'70s Icon Ellen Burstyn Shares Her Secret to Longevity: 'That's How You Get to Be 93 and Still Kicking’
'70s Icon Ellen Burstyn Shares Her Secret to Longevity: 'That's How You Get to Be 93 and Still Kicking’
Meredith WilshereSat, May 2, 2026 at 11:28 AM UTC
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Ellen BurstynCredit: Dominik Bindl/Getty -
Ellen Burstyn credits her longevity to daily walks in Central Park and maintaining a healthy lifestyle
"That's how you get to be 93 and still kicking," she shared on Live With Kelly and Mark
The actress emphasizes gratitude, vegetarianism and avoiding harmful habits as key to her well-being
Ellen Burstyn didn't get to 93 by sitting still.
The actress and poet joined Live With Kelly and Mark on April 28 to discuss her new book, Poetry Says It Better: Poems to Help You Wake Up. During their chat, she told cohosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos that she still exercises every day despite being in her 90s. Specifically, Burstyn loves going for walks around Central Park in New York City.
"That's how you get to be 93 and still kicking," she shared with the live studio audience.
Ripa, inspired by the actress's walking habits, joked that she would join her.
"I'll look for you in the future," the Exorcist actress told Ripa, who replied, "You can't miss me, I'm in a giant sunhat – like in a comically large sunhat."
Ellen BurstynCredit: John Nacion/Getty
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Burstyn has been keeping many of the same habits over the past few years. During a chat with PEOPLE in 2023, she explained that looking at things with gratitude and positivity is likely another reason for her longevity.
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"I try to have the first words out of my mouth be, 'Thank you,'" she shared.
"'Thank you that I'm alive. Thank you that I'm safe. Thank you that I'm healthy. Thank you for my doggies,'" she continued. "I mean, I have a lot to live in a state of gratitude for."
Ellen Burstyn in 1975Credit: Jack Mitchell/Getty
Burstyn also noted that she is a vegetarian and that "the secret" is "eating well, exercising, not drinking, not smoking, not doing drugs, and deciding to live healthy."
"That's what I decided after doing all those bad things for a couple of decades," she added.
On top of that, she keeps busy by reading, going to concerts, and maintaining an active social calendar.
Her book, Poetry Says It Better: Poems to Help You Wake Up, is out now.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
