Dick Van Dyke, the larger-than-life comedian, is now a centenarian.
Van Dyke celebrated his 100th birthday on Saturday, marking a new chapter in his already storied life and career.
He became a household name in the 1960s while starring on the CBS sitcom, “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” which won 15 Emmys and two Golden Globes. Van Dyke’s star rose even higher when he headlined “Mary Poppins” alongside Julie Andrews in 1964 and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” with Sally Ann Howes in 1968.
In addition to an extensive filmography, Van Dyke also won a Tony Award in 1961 for his role as Albert Peterson in “Bye Bye Birdie.”
As Van Dyke grew older, he has often shared insights and advice on living a long life. Here are three tips Van Dyke follows.
Van Dyke exercises three times a week
During an appearance on actor Ted Danson’s podcast, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” in January, Van Dyke said he exercises several times a week.
“I’ve always exercised,” Van Dyke said. “Three days a week, we go to the gym. I think that’s why I’m not stove-up like my equals.”
Danson recalled seeing Van Dyke at the gym and being impressed by his routine.
“I would go to the same gym you did, and if I got there early enough, I would see you, literally, work out on some weight machine,” Danson said. “And then, almost like you were doing circuit training, you would not walk to the next machine, you’d dance. You literally danced to the next machine.”
Danson said he later asked Van Dyke about his workout routine.
“You said you would come to the gym and work out for whatever hour, whatever it is, then you would go home. You would swim laps and then get back into bed and take a nap.”
Van Dyke said these days, he’s doing a lot of stretching and yoga.
Van Dyke stays mentally fit by watching “Jeopardy!”
In his new book, “100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life,” Van Dyke wrote that his short-term memory is “shot,” but he still has “his marbles.”
“I used to do the crossword religiously for years (in pen), and now it’s ‘Jeopardy!’ that keeps me sharp, though Arlene always has the answer before I do,” Van Dyke wrote, referring to his wife, Arlene Silver.
Van Dyke and Silver, 54, tied the knot in 2012. In his book, Van Dyke wrote that his job as an entertainer required him to have a good memory.
“For my whole career, I had to memorize pages and pages of lines and a ton of songs, backward and forward, so I was able to say or sing them without even thinking,” he wrote. “When I sing with The Vantastix, it’s often songs from shows and movies I’ve done, and those are right at the front of my brain.”
He added: “I can still pick up new material easily, too, though it might take three or four more run-throughs than it used to be before the lyrics feel like second nature.”
Van Dyke also wrote that cutting alcohol out of his diet likely played a part in his good brain health.
Keeping a positive mindset is essential, Van Dyke said
In his book, Van Dyke recalled his former roles, including a series of old men, like Mr. Dawes Sr. in “Mary Poppins.”
“I’m not playing super-old anymore. I am super old. Speaking now from this position of centenarian authenticity, I can look back on my old man roles and say that some stuff I got right,” he wrote.
Van Dyke wrote that it’s “frustrating to feel diminished in the world, physically and socially,” in addition to navigating the uncertainty of current global events.
However, Van Dyke said keeping a positive outlook on life is key.
“I’ve made it to one hundred, in no small part, because I have stubbornly refused to give in to the bad stuff in life: failure and defeats, personal losses, loneliness and bitterness, the physical and emotional pains of aging. Because, as I see it, to do that would be to throw in the towel on life itself.”
Instead, Van Dyke said, “for the vast majority of my years, I have been in what I can only describe as a full-on bear hug with the experience of living. Being alive has been doing life — not like a job, but rather like a giant playground.”
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