At 80 years old, Ernie Hudson looks like he could still haul his proton pack all the way up the stairs to the top of 550 Central Park West to battle the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
The “Ghostbusters” legend and longtime actor, who showed off his lean physique in an article for Men’s Health on Jan. 14, shared on TODAY on Jan. 26 how he stays fit into his ninth decade.
“When I get up, I like to do a set of pushups first thing and throughout the day,” he said. “By the end of the day, I should have at least 100 pushups.”
The “Boston Blue” and “Angry Birds” star told Men’s Health he usually does three separate sessions of pushups per day.
“When you say 100 pushups, we’re not talking about a manner of minutes,” he said on TODAY. “You’re not talking about an hour. It doesn’t take an hour.”
Hudson’s routine also gives him the flexibility to exercise at home or while traveling for work.
“I don’t go to the gym,” he said. “I don’t spend a lot of time.”
Hudson, who turned 80 on Dec. 17, added that he will also do squats “just to get the blood flowing in the legs,” and planks in addition to the pushups.
He also doesn’t worry about lifting any heavy weight while exercising.
“I just think at this age it’s more important to just be flexible to be able to present well, and to do the work that I do, it’s required,” he said. “I was working with a good friend who was on a walker, and I thought, ‘You know what, I want to avoid that as long as I can.’ Aging is inevitable, but in the meantime let me do what I can do.”
Sticking to his routine is crucial for his mental health.
“I think the discipline that we put on ourselves, it reminds us that we’re capable,” he said. “When we set goals and we don’t hit them, it kind of diminishes something in us, so just being consistent is really important.”
He also takes inspiration from another television fixture who has made his own health transformation and stuck to a regular routine — TODAY’s Al Roker.
Hudson was delighted to be on the show in a week where Al, 71, will celebrate 30 years with TODAY.
“This is one of the reasons I wanted to be here to be part of this celebration to say thank you,” Hudson told Al. “You have been an inspiration of mine for many, many, many years. I think what we do for each other is sometimes when we have our down moments, I look and I see you on TV, your books, and the things that I’m trying to do, and I think, ‘If Al can do it, I can do it too, so I really just appreciate you.”
