Dame Helen Mirren's daily 12-minute workout she's done for 60 years

Dame Helen Mirren has shared the secret of her exercise routine, which she has been following for an incredible six decades. The Oscar-winning actress has had a long and illustrious career spanning 60 years.

While she is well known on both the stage and screen, she has revealed she also takes great care to exercise regularly. Recently, she opened up about workout routine, which takes just 12 minutes a day.

It can be carried out at home, without the need for expensive equipment or gym memberships. Helen commented: “[Exercise] doesn't mean joining expensive gyms.”

Speaking to Women’s Weekly, the 79-year-old explained that she was “a big believer in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) women's exercise regime, which is 12 minutes”.

Known as XBX - or the 10 basic exercises - this programme became popular in the late 1950s.

It was created to improve the fitness of women in the Air Force, focusing on increasing muscle strength and endurance, flexibility and the efficiency of your heart. The XBX plan pamphlet says that more than 600 girls and women participated in the project's creation.

As reported by Women’s Health, the XBX regimen comprises four charts of 10 exercises, each chart progressively more challenging than the last.

These charts are further categorised into levels - a total of 48 levels, with 12 in each chart. ”The time limit for each exercise remains the same in all charts, but the number of times the exercise is performed increases at each level within each chart,” the pamphlet says.

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For instance, in Chart II, exercise 2 is performed 12 times at level 18, but 14 times at level 19.

All four charts adhere to the same exercise structure:

• Exercises 1-4 aim to enhance flexibility and mobility, serving as a warm-up (time: 2 mins - 30 secs each)
• Exercise 5 targets “strengthening the abdominal region and the muscles at the front of the thighs” (time: 2 mins)
• Exercise 6 focuses on the muscles of “the back, the buttocks and the backs of the thighs” (time: 1 min).
• Exercise 7 “concentrates on the muscles of the sides of the thighs” (time: 1 min)
• Exercise 8 is “primarily for the arms, shoulders, and chest” (time: 2 mins)
• Exercise 9 is designed for “flexibility in the waist and for strengthening the muscles of the hips and sides” (time: 1 min)
• Exercise 10 is intended for “the conditioning of the heart and lungs” (time: 3 mins).

“Do not move up to the next level until you can do your present level, without excessive strain or fatigue, in the 12 minutes”, XBX instructs.

Helen reportedly uses Charts I and II for her routine.

Chart I

• Exercises 1-4: toe touching, knee raising, lateral (side) raising, arm circling
• Exercise 5: partial sit-ups
• Exercise 6: chest and leg raising
• Exercise 7: side leg raising
• Exercise 8: knee push-ups
• Exercise 9: leg lifting
• Exercise 10: run and hop.

Chart II

Chart II's exercises are the same as Chart I except for the following:

• Exercise 5: rocking sit-ups
• Exercise 9: leg overs (similar to side-lying thoracic rotation stretch)
• Exercise 10: run and stride jumping.

Helen, who will turn 80 in July, added: “It is an exercise regime that starts from very low and easy, then if you follow it through it can become quite difficult. I've never gotten past the second level, but it's a nice little exercise programme.”

Exercise is key for our health and wellbeing and has also been shown to help prevent frailty in old age. For this reason, the NHS recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week.