The Italian actress Sophia Loren revealed that, at 91 years old, she manages to maintain a balanced lifestyle and that this is due to her diet, from which she never excluded pasta.
Easter is not, however, the only part of the 91-year-old actress’ schedule, writes Good Housekeeping magazine.
In 2020, she told Haute Living San Francisco: “I’ve always been someone who prioritized exercise and a disciplined lifestyle, both physically and mentally. And today, I still wake up at 6am every day and go through a 45-minute calisthenics routine to start the day off right and in a good mood.”
“There’s always an excuse for not doing anything”she said in the past. “That’s why I force myself to go for an hour’s walk.” The benefits go beyond just staying in shape, she explained. Exercises and activity “it also gives me structure and focus in my daily life.”
Loren has long been a proponent of calisthenics, but this type of exercise “retro” is currently experiencing a real boom on social networks.
What are calisthenics exercises?
“All you have to do is type the word ‘calisthenics’ into the search bar and you’ll be immediately overwhelmed with images of people who seem to be defying gravity: standing on their hands, balancing in ‘human flag’ positions and moving as if Newton’s theories about gravity were just gentle suggestions”says GH fitness expert Kim Hawley.
It may seem intimidating, but Kim offers reassurance: “Every form of movement has a starting point, and simply put, calisthenics is bodyweight training, combining strength, balance and, perhaps most importantly, mobility.
These are exactly the skills we need to protect vigorously as we age. After all, it’s no big deal to be able to run a marathon if you need a 10-minute warm-up just to bend over and pick up your socks.”
Calisthenics are great for teaching the body to move properly, she explains, especially as you get older: “Squats strengthen the lower body for everyday tasks like getting up from a chair. Push-ups strengthen the upper body, helping with simple things like getting up from the floor, and functional trunk exercises improve stability and balance, reducing the risk of dreaded falls.”
