Gayle King proves that your age should not dictate whether you wear a swimsuit. The 69-year-old proved this by gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in a gorgeous swimsuit. Looking incredible, one wonders how the broadcast journalist stays swimsuit-cover ready.
A Swimsuit Legacy Cover
Admitting to The New York Times, the author said she was apprehensive about accepting the offer to be on the cover. She added that MJ Day, the editor of the swimsuit issue, helped persuade her. Day shared that the issue’s theme was legacy, longevity, and women who were at the very top of their careers.
Get Swimsuit Ready With Gayle King
Strength training
According to Oprah.com, King prioritizes her fitness by working out for an hour five to six days a week.
She’ll do 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill and 30 minutes of strength training, making sure to switch between free weights and resistance bands,
“Before I was doing cardio, cardio, cardio. and I wasn’t losing weight the way I’m losing now. Jim [Karas] said to me that building up muscle really does burn calories faster. For me, that’s been the case.”
Strength training isn’t only about building muscle and burning calories. It can also improve your mental health and even strengthen your bones – an area of concern for many women as they age.
Mix up your workout
It’s easy to fixate on one area of the body in your workouts. Unfortunately, doing so may wear out one area of your body, causing imbalance and injuries.
Thankfully, King splits her workouts throughout the week. Some days she’ll focus on her upper body, and other days she’ll work out her lower body.
Additionally, during the weekends, she decides to do both upper and lower-body workouts.
Don’t forget your abs
Besides strength training, King doesn’t skip out on her ab workouts, doing them at least 3 to 4 days a week.
You may think that ab workouts are only about targeting belly fat. Yet, these exercises can also improve posture, combat back pain, increase stability, and strengthen your core.
Don’t deprive yourself
In preparation for the shoot, The New York Times revealed that King ate a cheeseburger the day before and did her usual workout routine.
In choosing to enjoy this meal, King proves the importance of balance with healthy eating, as there is such a thing as being too healthy.
Bath time
Taking a bath can be a great form of self-care. This is why King makes time for this every day by taking a bath each morning before heading to work.
By doing this every morning, King can relax and get into the right mindset before starting her day. Taking a bath gives you a moment to check in with yourself and enjoy a moment of self-care, which impacts your mental health.
Bottom line
By incorporating these healthy habits, King shows up as the best version of herself every day, including on the cover of a magazine.
Want to know more?
Gayle King was not the first to defy expectations by gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated. In 2022, Maye Musk became the oldest swimsuit cover model for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue at 74. So, how does Maye Musk stay swimsuit ready?
Our references
New York Daily News. (2024). Gayle King graces Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover at age 69. [online] Available at: https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/14/gayle-king-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-cover/ [Accessed 23 May 2024].
Oprah.com. (n.d.). Gayle King’s Workout. [online] Available at: https://www.oprah.com/health/gayle-kings-workout-plan [Accessed 23 May 2024].
Paton, E. (2024). Gayle King Ate a Burger Before Her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Shoot. The New York Times. [online] 15 May. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/15/style/gayle-king-sports-illustrated-swimsuit.html.
Ryan, L. (2018). How I Get It Done: Gayle King. [online] The Cut. Available at: https://www.thecut.com/2018/02/gayle-king-how-i-get-it-done.html [Accessed 23 May 2024].
Women’s Health. (2024). At 69, Gayle King Flaunts 25-Lb. Weight Loss On The Cover Of ‘SI’s Swimsuit Issue. [online] Available at: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/a60800750/gayle-king-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue-weight-loss/ [Accessed 23 May 2024].
This article was written by Pie Mulumba and Tamlyn Bingle.
