“I Dream of Jeannie” star Barbara Eden is sharing her health tips.
The nonagenarian, who turned 93 in August, said in a new interview that she still stays active, although the COVID-19 pandemic altered her workout routine.
“I used to work out all the time,” she told Fox News. “I used to do spinning classes and then do weights with a trainer … [but] when COVID hit, that ended my heavy workouts. Now I have a stationary bicycle and I lift five pounds. I use very lightweight weights, but they’re good for your bones.”
Eden also enjoys walking.
“If you can walk briskly, which suits me just fine, that’s good for you. It’s good for your knees and ankles. I find it better than running,” she explained.
As for diet, the “Harper Valley PTA” star follows the adage “everything in moderation.”
She shared that while she does not follow a specific program, she tries to maintain balance.
“I was lucky to have a mother and father who were conscious of eating well and living,” she said. “My mother’s mantra was ‘moderation of all things.’ That’s how they lived, and that’s how I’ve lived.”
That said, Eden admitted she has a sweet tooth.
“I like sweets. I like key lime pie. My sister brought me one for my birthday,” she said. “I also like angel food cake. I make my own angel food cake and then put a very sharp, sweet lemon icing on it.
“And chocolates, of course — I love them. You can’t miss with me, really. You want to give me something? Just give me anything sweet.”
The actress gained fame in the 1960s for playing Jeannie, a genie discovered by Captain Tony Nelson who winds up living with the US astronaut (portrayed by Larry Hagman).
“I Dream of Jeannie” ran for five seasons on NBC from 1965 to 1970.
In later years, the sitcom came under scrutiny for Jeannie’s subservience and use of the word “master,” which Eden scoffed at in a 2021 interview with Page Six.
“It’s not that she called him ‘master.’ What’s in a word? She could have said, ‘Hey, guy,’ and it would have been the same thing,” she said. “‘Master’ for us nowadays means a whole different thing than it meant to her. And let’s be honest here, she was in the driver’s seat, you know. She wasn’t subservient at all.”