{"id":961433,"date":"2026-11-12T05:22:13","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T05:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/961433\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T05:22:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T05:22:13","slug":"green-goddess-diana-moran-87-stays-strong-with-walking-and-neat-her-simple-bodyweight-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/961433\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Goddess Diana Moran, 87, stays strong with walking and NEAT \u2013 her simple bodyweight routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dubbed the Green Goddess in the 80s for leading workouts on BBC1’s Breakfast Time in her trademark green leotards, fitness guru Diana Moran has revealed how she stays strong well into her ninth decade.<\/p>\n

The journalist and model told Choice Mag<\/a> that keeping moving was the key to maintaining lifelong fitness: \u2018Keep active physically,\u2019 she advised.<\/p>\n

Walking topped her list of go-to activities. \u2018Walking is the simplest way to be active,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

She also recommended incorporating non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT<\/a>) into everyday life. This refers to the energy expended through informal, non-exercise movements such as doing housework, carrying shopping rather than using a trolley and even fidgeting.<\/p>\n

\u2018Think about using the stairs instead of the lift and go outdoors or into the garden to enjoy the fresh air,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

She also highlighted the importance of climbing stairs to The Telegraph<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018We need our steps. Of course I often think, \u201cOh I left that upstairs\u201d but as I\u2019m going up I know it\u2019s doing me good.\u2019<\/p>\n

Her advice is to aim for 30 minutes of this kind of informal movement a day, five days a week.<\/p>\n

\u2018As far as I\u2019m concerned at this stage in my life, I don\u2019t do exercise, it\u2019s activity,\u2019 she explained, citing gardening and walks to one of the riverside pubs as examples of how she includes movement in her routine.<\/p>\n

As she’s got older, she has acknowledged that she has had to adopt a gentler approach.<\/p>\n

\u2018Once I hit 80 there are things that are just not possible anymore,\u2019 she said. \u2018The biggest thing of anyone over a certain age is to have the handrails.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"diana<\/p>\n

Tim P. Whitby\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

How Diana Moran stays active in her 90s<\/p>\n

Twice a week, Diana performs bodyweight strength<\/a> and mobility exercises.<\/p>\n

\u2018If I have 10 minutes, I\u2019m down on the floor, feet hooked under the end of the bed or the sofa and knees bent, and I do my sit-ups<\/a>,\u2019 she said to The Telegraph.<\/p>\n

Then, she lies on her back and does slow spinal twists with bent knees.<\/p>\n

\u2018By the time I\u2019ve done it six times the aches that you feel in your shoulders start disappearing, and then…your knees are practically on the floor,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

When watching TV, she also does ankle circles.<\/p>\n

\u2018I also point and flex my feet, flip-flapping between the two,\u2019 she explained. \u2018That gets your calf muscles going, and is good for your heart and lungs as well, because it gets the circulation going.\u2019<\/p>\n

Her simple morning stretching routine<\/p>\n

Every morning, as soon as she’s up, she does the same stretch.<\/p>\n

\u2018I do what I call my monkey stretch. I stand by the bed, feet [hip-width] apart with nice soft knees and bend forward from the waist, swinging my arms down towards my ankles before stretching up to the ceiling in one continuous movement,\u2019 she told Essential Surrey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Then I do upper-body work,\u2019 she said, including a standing spinal twist: \u2018Twisting from the waist and moving my shoulders and turning my neck\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"diana<\/p>\n

Chris Jackson\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The bone-strengthening exercises Diana recommends<\/p>\n

Having worked closely with the Royal Osteoporosis Society and experienced osteopenia herself, Diana has also shared some of the exercises she has used to help improve her bone density with The Telegraph.<\/p>\n

Bicep bottlesSit or stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.Hold a bottle in each hand, palms facing upwards, with your elbows tucked by your sides.Engage your core to avoid any sway in your hips, then bend your arms, lifting the bottles to chest height in a slow, controlled movement.Keep your shoulders relaxed and down, and your head, neck and spine neutral. Don\u2019t arch your back.<\/p>\n

Repeat 10 times with control.<\/p>\n

Towel flossHold one end of the towel or a band with your right hand and drop the other end down behind your back.With your left hand, reach behind you and grasp the other end, then pull the towel taut.Extend your right hand up high, then pull the towel back down again with your left in a sawing motion.<\/p>\n

Repeat 10 times. Reverse your hands and continue for another 10 repetitions on the other side.<\/p>\n

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