America’s health secretary is already famous for guzzling down raw milk and having a dead worm lodged in his brain.
But in a resurfaced clip posted on X this week, Robert F Kennedy Jr has once again raised eyebrows — revealing a routine that mixes strict discipline with some unconventional habits.
A fit man in his 70s, he practices intermittent fasting — not eating for 17 hours a day — daily three-mile hikes with his three dogs and works out in the gym for 35 minutes four days a week, lifting weights.
He also said he uses a handful of supplements and testosterone replacement therapy.
And, in another interview from the same year, the secretary said that during his daily meditation, he talks to dead people.
Dr Stuart Fischer, an emergency medicine doctor in New York City, told Daily Mail: ‘I agree with part of this, but the fasting is a bit eccentric — although it is a great way to lose weight.
‘The gym and the gym routine should be part of everyone’s life to help build and maintain muscle and burn calories, although probably not as often as Kennedy goes. I go twice a week and that’s plenty.’
The Health and Human Services Secretary is famous for his meat-heavy diet. He is shown above enjoying a steak for his 72nd birthday in January this year
Intermittent fasting was popularized in the 2010s when celebrities like Mark Wahlberg revealed they were following the scheme for weight loss and metabolic health.
But, in recent years, doctors have begun to raise concerns over the plan after studies linked it to a higher risk of colon cancer and type 2 diabetes.
In the resurfaced interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, a computer scientist, RFK Jr, now 72, said: ‘I do intermittent fasting. I start my first meal at around noon, and then I try to stop eating at six or seven.
RFK Jr has already attracted wide attention for his diet, where he prioritizes ribeye steak, red meats and sauerkraut — reportedly at times asking his wife Cheryl Hines to carry around the pungent fermented food in her handbag.
He has promoted his eating habits through the new food pyramid, which was published in January by the health department.
‘In the morning, I go to a meeting first thing… and then I hike uphill for a mile-and-a-half up and a mile-and-a-half down with my dogs and I do meditations.
‘And then, I go to the gym… for 35 minutes. I do it in a short time. I’ve been exercising for 50 years and what I’ve found is sustainable is if I do just the short periods.
‘I never relax at the gym, I go in there and I have a very intense exercise.’
At the gym, he said he works out back, chest and legs on one day each and then has a fourth day for ‘miscellaneous’ muscle groups.
The World Health Organization recommends that adults over 65 years old should do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as cycling or swimming, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, such as running, every week.
The agency also advises people to complete at least two muscle-strengthening activities every week.
People start to gradually lose muscle mass from the age of 30 years, declining by about three to five percent per decade. From the age of 60 years, this accelerates to losing one percent or more per year.
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Robert F Kennedy Jr often posts photos of him working out in jeans
The health secretary said he goes to the gym for 35 minutes four days a week
The decline raises the risk of metabolic problems, such as weight gain, and falls or fractures that can worsen the quality of daily life.
Lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises can slow or reverse the decline, helping adults to live healthier lives for longer.
Along with his physical routine, RFK Jr added: ‘I take a lot of vitamins. I can’t even list them to you here because I couldn’t even remember them at all. But I take a ton of vitamins and nutrients.
‘I don’t take any anabolic steroids or anything like that, and the TRT [testosterone replacement therapy] I use is bioidentical to what my body produced.’
Men’s testosterone levels start to drop around the age 30 to 35 years old, doctors say, falling by about one percent per year on average.
To alleviate this, some men may use TRT, which is prescribed by a doctor. Lower testosterone levels have also been linked to higher levels of fatigue, reduced libido and muscle loss.
When it comes to mental health, RFK Jr also revealed in 2023 that he practices daily meditations.
In an interview with The Free Press, RFK Jr said: ‘I do meditations every day. That’s kind of the nature of my meditations. I have a lot of conversations with dead people.’
But in a follow-up text to the publication, he later clarified: ‘They are one-way prayers for strength and wisdom. I get no strategic advice from the dead.’
