Actress Donna Mills, 85, has issued a strong recommendation for continuous physical activity as a key to aging well, stating that maintaining fitness requires dedicated work and cannot be achieved passively. Mills, known for her role in "Knots Landing," shared her perspective on the importance of consistent exercise in a recent interview.
"I think the people out there have to realize it takes work. You can't just decide, ‘Oh, I'm going to look good,’ you know?" Mills told Kara Mayer Robinson on the "Really Famous" podcast. "I didn't wake up looking like this."
Mills, who began her career as a dancer, indicated that she exercises nearly every day and frequently engages in playing tennis. She credits her consistent workout routine for avoiding age-related physical ailments such as knee or hip replacements. "I know that I don't have, at my age, any of the things that happen to the body, you know? I mean I’ve not had any knees replaced or hips replaced or anything, you know, because I never stopped working out."
She observed that many individuals cease exercising after having children or reaching a certain age, leading to a decline that is difficult to fully recover from. "And so, for years they don't work out. You can't get that back. You really can't. You can start to work out again … but you've lost something in that time."
Mills' advice centers on maintaining a consistent regimen. "Just keep doing it always and then your body will respond the way it should." She acknowledged that resuming exercise after a period of inactivity can be challenging and initially painful, particularly with stretching routines. "It's hard... And I go, ‘I'm never going to do this again,’ because I do a lot of stretching and that just tightens up real fast. So, starting again, it's painful and all that, but once you do it, you know, three or four days and then, you know, it all kind of moves in again and works again. But I just advise just keep doing it. Just keep working out. Always." Mills has been seen in recent years in projects such as "Doctor Odyssey" in 2024, and she appeared in "Knots Landing" in the 1980s. A photo comparison shows Mills in 2024 and in 1983, highlighting her consistent appearance over the decades.