13 Celebrities Over 60 Share Their Hot Bod Secrets
From Helen Mirren's 12-minute workout to J.K. Simmons' (chocolate-inclusive!) diet, here are the lifestyle secrets of 11 insanely fit celebrities over 60.
Overview
Either there's an actual fountain of youth nestled somewhere deep in the Hollywood Hills or these celebs who are 60 and up are seriously committed to health and fitness. (Spoiler alert: It's the latter.) From Helen Mirren's 12-minute workout to J.K. Simmons' chocolate-inclusive, protein-rich diet, here's how 11 famous sexagenarians got — and stayed — in better shape than most 20-year-olds. Whatever they're having, we'll take two!
1. Chris Noth
Chris Noth is now 63 years old, though you wouldn't know it from his recent Instagram post. "Climbing the mountain of time and gravity!" "The Good Wife" actor captioned a photo of him flexing his biceps at the gym. At Noth's side are two 35-pound weights, meaning that he's all about lifting. And for good reason: Research shows that weightlifting not only helps to improve your body composition and tone your muscles, it also boosts your metabolism and fights depression symptoms. Of course, it also helps you to impress friends and TV love interests. Former "Sex in the City" co-star Sarah Jessica Parker left her two cents in Noth's comments, writing: "Still looking good!!!! X." We can feel the love, Big time.
2. Sigourney Weaver
Though we've all seen Sigourney Weaver kick ass over and over again in blockbusters like "Alien" and "Avatar," she'll be the first to admit that staying in crazy-good shape is an uphill battle. "As you get older, it gets harder and harder," she told Daily Mail in 2013. "You just have to not eat a lot of things you like and then go to the gym." So how does she manage to stay hot at 68? A typical day for Weaver might include some Pilates, gardening, dog-walking and stair-climbing. She also watches what she eats (out of necessity more than pleasure). "Periodically I [diet], when I go home and don't need to be rushing off anywhere for a couple of weeks," she said. "As lovely as it is drinking champagne and having sumptuous food, your body needs to recover from these excesses."
3. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
At 85, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg can still throw down in the gym. And as "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert discovered while joining her for a workout in Washington, D.C., the Notorious RBG does not mess around. The lowdown? After RBG's trainer Bryant Johnson walked them through a few stretches and mobility exercises, the pair launched into some treadmill work. Then it was all about back and arm gains, with standing resistance-band rows, lat (short for latissimus dorsi) pull-downs, dumbbell exercises and planks modified with leg lifts. For the grand finale, the Supreme finished off with push-ups. To get pumped up for such intense workouts, the internet's favorite Justice blasts opera music. Well, there you have it!
4. Goldie Hawn
She may be 72, but let's be honest: Goldie Hawn looks more like Kate Hudson's sister than her mother. The reason? Hawn swears it's green juice (and lots of it), starting off her days with kale, parsley and green pepper concoctions. "Mom's been drinking green juice forever," Hudson once told Allure. And in addition to drinking her greens, Hawn is sure to eat them every day as well. Lunch typically is a green salad with broccolini, while dinner consists of green watercress soup, green beans and fish, Hawn told Self. Of course, the secret to Hawn's impressive physique isn't only about what Hawn puts in her body, it's about how she utilizes it. "I'm a dancer, so I can't stop moving," she told People in 2017. And rarely does a day go by for the actress where she doesn't fit in time for meditation and mindfulness.
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5. J.K. Simmons
When photos of 63-year-old J.K. Simmons working out (and looking ripped) hit social media in 2016, most people figured it was in preparation for his role as Commissioner Gordon in "Justice League." But that wasn't the case at all. "[It was] all coincidental," he told Business Insider. "After the second and final time that I got hugely fat in my life, and when I lost that weight, I pretty much decided that I was going to stay in decent shape for the rest of my life." And stay in shape he has! In order to maintain his age-defying muscles, Simmons works out with two trainers — one who focuses on cardio, the other who concentrates on bulking up. "We typically do a lot of unilateral movements with dumbbells … we try to keep things mobile and loose," Simmons' trainer Aaron Williamson said. Additionally, the "Spider-Man" actor follows a low-carb, lean protein-rich diet. Oh, and once a day, he's sure to have a small piece of quality dark chocolate.
Read more: 13 Strange Celebrity Diets
6. Cher
At 71, Cher has a body anyone would be impressed by. And, apparently, it's mostly thanks to doing planks every day. In 2017, the fashion icon told People, "I started out with 30 seconds, and I thought I was gonna die. Now I do three to five minutes!" (For reference, the average college male can hold a plank for just under two minutes.) The "If I Could Turn Back Time" singer also opts for veggie dishes instead of meat — and she steers clear of foods containing a lot of fat, including dairy. "I try to avoid foods with a high fat content because they make me sluggish and keep my weight up," Cher wrote in her book, "Forever Fit." Combine all that with gym workouts five days a week and you've got yourself a Cher body. Um, no problem?
Read more: Should You Cut Dairy From Your Diet?
7. Jane Seymour
Forget the fact that she's a grandmother, but Jane Seymour's body is just as strong and fit at 67 as it was in her 30s. The actress has always been healthy, and working out has always been part of her lifestyle ("I was one of the first to do Pilates back in the day," she told People). But the former Bond girl believes in enjoying life and making smart choices above all else. "I don't do major fasts or work out crazily every day," she revealed to British magazine Closer Weekly. Instead, the mom of four does a combination of Spinning, light weights and Gyrotonics (a machine-based method that blends stretching and strengthening exercises) three times a week. And when it comes to food, she likes to keep it real. "I believe in eating actual foods most of all," she told Healthy Living Magazine. "I try to eat leafy green vegetables, berries, kale juice, arugula, spinach and get my protein through fish and lean meats like chicken."
Read more: 16 Celebrity Weight-Loss Successes
8. Christie Brinkley
Christie Brinkley has discovered the art of aging in reverse, and while she obviously has been blessed with good genes, her lifestyle also plays a big role. The 64-year-old model has been a vegetarian since she was 12 years old, and she always aims to eat as many colors as she can in a day. "That's my main concept for making sure my kids get all the nutrients — making sure they get the deep greens, yellows and reds and purples, all of that," she told Shape.com. "I like to vary what I have." In order to make sure she doesn't get stuck in a rut, Brinkley carries the concept of variation over to her workout routines as well. "I always need variety," the mom of three told InStyle in 2017. "I'd rather be moving outdoors, taking a Zumba class, riding a bike on the beach — anything so fun that I barely realize I've come home dripping in sweat."
Read more: Zumba Workout Benefits
9. Tina Turner
Like a fine wine, Tina Turner (and her incredible legs) seems to just get better with age. And for the "Private Dancer" singer, a lot of it comes down to her amazing attitude. "I'm an American size 10, which I think in the U.K. is 14 — that has remained constant," Turner told BlackDoctor.org. In order to maintain the same size all these years, the 78-year-old doesn't eat past 6 p.m., limits pasta to twice per week and doesn't "abuse [herself] with sweets, sugars, cakes and fat." But when it comes down to it, it's likely her years of performing that have left her so strong and fit. "The main reason I've stayed looking good is that I've spent 40 years doing the most intensive stage workouts ever," she said.
Read more: The 35 Most Memorable Hollywood Bodies
10. Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only does the 65-year-old seem to get more delightfully quirky with age, but he became a dad for the first time at 62 (and again at 64). In order to stay fit enough to keep up with his little ones, the "Jurassic Park" actor doesn't mess around when it comes to his health. In 2016, Goldblum revealed to GQ that his diet is packed with antioxidant-rich fruits, veggies, lean protein and whole grains and that he steers clear of foods that are fatty, fried and sugary. Breakfast typically is overnight oats with goat mil; lunch is a salad. On the workout front, the dad of two has been a longtime fan of yoga, and, not surprisingly, the "Thor" actor also credits his two sons with keeping him in shape. "I find that having a kid makes you feel younger. Whereas otherwise you might be sitting around at any given moment, now you're not," he joked. "You gotta get up and walk him around."
Read more: What Are the Benefits of Stretching and Yoga?
11. Helen Mirren
When the paparazzi sneakily snapped a photo of Helen Mirren in a bikini in 2008 (when she was 62), the world was collectively slack-jawed. There's no other way to put it: The actress looked hot. Now 72, the Oscar winner is just as fit as ever. And, believe it or not, she devotes just 12 minutes a day to working out. Dame Mirren swears by a 1950s workout routine devised by the Royal Canadian Air Force that takes a little more than 10 minutes to do and requires no special equipment. The workout, which can be done anywhere, includes 10 basic exercises designed to work every muscle group in a short amount of time. Among the moves are knee raises, push-ups, arm circles, sit-ups, running and jumping. "It is the exercise I have done on and off my whole life," she told Yahoo.com. "It just very gently gets you fit." Count us in.
Read more: 8 Celebrities Share Their Fitness Routines
12. Sting
At 66, Sting is still able to work a stage like he did when he was with The Police — and he credits that to yoga. "I perform on stage in much the same way I did when I was in my 20s or teens, and I'm doing it just as efficiently. And I put that down to yoga," the musician told Energy Times. "Two decades of yoga has given me two extra decades of this career. I wouldn't be able to do it if I was out of shape." Supplementing Sting's yoga practice is a diet made up almost entirely of homegrown, organic fruits and vegetables as well as some fish and meat. He and wife Trudie Styler moved to a farm in 1991, and they've been growing (or raising) almost all of their own food since. "We're kind of self-sufficient in food, which is nice," he said. It sure sounds like it!
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13. Liam Neeson
He's one of the most in-demand action stars — at 65 — so clearly Liam Neeson knows a thing or two about staying in shape. Contrary to what most would think, though, the "Taken" star doesn't work out with a fancy trainer every day or follow a strict diet; he just walks. "When I'm in the city, I do eight miles around the [Central Park] with a walking partner," the New York resident said of his simple workout routine. "I do an extra loop — and the usual boring push-ups and sit-ups." The father of two then added, "Sixty is the new 40, right? That's what everybody tells me." That's certainly what it looks like to us.
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What Do YOU Think?
What do you think of these stars' diets? What about their workout routines? Would you incorporate any of them into your lifestyle? How do you stay in shape? What are your diet secrets? What lifestyle changes have you made as you've gotten older? Let us know in the comments!
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