Saturday, December 21, 2024

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99-Year-Old Dick Van Dyke’s Nightly Dessert Is Adorably Relatable

On the heels of his 2015 book release "Keep Moving and Other Tips and Truths About Aging," Van Dyke told the Chicago Tribune that a major factor is staying active. He wakes up at 6 a.m. every morning, drinks a cup of coffee, and heads "to the gym before I talk myself out of it," he says in his signature humorous style. "If you get exercise, get moving, get the blood moving, you walk out of the gym feeling better…Get that circulation going, and it changes you. I can go to the gym feeling pretty lousy, but I walk out of there with a bounce in my step and feeling pretty good."

While at the gym, Van Dyke swears by the treadmill and weights (yes, he still lifts in his 90s!). After his sweat session and with feel-good vibes in full effect, he typically swings by the market, runs errands, and heads back home for a quick nap before dinner. Then before bed, he always indulges his inner child.

Dick Van Dyke's Nightly Dessert
Throughout the day, Van Dyke explained to the Chicago Tribune team that he prefers to steer clear of overly processed and fast food, instead leaning into "light and fresh" fare. "I watch what I eat. I'm not much on meat; maybe once a week. I have blueberries every morning. I watch my sugar level," he said.

When Van Dyke was a kid, he always dreamed of growing up and being able to eat candy every night. That inner child is still alive and well: "There's the biblical admonition about putting aside the things of your childhood. But I take that to mean self-centeredness, willfulness; not creativity and wonder," Van Dyke continued in his chat with the Tribune. "Walt Disney and I always said we were children looking for our inner adults."

So to indulge his inner child, Van Dyke gleefully admitted, "I do eat ice cream every night."