Fitness trends come and go, but at 84, Martha Stewart remains loyal to the workout routine she has followed for years.
“I’ve worked out ever since I can remember,” Stewart told Women’s Health in an interview published on Friday. Even outside the gym, she makes it a point to stay active.
“I walk a whole lot. I garden a whole lot. I go to work in New York [City] pretty much five days a week or do my traveling,” she said.
Stewart said her go-to exercises haven’t changed much.
“I might not be as energetic as I used to be, but I’m pretty good,” she said. “The amount of weights and things that I use are pretty much the same as they’ve always been, so I’m strong. I’m very strong.”
At 6:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Stewart heads into a mat and reformer Pilates session with her instructor. “I do a very intense program, and it’s nonstop for 45 minutes,” she said.
Since she regularly commutes into the city by car, Stewart says Pilates helps her stay loose and flexible. “It also is very good for strengthening one’s bones, keeping one limber, working with aches and pains, stretching out,” she said.
She practices yoga too, though less frequently than Pilates.
“Pilates reminds me a little bit of yoga,” she said. “I end with yoga stretches on blocks at Pilates.”
Her Tuesday and Thursday mornings are reserved for 45 minutes of strength training with her trainer, using mostly dumbbells and machines.
Despite her busy schedule, Stewart remains committed to her fitness. “Even when I get home late at night, I still go and do my workout,” she added.
A key part of her wellness routine also involves drinking green juice every morning, made with fresh vegetables from her garden. “That’s a priority,” she said.
To make the green juice, Stewart typically mixes spinach, cucumbers, parsley, celery, and mint, and sometimes adds ginger or half an orange, including the peel.
“I grow that [produce] year-round,” she said. “It’s very important that they be grown in my own organic soil, and it makes delicious juice.”
In 2023, Stewart told Business Insider that Pilates and green juice helped her prepare for her iconic Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover.
“If you have my green juice every day, you would just feel great all the time,” she said.
Stewart is one of several Hollywood stars who believe wellness comes down to sticking with what works.
Speaking to People in January, Jane Fonda said her workout routine hasn’t changed much over the years either.
“I essentially do everything I used to do, just slower,” Fonda, now 88, said. “I used to be a runner, but now I love walking. I love being outdoors in the woods, especially up and down hills.”
In April, Helen Mirren told The Times that she still considers a 12-minute military workout developed by the Royal Canadian Air Force in the 1950s to be her go-to exercise.
She also encouraged those in their 50s and 60s to incorporate low-impact physical activities into their lives.
“It doesn’t have to be joining a gym. It can be small changes like taking a short walk or practicing yoga, which I still enjoy,” she said.
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