Oprah Winfrey is an icon and an inspiration to many women across the world due to her incredible drive, compassion, and desire for self-improvement. As the former talk show host turns 70, we’re looking at our favorite wellness tips from the beloved icon.
Oprah’s Guide To Healthy Living At 70
1. She grows her food
If there’s one area of her diet that Oprah prioritizes, it’s eating unprocessed foods, and one way in which she achieves this is by growing the food she eats.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar in 2018, The Color Purple actress and producer shared that she and her longtime partner, Stedman Graham always try to eat lunch in the garden.
“We have a rule: If we cannot find it in our garden, then we cannot eat it.”
Not only does growing your food help to reduce carbon emissions and pesticide use, but the produce is higher in nutrition and it also tastes much better. Additionally, gardening has also been found to improve mental health, and this may explain why, outside of her wealth, Oprah always has a huge smile on her face.
If you don’t have space to grow your food, we’d advise that you focus on consuming whole foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.
2. She stays hydrated
Hydration is so important for a healthy lifestyle, which is why the media mogul Oprah often emphasizes the importance of hydration for overall wellness.
Staying hydrated keeps your brain happy, improves digestion, maintains healthy joints, and even boosts your skin health.
Now, how much water one should drink varies. It depends on weight, age, exercise level, and climate, the consensus is that adult males should drink about 3.7 liters of water a day, and adult females should drink about 2.7 liters of water a day. If you’re not a fan of drinking water, then try adding lemons or fruits to it for taste and walking around with a glass water bottle.
3. Enjoy your treats in moderation
Moderation is important, and there’s no reason as to why you can’t enjoy your favorite foods without guilt.
For instance, Oprah is such a big fan of pasta that she’d choose it as her final meal. However, that doesn’t mean that she’s eating it every day, but rather in controlled portions so that she can consume a balanced diet without it becoming unsustainable.
4. She never skips breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and Oprah understands this wholeheartedly. Writing on her website, Gayle King’s best friend shared that while no one would ever mistake her for an expert on engines, she does know one thing: they don’t work without fuel.
oprah/instagram
“Our bodies are the same way, which is why I’m passionate about breakfast — especially when it involves passion fruit. And blueberries. And raspberries, strawberries, some sliced banana, and maybe a sprig or two of fresh mint. And don’t forget the bread — you know I love my bread. For breakfast, my preference is multigrain, double toasted.”
5. She hikes
When it comes to breaking a sweat, it’s not exactly Oprah’s favorite thing to do as she told PEOPLE that she still “hate it so much”, yet she still does it.
“I think everyone’s waiting to love it,” she continued. “You’re not going to love it, but you do the thing you need to do to make yourself feel whole and well.”
So how does she make herself feel whole and well? Well, she hikes regularly, aiming for three to five miles every day
“After [my] knee surgery, I started hiking and setting new distance goals each week. I could eventually hike three to five miles every day and a 10-mile straight-up hike on weekends. I felt stronger, more fit, and more alive than I’d felt in years.” – Oprah Winfrey, PEOPLE
Hiking is a great way to stay active because not only does it allow you to spend time in nature, which is great for your mental health, but it also improves heart health, balance, and sleep and it builds stronger bones and muscles.
If you’re not interested in hiking, might we recommend taking 10–20 minutes out of your day for a quick walk?
6. She also works out 6 times a week
In addition to hiking, Oprah also makes sure to work out 6 days out of the week.
Her fitness routine consists of 30 – 45 minutes of both aerobic exercises and strength training, featuring jogging, rowing, stair climber, elliptical exercise, or treadmill and squats, chest presses, leg extensions, seated rows, lateral raises, and incline crunches.
7. She supplements with weight loss medication
The Beloved actress recently shared that she was supplementing her health regime with weight-loss medication. While she didn’t; disclose which exact drug she’s using, she added that she feels no shame in using it,
“The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for,” she said, adding that she’s“absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”
8. She practices gratitude
If there’s one wellness hack that’s important for your mental health, then it’s practicing gratitude.
Writing on her website,
“I consider gratitude to be a major force field in establishing a better life. It’s the foundation from which all other blessings flow…Something that is constantly unfolding goodness and mercy through your life is gratitude.”
Now while we can’t confirm that practicing gratitude will help you achieve Oprah’s level of success, we can reveal that studies have shown that gratitude can reduce depression symptoms, alleviate anxiety, and improve sleep.
If you’re looking to be more gracious about your life, Mindful cites Robert Emmons, a psychology professor and gratitude researcher at the University of California, Davis, who shares two key components to practicing gratitude:
- We affirm the good things we’ve received
- We acknowledge the role other people play in providing our lives with goodness
Try getting a gratitude journal, only using positive language and sharing your gratitude with others.
Want to know more?
One other celebrity who is experiencing a birthday milestone is much-loved Spanish-born actress Penélope Cruz. Cruz recently opened up about turning 50, seeing it as a huge, beautiful thing.
References
Diniz G, Korkes L, Tristão LS, Pelegrini R, Bellodi PL, Bernardo WM. The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2023 Aug 11;21:eRW0371. doi: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2023RW0371. PMID: 37585888; PMCID: PMC10393216.
