It starts with an ice bath.
Every morning, Gary Player climbs into a tub of freezing cold water. No excuses. No skipping. Just him, the chill, and a lifetime of discipline. He’s nearly 90, has traveled more miles than any golfer alive, and still trains like a man half his age. That alone should make you curious — because Gary’s not chasing six-packs or step counts. He’s chasing vitality. And he’s been winning that race for decades.
This isn’t a story about miracle diets or magic pills. It’s about habits — daily, unglamorous, repeatable routines that work. Let’s dive in.
The Rituals Start Before Sunrise
Gary Player’s mornings are colder than yours. Literally. He kicks off each day with an ice bath. Why? “It takes away inflammation and rejuvenates the cells,” he says. He’s done this for decades. It’s part recovery, part reset, part “how is this man still doing weighted wrist rolls at 87?”
But the cold is just the beginning. He follows it up with structured workouts, mobility drills, and — believe it or not — a 9-hour sleep schedule. That’s not a typo. He regularly clocks 9 to 10 hours a night. It’s not laziness; it’s strategy. “Rest is underrated,” he’s said. Hard to argue when the guy can still outwork people sixty years younger.
Self-Hypnosis and Face Slaps (Wait, What?)
Now, it gets weird. During his prime, Player used mental conditioning techniques that make your “manifestation journal” look like amateur hour. Before big tournaments, he’d sit cross-legged in front of a mirror, slap himself in the face, and say out loud the principle he wanted to embody that day.
It’s easy to laugh — until you remember he won nine majors and traveled more than 15 million miles during his career. That kind of inner game requires more than visualization. It’s mental armor. He even practiced self-hypnosis before the 1965 U.S. Open. Let that sink in.
Eat Half as Much, Live Twice as Long
Gary’s number one rule? “Under-eat.” He doesn’t count macros. He doesn’t preach keto. His advice is sharper and simpler: “Eat half as much as you do right now.” He only eats twice a day. Breakfast and lunch. That’s it. No midnight snacks. No steak dinners.
Why? “You don’t put petrol in the car when you park it in the garage at night,” he says. Eating heavy before bed just stores fat — and he’s not wrong. Science agrees, but Gary figured it out in a pre-WHOOP, pre-Apple Watch era.
Oh, and he’s no fun at brunch. No bread. No bacon. No milk. He calls sugar a killer. White bread? “Poison.” But — in a moment of beautiful humanity — he still loves chocolate. “Do not judge me,” he says. Fair enough, Gary.
1,300 Sit-Ups. Before Lunch.
Let’s talk workouts. The man pushes 300 pounds with his legs. Still. He does one-legged squats, heavy leg presses, and up to 1,300 sit-ups daily. That’s not a typo. One. Thousand. Three. Hundred.
And it’s not just vanity. He works out four to five times a week, for 90 minutes at a time, because it’s a non-negotiable part of staying sharp. He stretches religiously. Trains his hands and wrists with weighted rolls. Even exercises his fingers to fight arthritis. “The arthritis wants to get you,” he says. “Don’t let it.”
He ends most workouts on the treadmill, ramping from a walk to an all-out sprint. Yes, sprinting. In his 80s.
Laugh More. Love More. Read More.
The mind matters just as much as the muscle. Gary’s third secret to longevity? “Laugh three times as much.” His fourth? “Have unmeasured love in your life.” That’s not just sentiment — it’s strategy. Positive emotions, social connection, and humor aren’t soft skills. They’re mental vitamins.
He reads constantly. Expands his vocabulary. Practices speaking well. He visualized success long before Instagram quotes made it trendy. And even now, he embraces adversity instead of avoiding it — a mindset built through decades of competition, loss, and ridiculous amounts of travel.
Small Things Done Daily
This isn’t about being Gary Player. That’s not the goal. The real lesson? Small, consistent actions beat big, unsustainable bursts. Every. Single. Time.
You don’t need to do 1,300 sit-ups. But you could do 30. You probably won’t take an ice bath every morning. But you might stretch for five minutes after waking up. Maybe you swap out one big dinner a week for something lighter. Or — and this one’s free — you laugh a little more on purpose.
Gary Player’s longevity isn’t magic. It’s decades of boring habits done with world-class consistency. And that’s the good news — because you don’t need his trophies to steal some of his best moves.