Dick Van Dick Thriving In His 90s
- Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke is aging incredibly well and credits his longevity to prioritizing exercise a few times a week and keeping a good attitude.
- He opened up in an interview this week, alongside his second wife Arlene Silver, revealing he’s never stopped working out and has remained active throughout his career and in retirement.
- Healthy aging isn’t just about accomplishing medical check-ups or managing illnesses. It’s also about maintaining a high quality of life as you age, keeping your body and mind as robust as possible, and living life to the fullest. SurvivorNet has put together some tips that can help you age healthily, which include: Physical Activity, Nutrition, Social Engagement, Mental Stimulation, Regular Check-ups, and Sleep.
- Remember, consistency is the key. Building these habits and making them part of your daily routine can potentially slow down the aging process and improve your overall well-being.
- Even small steps can have a significant impact, so it’s never too late to start. After all, aging is just another word for living. And our aim should not be to just live longer, but to live healthier and happier.
Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke, known for starring in the 1960s movie musical hits "Bye Bye Birdie," "Mary Poppins," and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," is thriving at age 98—something he believes is due to him prioritizing his fitness and maintaining a positive mindset. The famous actor, who lost his first wife and mother of his children to pancreatic cancer, and later, his partner of more than 30 years after a lung cancer diagnosis, offered some insight into how he's maintained longevity in a recent interview with
Entertainment Tonight. Van Dyke, alongside his second wife, 52-year-old makeup artist Arlene Silver, told the news outlet, "I've often tried to think what did I do to live this long and I can't figure out. "The only thing is I've always exercised. We still go to the gym three days a week and work out. And I believe that's the secret. Most people at 98 years old don't really feel like working out and they seize up, you know? You get stiff and I'm still, you know, move pretty well. He added, "And I think that must be the secret because I don't really watch my diet or anything. Stayed skinny. That helps."
Silver chimed in, "And the singing ... [he's] always singing," before Van Dyke explained further, "Attitude about life I think has a lot to do with it ... I've always looked at the good side, I guess, and expected good things to happen." With regard to getting older and living well, Van Dyke previously said in "
Keep Moving : And Other Tips and Truths About Living Well Longer," a book he published in 2016, "I am a child in search of his inner adult, though the truth is that I’m not searching too hard. I don’t recommend anyone doing so.
RELATED: Dick Van Dyke, 96, Who Lost Two Partners to Cancer, Dances with Wife in New Music Video "That is the secret, the one people always ask me about when they see me singing and dancing, whistling my way through the grocery store or doing a soft shoe in the checkout line. They say, 'Pardon me, Mr. Van Dyke, but you seem so happy. What's your secret?'
He continued, "What they really want to know is how I have managed to grow old, even very old, without growing up, and the answer is this: I haven't grown up. I play. I dance with my inner child. Every day." "Why is it amazing that I don't act my age? Why should I act my age? Or more to the point, how is someone my age supposed to act? Old age is part fact, part state of mind, part luck, and wholly something best left for other people to ponder, not you or me."
Expert Resources to Help You Live a Healthier Lifestyle
SurvivorNetTV Presents: ‘Radical Age’ A Story of Seniors Defying Expectations Living a Healthy Lifestyle
One major part of Dick Van Dyke's life is his healthy exercise habits, something SurvivorNet experts also recommend. The general recommendations for a
healthy lifestyle are the same whether you have cancer or not.
Dr. Ken Miller , the Director of Outpatient Oncology at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, has some guidelines for cancer survivors who are concerned about a recurrence:
1. Exercise at least two hours a week, and walking counts. 2. Eat a low-fat diet. The
Women's Intervention Nutrition Study, which looked at early-stage breast cancer patients, found that a low-fat diet was associated with reduced risk for cancer recurrence, particularly in those with estrogen receptor-negative cancers. Other studies have found that foods with a
high glycemic index that are digested quickly and cause a spike in blood sugar may lead to tumor growth in lung cancer patients.
3. Eat a colorful diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. The American Cancer Society recommends aiming for two to three cups of vibrant vegetables and fruits each day.
4. Maintain a healthy weight . Studies have shown that being obese can increase your risk for several types of cancer.
Understanding Aging & Additional Tips
It's understandable that aging can feel like a mystery at times, and it's great to see Dick Van Dyke moving through life freely with playfulness and optimism. After all, we've all heard phrases like "Age is just a number," but what does that mean? And how does it impact our health and well-being? From the day we are born, our bodies and minds start to change and grow. This continuous process is, fundamentally, what we call 'aging.' Life is a journey filled with countless changes, and aging is an integral part of that journey. Quite often, when we talk about aging, we focus on the physical changes, but it's also about the evolution of our mental and emotional states.
SurvivorNet has provided an overview of aging to guide you through this universal process. Some key points to remember about aging:
- Aging is a natural biological process that affects everyone.
- The experience of aging can vary greatly among individuals.
- While aging comes with some inevitable changes, many aspects of aging are influenced by lifestyle choices and attitudes.
RELATED: Body Image In Your 80s: How Workout Queen Jane Fonda Finds Peace With Vanity & Cancer - With the right information, support, and proactive strategies, aging can be a rich and fulfilling stage of life.
- Aging isn't something to fear or shy away from—it's a phase of life that we all share.
Healthy aging isn't just about accomplishing medical check-ups or managing illnesses. It's also about maintaining a high quality of life as you age, keeping your body and mind as robust as possible, and living life to the fullest. SurvivorNet has put together some tips that can help you age healthily:
Physical Activity: Try to incorporate at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise into your daily routine. This could be walking, cycling, swimming—any physical activity you enjoy!
Nutrition: Eat a balanced diet heavy on fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. Limiting processed foods, sugars and unhealthy fats can make a big difference in your overall health.
Social Engagement: Stay socially active. Whether it's attending family gatherings, participating in group hobbies, volunteering, or just catching up with friends, maintaining social connections can significantly enhance your emotional health and well-being.
Mental Stimulation: Engage in activities that stimulate your mind. This could include reading, doing puzzles, learning a new skill or language, or even playing memory-boosting games.
Regular Check-ups: Don't forget about your regular medical, dental, and eye check-ups. Prevention is always better than cure!
Sleep : Good sleep is vital for your overall health. Practice good sleep hygiene – keep a regular sleep schedule, make your sleeping environment comfortable and quiet, and try to avoid screens before bed. Remember, consistency is the key. Building these habits and making them part of your daily routine can potentially slow down the aging process and improve your overall well-being. Even small steps can have a significant impact, so it's never too late to start. After all, aging is just another word for living. And our aim should not be to just live longer, but to live healthier and happier.
Learning About Positive Psychology
One way to cope with body image, mental health, and all that comes along with aging, is through positive psychology, an approach to mental well-being that focuses more on a person’s strengths and how they can help themselves rather than just trying to curb individual symptoms and/or diagnose a disorder. "It is a fundamental sort of different way of thinking about patients, thinking about their experience,"
Dr. Samantha Boardman , a New York-based psychiatrist and author, told SurvivorNet. "It's not just focusing on what’s the matter. It’s also asking them, what matters to you?" Dr. Boardman noted that positive psychology is a reimagined approach to dealing with mental struggles. "Making people feel less bad is not the same as making them feel good," she said, referring to how this new approach encourages people to try to find happiness rather than just try to stop sadness. This approach can be a major benefit to people who are dealing with an illness like cancer because it focuses on finding those great parts of life.
What is Positive Psychology & How Can it Help? "Positive emotions have unique benefits above and beyond managing negative emotions,” Dr. Boardman explained. "Sometimes you can treat a patient and get rid of some of their symptoms, and it’s not necessarily then that you find a flourishing patient you might even get an empty patient. Dr. Boardman continued, "So, really tapping into those resources where do they find positive emotions? What provides a sense of engagement for them? How can you promote positive relationships?”
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff 
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