{"id":489924,"date":"2026-06-09T02:27:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T02:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/489924\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T02:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T02:27:08","slug":"dolly-parton-has-the-joyful-exercise-routine-everyone-can-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/489924\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolly Parton has the \u2018joyful\u2019 exercise routine everyone can do"},"content":{"rendered":"

Picking your favourite Dolly Parton quote is like choosing a favourite child. How could you possibly? Would it be \u2018it costs a lot of money to look this cheap\u2019? Or \u2018I was the first woman to burn my bra… it took the fire department four days to put it out\u2019? <\/p>\n

No one beats Dolly for self-awareness served up with a generous heap of humour. Little surprise then, that the former GH cover star<\/a>\u2019s exercise regime is both effective and a little bit hilarious. \u2018I create my own rejoicing exercises,\u2019 Dolly told The Wall Street Journal<\/a>. \u2018I grew up in the Pentecostal church where we used to do a lot of shouting and jumping around. I keep my motor running in the mornings when I just shout through the house praising the Lord. It gave me the idea to create some exercises… I thought I could create something joyful, where you were doing something for a reason rather than yourself.\u2019<\/p>\n

What does that look like, exactly, Dolly? Essentially, she says, it\u2019s: \u2018shouting and stretching and praising.\u2019 Simple, then. Maybe even a little\u2026 mad? But, just like Dolly, you\u2019d write it off at your peril.<\/p>\n

We have to stop seeing structured, punishing workouts in the gym as the only legitimate form of fitness, says Michelle Griffith Robinson<\/a>, former Team GB triple jumper and Olympian who\u2019s now a life coach. \u2018Sure, there\u2019s the gold standard, going to the gym three times a week to lift weights, getting 10,000 steps in and all that. But that\u2019s not achievable for everyone,\u2019 she says. \u2018So let\u2019s stop beating ourselves up. Let\u2019s start there for the small movement, incremental movements throughout the day, getting outside and looking after our overall wellbeing.\u2019<\/p>\n

For Michelle, that now means finding the movement that brings you real joy: \u2018people see me on my socials dancing in the morning. I just get that music on and I dance. It helps me feel great about myself. I\u2019m moving my body. I\u2019m moving my mental wellbeing, on a dial from zero to 10, just by putting on the music. And I\u2019m not even stepping into a gym.\u2019<\/p>\n

If you enjoy your exercise, she points out, you\u2019re far more likely to stick to it, and make it a non-negotiable part of every day. There are, however, other benefits to unstructured movement, done at home, without any worry about rules or perfect form. For a start, Dolly, who was recently forced to cancel her forthcoming Las Vegas residency as she undergoes treatment for health issues, has said that: \u2018it\u2019s something that even people in wheelchairs or people that are older or sick can do.\u2019
<\/p>\n

Michelle agrees: \u2018my mum is disabled now, and when I go round to her place I get her moving in her wheelchair. I say: \u2018Mummy, we\u2019re gonna put on some music.\u2019 And she moves her arms, she reaches up, she dances to the beat. When we\u2019re finished she\u2019s tired but her face is radiating joy.\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy, says Michelle. When you have a spare few minutes, put your favourite music on \u2013 whether that\u2019s Pentecostal or Parton \u2013 and dance with wild abandon. Sing along if you fancy, you don\u2019t need a voice like Dolly\u2019s. \u2018It\u2019s time for us to reframe our thinking about movement,\u2019 says Michelle. \u2018It\u2019s about mental as well as physical wellbeing so really, it\u2019s as important as eating three great meals a day.\u2019<\/p>\n

There\u2019s one final benefit to this form of exercise, says Dolly. No one needs see your hair and make-up in disarray. \u2018I\u2019m not big on going to the gym,\u2019 the rhinestone queen deadpanned. \u2018I\u2019m particular about who I sweat with.\u2019 <\/p>\n

This year, GH is getting fit (enough). Join us! <\/p>\n

The Fit (Enough) Club is an accessible, realistic and fun fitness community for women who hate fads and like treats. Sign up to the Good Life newsletter and, along with wellness tips and health advice, you\u2019ll get a weekly dose of fitness advice and expert insights \u2013 a Fit (Enough) Club fix to keep you moving and motivated throughout 2026. You\u2019ll also receive your special welcome pack. <\/p>\n

Ready? Get set… Go!<\/p>\n

JOIN THE FIT (ENOUGH) CLUB!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Picking your favourite Dolly Parton quote is like choosing a favourite child. How could you possibly? Would it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489925,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[147616,4959,210441,1107,499,103,61,60,184510,1135,210440],"class_list":["post-489924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-collection-fit-enough-club","tag-content-type-feature","tag-contentid-5ce9252e-4510-436a-b9d3-e7de3d88cfd3","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-dolly-partons-joyful-exercise-routine-at-80"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}