Actress Angela Bassett credits an organic low-carb diet, cardio exercise, and weightlifting workouts for her age-defying bikini body at age 59.
Bassett, who turns 60 in August, echoed the sentiments of top weight-loss experts, who say diet is more important than exercise for staying slim and healthy.
“I’m regimented and rigorous about what I’m eating,” Angela told Net-a-Porter . “Diet is 85% of the whole thing for me.”
Cardio And Weightlifting
Bassett also works out three to four days week. She does cardio exercise to burn calories and fat, and lifts weights to tone her muscles.
Angela has a fitness trainer but said she isn’t obsessive about working out, despite her flat abs and chiseled arms.
“[I’ll] do 30 minutes of cardio, and lift a couple of weights or something,” Bassett said. “But I’m not getting up at 4 a.m. to work out.”
Bassett, who has barely aged during the past 20 years, said she gets mildly annoyed when people express shock and amazement at how healthy and young she looks.
Angela said the implication is that when you get older you should look frail, flabby, and wrinkled.
“What do they expect? For you to be completely broken down?” she asked.
To maintain her fit bikini body, Angela Bassett focuses on eating a healthy, low-carb diet. The ageless beauty admits that she has had to work harder to stay in shape as she got older, but it’s worth the effort.
“I try to watch my diet so I can fit into whatever I am wearing,” she told Us Weekly . “Cut the sugar, the alcohol, and the bread, and eat a lot of protein and veggies.”
Bassett still enjoys her favorite snacks, such as red wine, potato chips, and cake, but makes sure she doesn’t overeat.
Bassett, who has been married to actor Courtney B. Vance since 1997, has two children. She said the secret to her marital longevity is mutual respect and encouragement. That’s especially important when both spouses are actors who work long hours and travel a lot.
While they argue like any other married couple, Angela said she and her husband agreed long ago that divorce was never an option, and that understanding has kept them together for more than 20 years.
Angela Bassett’s anti-aging beauty secrets include getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and stress management.
“You can’t avoid the stresses of family and work, but you can’t fixate on the stress either,” Bassett said.
