Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke is the first to admit things aren’t as easy for him at his age, but he is still taking care of himself.
In a Sunday Times essay published Nov. 13, Van Dyke, 99, opened up about the physical deterioration he experiences in his day-to-day life, from foot problems to declining eyesight. He added that he has trouble maintaining focus in group conversations and frequently complains about his hearing aids.
“It’s frustrating to feel diminished in the world, physically and socially,” he wrote. “I get invites to events or offers for gigs in New York or Chicago, but that kind of travel takes so much out of me that I have to say no. Almost all of my visiting with folks has to happen at my house.”
Still, the “Mary Poppins” star is determined to keep living a long, healthy life with his 100th birthday coming up on Dec. 13 and revealed he tries to go to the gym three times a week.
“I don’t know why this is something I still want to do but it is. I’m not a ‘wake up and go back to bed’ type just yet, unless it’s cold and rainy. If I miss too many gym days, I really can feel it – a stiffness creeping in here and there. If I let that set in, well, God help me,” he wrote.
During his workouts, he said he will undergo a strict circuit from one machine to the next with no breaks. He starts on a sit-down machine before working legs, which he called “two of my most cherished possessions,” and then hits the upper body.
What has Dick Van Vyke said about his 100th birthday
Earlier this year, the Tony Award winner cracked a dark joke about failing to reach age 100 while speaking at a Vandy High Tea event in Malibu, California, on Oct. 5.
“I’m not officially a hundred until December,” he noted, per People magazine. “Two months. Two months. It’d be funny if I didn’t make it.”
The event, which Van Dyke attended with his wife, Arlene, raised money for the Van Dyke Endowment of the Arts and Dick Van Dyke Museum.
The Sunday Times piece was extracted from the actor’s new memoir titled, “100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life.”
“Now here we are many decades later. I turn 100 on December 13; as old if not older than Mr Dawes, Origami Guy or Ludwig. I’m not playing a super-old any more. I am a super-old,” he wrote referencing his iconic characters.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
