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Paul McCartney's Fitness Routine Is Downright Bizarre, Here's Why

Updated

He's been a dedicated vegetarian for decades and uses interesting methods to keep fit into his '80s.

For as much as Paul McCartney smoked and took drugs in his early career, you'd think he wouldn't be much of a health nut in his old age. But he's not Keith Richards, we suppose.Nowadays, the ex-Beatle likes to live a clean and frugal life, even though he's worth about a billion dollars. He even quit smoking pot because he didn't want to set a bad example for his grandchildren. He's a class act.Over quarantine, he kept himself busy like no other celebrity by supporting movements, various campaigns, and didn't slow down when it came to making new music. He didn't gain the quarantine 15 either. He stuck to his workout regimen and kept up with his vegetarianism.He isn't getting any younger, unfortunately, so to keep from looking like an 80-year-old he uses some wacky wellness techniques to make him feel as young as he can. Whatever he does, we're not complaining; we need him around for at least another 30 years.

Updated on October 6, 2022: Paul McCartney's health and fitness practices have kept him agile. At 80 years old, he completed a small U.S. tour hitting thirteen different cities earlier this year for his Paul McCartney's Got Back tour. With being constantly on the move, he has utilized foam rollers, stretching on a daily basis, and making time to exercise.

Paul McCartney Has Been A Vegetarian For Decades

McCartney grew up on a very traditional English diet centered around meat, and he liked it growing up.

When he toured with the Beatles, he ate whatever came his way and wasn't picky. In India, where they learned meditation, they didn't have any meat, but he wasn't yet converted. Any food was fuel at that point, nothing more.

Related: What is Paul McCartney's Ex-Wife, Heather Mills Doing Today?

When he married his wife Linda, and they settled down, they were a meat-eating family. That changed when McCartney bought a farm in Scotland. When they sat down to eat one day, they saw all the furry animals outside their window, and something clicked in their brains.

"We made the connection, and that was it. Linda picked up the ball. We decided then and there to give up eating meat," McCartney told The Guardian. But it wasn't just because of the animals; they did for their own wellbeing.

Going vegetarian was not super easy in the '70s, though, because it wasn't quite as popular as it is today. Linda had to be creative with her meals, and eventually, it became fun. "It allowed us to, you know, enjoy the whole thing rather than just think 'uh, we’re vegetarians now, life has ended.'"

Soon enough, Linda ran her own food company from home, which became her official company, Linda McCartney Foods. It revolutionized the food industry and is still extremely successful worldwide.

Related: Who Is Paul McCartney's Wife, Nancy Shevell?

When Linda died in 1998, McCartney told fans who wanted to pay her tribute to go meat-free, and in 2009, he launched his Meat Free Monday campaign after reading about the effects of livestock on the environment.

"We launched a Meat Free Monday campaign in 2009 in order to encourage people to look at their diets and make a meaningful change by giving up meat just one day a week," McCartney penned in a letter for the Huffington Post. "It's not a new idea; it's something that is done in many places around the world."

Linda's business continues to get stronger and stronger as more people convert, and McCartney and all of his children are still faithfully vegetarian to this day.

Paul McCartney's Fitness Routine Is Made For 20-Somethings

McCartney has the momentum from a successful almost sixty-year career behind him to keep him going, and he's not stopping. Even in 2015, the Mirror wrote he was a 72 going on 27-year-old.

Apparently, he has a "punishing daily gym regime" but doesn't have a fancy trainer. And his "secret claim to fame?" Headstands.

"I do a bit of the cross-trainer, a bit of running, a bit of cardio, and then I do some weights, some abs on the Swiss ball, before ending up on the mat doing a few stretches. And then standing on my head."

"That’s my big claim to fame! I ­actually learned it in the 60s, it was a yoga thing, and my argument is I need flexibility, not strength.

"I’ll be in the gym with all these guys doing really big weights, whilst I’m there doing not big weights, and afterwards, when I’ve done my headstand for about five minutes, these big guys will come up to me and say, 'That was pretty impressive, man!'"

Related: Here's What Paul McCartney's Children Are Doing Now

His regimen has never faltered, and he brings it wherever he goes, which is why his crew says he has more energy than anyone they've ever met. No wonder he's still able to do the kinds of world tours he used to do when he was younger.

He described his approach to wellness on an episode of the Smartless podcast and revealed he does yoga with a bunch of friends he calls "The Yoga Boys," which includes Alec Baldwin.

Paul McCartney Also Does Another... Unique... Form Of Yoga

While his unusual daily fitness routine and vegetarianism keep him spry as a chicken and make him forever youthful, McCartney has another unorthodox wellness technique; eye yoga.
Eyes are muscles too, and McCartney wanted to work his entire body. The technique was taught to him by a yoga instructor in India and involves moving your eyes in different directions in reps. Apparently, it works and improves his vision, so he doesn't need to read with glasses. Appearing on Jessie Ware’s Table Manners podcast, McCartney explained, "So head still. And then you look up as far as you can, one, two, three, go back to the middle, then down, back to the middle. You do three lots of that, then go to the left and the right. Now you’ve got a cross, up and down, and sideways, now you do the diagonals."
He doesn't claim that his technique cures bad eyesight, but it does relieve strain. So not only does McCartney have the body of a 20-something, but he's also got the eyes of one too, thanks to his weird techniques, regimes, and diet. We knew his exceptional music skills weren't the only special things about him. We can all learn a thing or two from McCartney, but we'd love him no matter if he was a wellness guru or not, and especially if he's way past 64. Next: Paul McCartney's Handwritten Hey Jude Lyrics Sold For $910,000