Helen Mirren reveals her 12-minute exercise routine that keeps her fit at 79

Helen Mirren. Pic/AFP

Actress Helen Mirren has shared the secret behind her keeping on top of her appearance at 79. The actress, who later this year will celebrate her 80th birthday, has followed her strict exercise routine since the 1960s and she has no intentions of slowing down.

However, her routine is based on a Canadian military workout and it includes toe-touching, knee-raising, jumping, leg lifting and push ups, reports ‘Mirror.co.uk'.

But Dame Helen, who remains in incredible shape and is often praised for her looks admits that while gym membership prices are on the rise, her workout can be done anywhere. The workout conceived in the 1950s by Doctor Bill Orban to spike the fitness of Canadian air force newbies has been endorsed by the Oscar-winning actress Helen who swears you can execute it anywhere with hardly any gear.

As per ‘Mirror.co.uk', Helen previously revealed, "I'm a big believer in the Canadian Air Force women's exercise regime, which is 12 minutes. It is an exercise regime that starts from very low and easy, then if you follow it through, it can become quite difficult".

She earlier told ‘Vogue', "I've never gotten past the second level, but it's a nice little exercise programme. Nothing extreme, but you need to do it every day. It's all to do with taking control of yourself".

The 10-step routine includes 30 seconds of toe touching, knee raises, lateral bending, and arm circling each, two minutes of sit-ups, one minute of chest and leg raises, one minute of side leg-raises, two minutes of push-ups from a kneeling position, one minute of leg lifts and three minutes of running and hopping.

Despite adhering to this strict military-style regimen, Dame Helen admitted in 2021 that she does occasionally give in to her craving for fish and chips, saying, "I'm the first one at the fish and chips".

She also believes in working from the "inside out", suggesting that our diet can affect our mental wellbeing, "But what you're putting inside your body does influence how you feel about yourself, so start there".

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