Paul Rudd’s secret to staying youthful and healthy is obvious and aspirational

Paul Rudd’s fans know that Rudd gets just as many accolades for his acting talent as he does his boyish good looks — emphasis on the boyish.

The 53-year-old actor seemingly stopped aging a few decades ago, and though he’s routinely asked by interviewers what his secret youth serum is, he normally declines to answer.

Until now.

When Men’s Health asked the “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” star to share how he stays so fresh-faced and fit, Rudd actually responded.

“Sleep,” he said.

Wait. That’s it?

“Then diet. Then weights. Then cardio,” continued Rudd. “People ask me, ‘Can you send me your meal plan? How many times a week do you work out? Do you drink? Do you eat carbs? Do you have a cheat day?’ The most important part of training is sleep.

“People will set their alarm and then sleep for four hours and they’ll get up so that they can train. They’re doing themselves a disservice. If you can somehow get eight hours of sleep . . .” he added.

Rudd went on to describe for the magazine what a typical day of healthy eating and exercise looks like for him.

“I get up and I have a cup of coffee, and then I do cardio before I eat anything. I never would’ve done that before (‘Ant-Man’). I lift weights, hopefully at least three times a week,” he said. “And I’ve learned so much about how my body reacts to foods, how it reacts to exercise, and where I’m happiest and how much it affects me mentally. ”

Knowing his mind and body so well, added Rudd, makes him feel “less like an impostor” when he’s wearing a superhero costume and fighting bad guys onscreen.

As for his diet, Rudd eats eggs daily, and a lot of salmon, too. Protein shakes, for him, include protein and water. No fruit, he specified. “It sounds like hell. It’s really not. I find routine comforting,” said the actor.

In fact, anything that interferes with his routine causes him discomfort, said Rudd. Actors, like remote workers, need to create structure in their lives in order to thrive.

“There isn’t an office that we have to go to every day where we see the same people and do the same kind of job. Routine is a human need. It’s grounding in a really positive and healthy way,” said People’s 2021 pick for Sexiest Man Alive.

Rudd’s breakdown to the magazine of his diet, sleep and exercise regimen is a lot more thorough than the flippant answers he’s given in the past when questioned about his eternally youthful appearance.

When CNN asked Rudd in 2021 how he still looked so young, the actor joked that it was all an illusion.

“This is all done with smoke and mirrors,” said Rudd, adding, “I’m a hologram.”