Dolly Parton Reveals Her Secret To Staying In Shape

There was a time it seemed as though Dolly Parton was as well known for her body as she was for her music. In the 1970s and 1980s when women were more objectified, her buxom figure became her signature as much as her mega hit song, "I Will Always Love You". Even in 2021, the 75-year-old star still looks fantastic with a tiny waist that gives way to a perfect hourglass figure under her many sequined and studded gowns she wears during concerts and television appearances.

Looking so glamorous and fit is hard at any age, so how does Parton still do it? Is it her always-positive attitude? Is it genetics? Or does she have some sort of secret to staying in shape that other women can emulate at home? It turns out Parton just does things anyone can do, including eating right and sticking to a healthy lifestyle during the week that millions of others do every day.

In 2016, Dolly Parton admitted to People that she has to watch her diet more than she used to and found a way to do it. "I have to stay on a low-carb diet when I'm on the road because my show clothes are so tight and I can't afford to gain like I used to in the past," she said. "There is nothing more uncomfortable than trying to wear those tight-ass clothes when you're too big for them! I have to work at it cause I'm a little old thing. I'm just 5'1″ and I still have that country girl appetite, so I have to watch it. I just cheat on holidays and special days and then eat the things I really love."

Parton also said she likes to cook up a bunch of her favorite meals at home before embarking on her two-bedroom, two-bathroom tour bus and fill up the kitchen with convenient foods.

Of course, that doesn't mean that Parton doesn't indulge at times and she even makes sure to use lots of cream when she pours herself that morning cup of Folgers ambition, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In a 2021 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Dolly Parton admitted she's not a fan of going to the gym and doing traditional exercising in front of a lot of people, but that doesn't mean that fitness is not a part of her life. In fact, it's a major part of her daily routine as she does something she calls "Rejoicing Exercises." What are rejoicing exercises, you ask? Well, picture Parton running around her Nashville home jumping and praying and that seems to sum it up.

"I create my own rejoicing exercises!," she said. "I 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 ... I thought I could create something joyful, where you were doing something for a reason rather than yourself. But that's the extent of my exercise. I'm not big on going to the gym ... and I'm particular about who I sweat with."