The Mick Jagger diet: how the rocker keeps his shape at 65

June 8, 3:11 PMKnoxville Healthy Food ExaminerElizabeth Kelly

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Mick Jagger Wants YOU to stay healthy. (Rene/SpreePiX, CC License)

It's not the cigarettes and whiskey diet, if that's what you're thinking. See the Keith Richards Diet if you want to know how a body-punishing, hardcore outlaw rock-and-roller stays slim, though I suspect you may already know. Mick Jagger, on the other hand, announced that he cleaned up his act more than fifteen years ago.

And boy, does it show. While Mick Jagger has always been slim, it would be tough for him to keep up the pace that he does in anything less than fantastic shape.

The stats on 65-year-old Jagger's physique, by way of London's Daily Express:

Age: 65

Weight: 149 pounds

Waist: 28 inches

Distance traveled (running, walking, dancing) in a single concert: 12 miles

For those of us who had difficulty maintaining that sort of weight, size, and endurance when were only 25 years old, here are some of the healthy lifestyle choices Mick Jagger makes.

Regular workouts

Even when he's not strutting across the concert stage, Mick Jagger still gives his devoid-of-all-body-fat physique a workout. Torje Elke is Jagger's personal trainer, with former clients that include soccer celebs, Olympic athletes, and at least one Spice Girl. Elke is part of the entourage that travels with the Rolling Stones when they're on the road, along with a battery of dieticians of masseurs, and she makes sure he keeps fit even between shows.

Less Drinking

Mick Jagger still confesses to indulging in alcohol, and even told The Sun that some partying is necessary just to keep a healthy and happy outlook on life. At his age, though, it's far from an everyday thing. Living in the present may account for at least some of his mind-over-age success. "I try not to think about when I can’t do this any more. I say, ‘don’t look at the clouds of tomorrow through the sunshine of today,'" he told a journalist.

Organic Food

Jo Wood, wife of Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, has convinced Mick Jagger to go organic. Jo discovered organic eating after being diagnosed with a perforated appendix, and her healthy habits have rubbed off on Jagger and others in their circle of friends. Ex-wife Jerry Hall is reportedly on the bandwagon too, and drummer Charlie Watts ate organic during his throat cancer recovery.

Eating Enough

No one stays in good shape by starving themselves, least of all Mick Jagger, who needs more fuel than the average person for firing the rock star engine. He admits that people have a hard time believing he eats enough because of his small frame, telling Parade Magazine: "... I have to eat an awful lot. People say, 'You’re not eating,' and I eat so much. I say, 'I just ate twice as much as you did. I watched you.'"

The truth for most of us is, though, that eating like Mick Jagger would be meaningless without the tremendous cardiovascular workouts he gets on a regular basis just by doing his job. Want to be as slim as a Stone? Eat organic, cut back on alcohol, and eat regular meals, sure, but what might make a bigger difference?

I'll tell you.

Put on a Rolling Stones CD at least three times a week, and strut your stuff for a total of 12 miles or two hours, whichever comes first.

Then we'll see if you gather any moss.

-Liz Kelly

Need some inspiration for Jagger-style moves? Check out Mick and Tina.