When Carrie Underwood grows up, she wants to be a fit grandma.
Now in her 40s, she’s looking ahead to the coming decades and dialing in her longevity routine. The country music star, known for stage shows so energetic that she prepares by singing on the treadmill, said her life’s goal is to work on a farm well into her golden years.
“The decisions that I’m making today are going to determine what my future looks like 20 or 30 plus years down the road,” Underwood told Business Insider. “I want to be one of those grandmas someday that’s like ‘Nana still lives by herself, and she’s still got chickens, and she’s down there milking a cow.'”
Underwood shared the simple longevity habits she relies on for a healthy future — from gardening to working out on the road.
Workouts on the go
With a busy performance schedule, Underwood said she often has to work out while traveling with limited equipment. She uses her app HiNote Life, which promotes fitness, nutrition, and wellness content, so she has a convenient exercise routine to follow.
“I’ve many a time worked out in my own hotel room using the app because it just takes the guesswork out of things,” she told Business Insider.
Push-ups are among her favorite exercises because they can be done anywhere with minimal equipment and work multiple muscle groups at once.
Underwood said she often uses superset exercises, combining push-ups with lower-body movements like squats to save time. By the end of each workout, she typically finishes at least 100 push-ups.
“While I’m resting my legs, I’ll just pop down and do 20 push-ups,” she said.
Yardwork counts as exercise
Underwood said she sometimes feels like skipping the gym, but she’s not sitting on the couch, either. She stays active on her 400-acre farm in Tennessee, working with animals, gardening, and tending a greenhouse.
“If there’s lots of work to do outside, I consider that my exercise. If I’m shoveling and planting stuff or picking stuff or whatever it is, that’s my workout, and I love it,” Underwood said.
Gardening is a key habit for some of the longest-living people on the planet in regions known as Blue Zones. Working in a garden taps into multiple fitness metrics linked to longevity, including a little cardio, mobility, and stability.
More protein for healthy aging
The farm life also contributes to a healthy diet for Underwood, as she has consistent access to farm-fresh produce.
“I grow a lot myself because it’s just fun to me,” she said.
She previously told Women’s Health that her typical diet is heavily plant-based, with lots of veggies, tofu, whole grains, beans, eggs from her chickens, and protein smoothies.
Underwood said she takes a practical approach to food, which often involves making the best choices possible amid her busy schedule.
“I feel good if I don’t finish my kids’ pancakes,” she said.
One of her major goals is to get enough protein and encourage others, including her mom, to do the same.
“There’s study upon study that says we need more protein in our lives. It helps with everything from how you feel to building muscle,” Underwood said.
Her wellness brand just released a new protein powder mix containing 20 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, and B vitamins, making it convenient for busy people, especially women, to eat healthy.
“We want to continue to meet women where they are,” Underwood said. “They’re just normal moms, sisters, friends, trying to carve out a little time for themselves.”
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