Dame Joan Collins has revealed the secret to fabulous legs in your 90s – and it takes dedication. ‘You don’t get legs like this if you don’t exercise,’ she told Hello.
The legendary actor says exercise is still top of her agenda when it comes to staying fit and agile. ‘I work out with my trainer a couple of times a week – just basic Pilates-type exercise, rather than using one of those [reformer] pilates machines, though,’ she revealed in The Telegraph. And that’s not all – Dame Joan also previously revealed that she works with a physiotherapist for 30 minutes a day as ‘it gives me energy’.
In fact, she has three simple rules for staying healthy at 93. ‘I just believe in healthy living,’ she says. ‘I don’t eat junk, I get eight hours of sleep, I exercise. It’s very simple.’
Dame Joan also shared that a trapped nerve in July 2022 left her immobile – and it was personal advice from Cedars-Sinai medical director Dr Lawrence Piro that helped her recover, and keeps her healthy today. Perhaps his best advice, she says, was not to allow yourself to get injured in the first place.
‘Anybody over the age of 60 who falls is doomed,’ she says. ‘It’s really true, because it keeps you out of the gym, you lose your flexibility, and everything spirals down.’
‘As we age, several factors contribute to an increased risk of falls, including poor balance and decreasing leg strength, along with the natural depletion of muscle mass and more brittle bones,’ says physiotherapist Sam Bhide. ‘During a fall, people often slip or land on their side, which leads to a direct impact on the hip joint, frequently resulting in a fracture of the neck of the femur (thigh bone).’
As Dame Joan suggests, it is crucial to exercise as we get older – not only for the improved balance and co-ordination, but also because muscle-strengthening activities can extend our lifespan. One study published in The BMJ found that engaging in muscle-strengthening activities was linked to a 10-17% lower risk of death from all causes. There is, however, one form of exercise that Dame Joan won’t countenance – walking. ‘I hate walking – it bores me!’ she says emphatically.
