Ever wonder how music legend Cher maintains her youthful glow? At 74, Cher maintains the same vibrant, youthful energy as she did more than 50 years ago when she was an aspiring performer. Her iconic show attire has featured skin-tight leotards, sheer, lacey fabric, and knee-high stilettos-even to this day. Cher attributes her vitality to a combination of consistent exercise, a plant-based diet, and a dedicated skincare routine.
Dietary Shifts and Plant-Based Focus
Cher's dietary choices bear a striking resemblance to the diets of people living in Blue Zones, parts of the world where people tend to live exceptionally long lives. Cher attributes her vitality to dietary shifts she made in 1991, including a focus on plant-based foods. In her book Cher Forever Fit: The Lifetime Plan for Health, Fitness, and Beauty, the star outlines her strict, low-fat diet. "I try to avoid foods with a high-fat content because they make me sluggish and keep my weight up," she confirms.
In 1991, the singer released a book dedicated to her diet and exercise routine, which she says is nothing short of hard work. "I've killed myself in the gym to have this body. It isn't like I have some amazing secret that nobody else has."
- Avoiding High-Fat Foods: Cher emphasizes the importance of avoiding high-fat foods to maintain energy levels and manage weight.
- Dairy-Free Lifestyle: Cher has given up dairy due to her body not digesting it well. "Dairy products are not good for us,” Cher told People Magazine then. “I think cheese is one of the worst things for the body. It doesn’t digest well, and most cheeses are too high in fat and cholesterol.” She initially changed from whole milk to skim but thought she could find better results and so cut the product altogether as a result of the high cholesterol levels. Writing in her 1991 book, “ForeverFit,” Cher says that dairy products “are not good for us. I weaned myself from whole milk to nonfat milk - if I’m having milk at all. I think cheese is one of the worst things for the body. It doesn’t digest well, and most cheeses are too high in fat and cholesterol.” There are a number of reasons to ditch dairy. High cow’s milk intake is associated with increased risks for bone fractures as well as osteoporosis, while increased exposure to estrogen, thanks to the hormones in cow’s milk, may increase the risk of cancer.
- Plant-Based Staples: Brown rice, legumes, vegetables, pasta, and fruit are also on the menu, according to her book.
- Snacking Habits: She admitted to snacking on M&Ms and Goldfish while filming movies, but eventually opted to give up junk for healthier options in between takes. "Michelle [Pfeiffer] and I found out we could microwave sweet potatoes in four minutes, and that changed our entire lives," she wrote. "We lived on sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, and Caesar salads."
- Energy-Boosting Foods: “Pastas give me a lot of energy, and so do fruits like bananas, papaya, and nectarines, because they have a lot of sugar but it isn’t refined."
Notably, a 2023 study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, published in the journal eLife, associated eating this way with maintaining a younger brain. Another study-conducted by La Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health-found that those adhering to a Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of dementia.
The Importance of Exercise
While Cher makes being insanely fit look easy, she works hard to maintain her physique. She told Hello! She admitted to E! Online in 2010, though, that “you have to work twice as hard” and “be in the gym all the time” as you get older. She exercises about five times a week because it’s something she’s always done and she just enjoys it,” she told Hello! back in 2013. “I try to play the age card with my trainer but she just doesn’t go for it.” In addition to working out at the gym, Cher’s also a big fan of surfing, walking, and playing Wii tennis to get her heart rate up.
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- Consistent Gym Workouts: Cher’s been a diehard gym rat for decades and shows no sign of slowing down. She told Hello! Magazine that she works out five days per week with a trainer who doesn’t let her “play the age card.”
- Five-Minute Plank: It turns out the singer, who once revealed she “can do a five-minute plank, okay? Just saying” likes both high-intensity and low-intensity, mixing targeted exercises for her abs and glutes with daily yoga.
- Varied Activities: In addition to working out at the gym, Cher’s also a big fan of surfing, walking, and playing Wii tennis to get her heart rate up.
- On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she once said one of her go-to glute burners is an exercise you can do at home with no weights known as a fire hydrant. She claimed to do “three sets of 25” per leg, which is easy to believe while watching her perform. If those exercises have helped Cher turn back time with her incredible figure, we all might want to follow her lead.
- Workout Tweeting: “Just came up from, Abs, Zumba, Yoga, Wall Sits,” Cher tweeted. She then added that tomorrow’s routine includes, “My Step Class, Yoga, Different Abs. Just came up from,Abs,Zumba,Yoga,Wall Sits.Tomm.
When it comes to holding planks, Cher is total #goals. “I started out with 30 seconds and I thought I was gonna die,” she recently told People magazine. “Now I do three to five minutes!” The plank is one of the best total body exercises you can do. Not only does it work the entire core, but it also works your glutes and hamstrings, supports proper posture, and improves balance. Though you don’t have to hold it as long as Cher does (30-second intervals are fine), when you throw in some additional progression moves, like alternating legs or side planks, you will still have an excellent workout.
Avoiding Unhealthy Habits
In addition to increasing your risk of various cancers, smoking has also been linked to heart disease and weight gain. Luckily, Cher quit the old habit. "Being healthy has always been part of my life. It just works for me," she told Closer in 2013. "There are things I don’t like that are unhealthy, like drugs and drinking, so I never got into them to begin with. I smoked cigarettes for a while and I’d have done drugs had I liked them, but they didn’t agree with me." She also passes on the happy hour invites. "I’ll only drink three or four times a year, too."
Skincare Routine
Cher also pointed out that she doesn’t exactly have a strict skincare routine. “My skin care routine is very eclectic. I don’t stick to one particular product, I just have things that I love from different people.”
- Favorite Brands: Cher’s favorite skin care brands? “I have a friend, her name is Dr. Barbara Sturm, and she makes an eye cream and face wash that I love. I love Jan Marini products too. I also have Proactiv products that I love,” she told People.
Benefits of Plant-Forward Diets
Beyond brain and heart health, plant-forward diets have been linked to reduced stress, improved mental health, and better sleep quality. In addition to following plant-forward diets, Blue Zone residents prioritize natural movement, stress management, and community belonging.
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