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Ringo Starr, 86, Credits Broccoli, Walking and Light Weights

Men's Health reported on the Beatles drummer's simple routine, a reminder that modest daily habits can support energy and mobility well into your eighties.

By Dr. Josh Axe · November 12, 2026 · 2 sources · Watch

Ringo Starr, now 86 and still touring, says a mostly vegetarian diet built around broccoli, daily treadmill walks and light strength work keeps him performing onstage, Men's Health reported on November 11, 2026, drawing on his comments to The Washington Post and remarks from his bandmate Steve Lukather.

86years old

45-mintreadmill daily

Men's Health reported on November 11, 2026, that Starr, who turns 87 in 2027, described his diet to The Washington Post as built around broccoli at nearly every meal, joking he's '99 per cent broccoli.' He said he keeps up a modest strength routine, aiming to 'lift a weight or two,' and walks whenever he can, rather than chasing a bodybuilder physique. His All-Starr Band bandmate Steve Lukather told the outlet that after two-hour concerts, Starr does jumping jacks, and that his daily routine includes vocal warm-ups, drum practice, advanced Sudoku and 45 minutes on a treadmill.

Men's Health noted that a well-planned vegetarian diet typically delivers more fiber and more nutrient-dense foods, which supports digestion, body composition and lower chronic disease risk. The outlet added that his weight training can help preserve muscle mass against sarcopenia, the gradual loss of muscle and strength with age, while his treadmill sessions and post-show jumping jacks support cardiovascular fitness.

The outlet's framing lines up with established physiology: resistance work signals muscle to maintain its fibers, and sustained cardio conditions the heart and blood vessels, both of which decline by default with age unless challenged. Starr's modest, consistent approach, not extreme training, is the detail Men's Health highlighted as sustainable at his age.

What's your excuse, pal?

Steve LukatherMen's Health, November 11, 2026

This is a single public figure's self-reported routine and secondhand observations from a bandmate, not a study with a control group or measured outcomes, so it cannot show how much of his health is due to these specific habits versus genetics or other factors.

Dr. Axe’s Take

Ringo Starr's routine tracks with what I consider the two strongest levers for healthy aging: muscle and consistent movement. Fitness and muscle mass are among the best predictors of lifespan we have, and his 'lift a weight or two' approach plus daily walking fits that model better than chasing extreme workouts. Broccoli at every meal is a solid habit, loaded with fiber and sulforaphane-forming compounds that support detox pathways, though I'd round out a plate like his with other cruciferous vegetables and a quality protein source. This week, take a daily walk and add two short sessions of resistance work, nothing fancy, just consistent.

— Dr. Axe

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Story summary

Who: Ringo Starr, age 86, public figure and touring musician
Design: Reported interview with The Washington Post plus bandmate observations, via Men's Health
Primary result: Daily routine: broccoli at most meals, light strength training, walking, 45-minute treadmill sessions
Secondary: Post-show jumping jacks after two-hour concerts; daily vocal warm-ups, drum practice and Sudoku
Date: Nov 11, 2026