Here’s how to get six-pack abs in your 60s and beyond
He’s abs-olutely dedicated to his fitness regimen.
The 63-year-old founder of the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine is sharing his lifelong tips for fitness — and how to maintain a sculpted body and six pack during one’s golden years.
“I think most of us think we have to decline as we get older, but we don’t,” Dr. Mark Hyman told GQ, comparing the human anatomy to that of a “million dollar race horse.”
Though, he was quick to admit not everybody gives theirs the thoroughbred treatment.
“We don’t do that with our bodies. We feed it all kinds of crap. We eat fries and junk and sugar, and we don’t think about the consequences of how we feel now or how we’re going to feel as we get older,” Hyman said.
In hopes of aging as gracefully as possible, Hyman kicks off his 6:30 a.m. starting the day with 32 oz. of water — with electrolytes mixed in — before doing some resistance band training.
Afterward, he’ll have a so-called “healthy aging shake” consisting of nearly 50 grams of goat whey, creatine, and other energy boosters.
“I also put probiotics [in my shake], I put in adaptogenic mushrooms, some frozen berries, maybe some macadamia milk, and whizz it up. That’s my breakfast, and it usually gets me through to lunch.”
He proudly follows what’s called the “plant-rich” Pegan diet that’s not to be confused with an entirely plant-based lifestyle.
“A lunch, for example, could be a big salad with avocado, arugula. I put in toasted pumpkin seeds or pine nuts,” said Hyman.
“I’ll throw in a can of wild salmon or I’ll have a can of mackerel or a couple sardines on the side; tomatoes, olives, and olive oil. I call it a ‘fat salad,’ because it’s lots of good fats. I eat very low-glycemic, so low starch and sugar.”
Beyond staying healthy, Hyman has found this lifestyle has also warded off temptations for most junk foods — sparing ice cream.
“It’s interesting — when you’re self-regulated, you don’t have to use willpower. Your body kind of craves things that are good for it. So if I walk by a Starbucks with a bunch of those cookies and cakes and stuff, it just looks like a rock to me. I really don’t even think of that as food.”
The trick, essentially, is to focus on living in the moment, the doctor boasts.
“To me, it’s not about living to be 120. It’s about feeling great now,” he said.
“And the consequence of doing things that make you feel great now is that you’re likely to live a more disease-free, longer life and to get your health span to equal your lifespan.”