs with women in Sally Field’s age range. My favorite, of course, is Burr Leonard and her Bar Method workout that will change your body shape, muscle tone and posture in ways that are extraordinary – not least because you can witness a transformation at any age. My personal favorite is Super Sculpting 2 ($20 in the shop). There’s also Kathy Smith, whose Ageless series of exercise programs are aimed at older people who are determined to be strong and fit.

By the age of 60, the average person will have lost a third of his or her muscle mass. But you can reverse it with resistance training – there’s no age limit on our ability to add muscle. So go get yourself a set of weights or even just grab a couple of bottles of water.

And for further inspiration think of Sally Field in her little red number.