Dick Van Dyke Shares Exactly What He Does to Stay Healthy at 95
"All you old guys out there, listen to me, I'm telling you: You can keep going," Van Dyke says.
Iconic comedian, actor, singer, and all-around entertainment Dick Van Dyke is still dancing at age 95. The beloved performer—best known for '60s musicals like Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and of course, his eponymous sitcom, The Dick Van Dyke Show—did a new interview with CBS This Morning ahead of being honored by the Kennedy Center and President Joe Biden. During the rare interview, Van Dyke shared that he intends to make it to 100 years old, and he has a couple of tricks up his sleeve to help get him there. To see what Van Dyke says he does to stay healthy into his ninth decade of life, read on.
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Van Dyke is still doing sit-ups and working out every day.
CBS This Morning recently visited Van Dyke at his home, where the star showed off his workout regimen, which featured impressive rounds of sit-ups and leg circles. Van Dyke said he's still dancing and stressed the importance of staying active as you age. "I'm 95, and a lot of my friends won't do these," Van Dyke said while doing crunches. "So all you old guys out there, listen to me, I'm telling you: You can keep going for a long [time]."
And he plans to keep going for at least another five years. "I'm looking forward to 100," said Van Dyke. "George Burns made it, and I'm gonna do it too," he said of the fellow performer, who passed away in 1996 about a month after he hit the milestone.
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He even opted for the most challenging dance routine in the recent Mary Poppins remake.
Van Dyke continues to challenge himself, too. While filming 2018's Mary Poppins Returns, he said the choreographers gave him three variations of a dance to choose from for the "Trip a Little Light Fantastic" reprise, and he decided to tackle "the hardest one."
"Every frame is him," director Rob Marshall told USA Today while promoting the movie in 2018. "He's fearless, has such a joy and he loves to dance. He's truly an original." Marshall added that Van Dyke surpassed any expectations they had for him, too. "When he jumped on the desk, we had put a stool, a chair, and then the desk, and [Lin-Manuel Miranda] was there to help him up. He didn't use Lin's hand. He didn't even use the stool. He just jumped up," Marshall told Entertainment Weekly. "We were like, 'What did he just do!?' Because he could, and he was so excited to do that."
When asked why he went with the most intricate routine at the age of 91, Van Dyke told CBS This Morning, "I had to prove I could do it." He added that he's "still dancing and singing," even if it's just around the house.
Van Dyke says staying active and optimistic are the keys to aging gracefully.
In 2015, Van Dyke published a book full of sage advice about growing older called Keep Moving and Other Tips and Truths About Aging, which encapsulates Van Dyke's biggest advice to people getting up there in age. "Keep moving is the main thing. I think I reiterate three or four times in the book," he told NPR during a 2015 interview.
He also suggests people avoid "going down the stairs sideways." Van Dyke said while it may feel good on your knees, "it throws the hips out, and the back starts to go out. The next thing you know, you've fallen down and broken your hip. So even if it hurts a little, go down the stairs front-ways."
Van Dyke also cited his optimism as a big part of what keeps him going. "It's more in my nature to be optimistic, I think. I'm one of those people who gets up on the right side of the bed in the morning. I get up and have a cup of coffee and go to the gym before I talk myself out of it because I will, as anybody will," said Van Dyke.
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The hardest part of getting older for Van Dyke is having to give up some things he enjoys.
Although Van Dyke has a positive outlook about aging, he admits there are some difficult aspects of getting older. Van Dyke told NPR the hardest part of aging is "giving up the things you enjoy doing." For example, while he can still sing and dance, he "can't handle the tennis court anymore."
But the star said everyone should have a hobby in their life they love doing that will one day be hard to say goodbye to. "I made a habit of asking other people in their old age: 'Of all the things you enjoyed doing when you were younger that you can't anymore, what do you miss?' And some people mention golf or tennis. … The people who said, 'I wish I had made smarter business decisions,' I think they're missing the point," said Van Dyke. "The point is to enjoy. You have to pick what you enjoy doing, what fulfills you, what interests you. And I realize that's not possible for a lot of people. As [Henry David] Thoreau said, 'A lot of people are living lives of quiet desperation.' But almost anyone can find that one immersing hobby or pastime that they love to do."
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