Dick Van Dyke shares one thing he does to stay fit at 99
As Dick Van Dyke nears his 100th birthday, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang actor, 99, has revealed how he stays so fit and healthy.
Speaking to Ted Danson on the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast, the Mary Poppins star said that beyond working out at the gym three times a week, there is one ritual he maintains to stay in shape: he dances between weight machines instead of walking.
“Somebody said, ‘To what do you attribute your age and physical condition?’
“I said, ‘I’ve always exercised.’ Three days a week, we go to the gym still. Three days a week,” he told Danson, of The Good Place fame.
Attesting to the actor’s dedication, the podcast host replied: “If I got there [to the gym] early enough, I would see you literally work out on some weight machine and then – almost like you were doing circuit training – you would not walk to the next machine, but dance.
“You literally danced to the next machine and I watched that for a couple of weeks.”
Van Dyke also went on to say that after the gym, he likes to go for a swim in the pool and finish off with a nap (that, at least, we can relate to).
No stranger to detailing his workout, Van Dyke has previously shared clips of his exercise regime with fans on social media – including footage from December last year of him doing leg presses.
He’s also previously demonstrated his workout routine on CBS This Morning, stating: “The stomach is the core of your whole body. If your stomach’s strong, you’re in good shape,” as he did some sit-ups.
He added: “So all you old guys out there, listen to me. I’m telling you, you can keep going. I’m still dancing and singing!”
Of his upcoming birthday, the Diagnosis: Murder star said that he is planning to celebrate properly. “When you think… I go back to [19]25, I’m almost 100,” he said. “This is insane. I’m going to have a big party.”
Just last year, he also made history at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards and became the oldest Daytime Emmy winner for his guest performance in soap Days of Our Lives.
He said of the honour: “Am I really the oldest? I didn’t know I was the oldest. I’ll be darn. I think I’m the last of my generation, really. I’m 98. I have almost all my marbles. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast.”
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