Dolly Parton’s 13 Daily Habits That Keep Her Healthy and Workin’ at 79

Do rhinestones and glitter lead to fulfillment? If 79-year-old Dolly Parton is any example, the answer is a resounding yes. The Queen of Country was born January 19, 1946, in a one-room cabin in rural Tennessee, but the second she turned 18, she hightailed it to Nashville and kicked off a new chapter in American music—even if people didn’t quite know it yet. From penning her first song at age five to becoming one of the most recognized faces on the planet, Parton has spent nearly eight decades climbing from mountain poverty to international superstardom without losing an ounce of her down-home charm or that mischievous twinkle in her eye.

What a working career it is. We’re talking more than 50 albums, 11 Grammy Awards, an Oscar nomination, a theme park empire (because why not?), food collabs with brands like Jeni’s ice cream and Duncan Hines, and a literacy program that’s gifted over 200 million books to kids worldwide. Parton’s written thousands of songs, including hits for everyone from Whitney Houston to Miley Cyrus (her goddaughter, naturally). She’s starred in movies, launched beauty lines, and somehow found time to donate a million dollars toward COVID-19 vaccine research. All while looking like a million bucks in sequins, big hair, and stilettos.

So how has this pint-sized powerhouse maintained her legendary energy, creativity, and joy? Her secret sauce includes everything from pre-dawn prayer sessions to homemade egg salad, from “rejoicing exercises” to an unshakeable belief that if you see somebody without a smile, “you should give ’em yours.”

Here are the healthy habits we can all learn from the woman who proves that big hair and an even bigger heart make the biggest, most beautiful life.

She practices “early to bed, early to rise”

At a time when most of us are deep in dreamland, Dolly Parton is already hard at work. “I’m usually up around 3 in the morning,” she told TODAY. “I just love the wee hours. I actually go to bed early.” Her reasoning? “I do more work between 3 and 7 than most people do all day, because it’s quiet and the energy’s all low, except mine. So I just really get a lot done.”

She’s said on nights she has big shows and is up late, she will still get up early, even if it means only getting a few hours of shut-eye. While sleep experts might raise an eyebrow at this (most recommend seven to nine hours for optimal health), what worked for Parton is finding her natural rhythm and sticking to a consistent schedule—something that would benefit all of us.

And there’s real science backing up her “early to bed, early to rise” philosophy. A University of Toronto study published in the journal Emotion found that morning people reported greater happiness and positive emotion than night owls, regardless of age. So this might be one explanation for Parton’s famously sunny disposition and seemingly endless energy.

She starts each day with prayer and meditation

Before diving into work, Parton always makes time for her spiritual practice. “I get up, I do my little meditations, I do my little spiritual work,” she told The TODAY Show about her early morning routine.

Prayer bookended her entire day. “I pray every day that God will put all the right things, all the right people in my life, and take all the wrong things, all the wrong people out, and guide me,” she shared. “And that’s the first thing I do when I get up, I just thank the lord for another day.”

Research consistently shows that practices like prayer and meditation can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, improve emotional regulation, and even boost immune function. Parton’s daily spiritual practice likely contributed to her remarkable ability to handle the pressures of fame while maintaining her characteristic serenity and joy.

She makes her workouts fun

Forget the gym—Dolly Parton works out in the most Dolly way possible, combining sweat and worship. “I create my own rejoicing exercises!” she explained to WSJ Magazine. “I grew up in the Pentecostal church where we used to do a lot of shouting and jumping around. I keep my motor running in the mornings when I just shout through the house praising the Lord. It gave me an idea to create some easy exercises, and I’m making music to go along with it. Something that even people in wheelchairs or people that are older or sick can do.”

While unconventional, Parton’s approach highlights perhaps the most important principle of fitness: the best exercise is the one you’ll actually do. By making movement joyful and meaningful rather than a chore, she was more likely to stick with it—and she clearly has, maintaining her energy and vitality for decades.

She practices moderation, not deprivation

The fastest way to a sugar binge? Tell yourself you can never have treats again. Moderation is better in the long run and Dolly Parton is refreshingly honest about that, and her relationship with food. “I just watch moderation for the most part. If I’m working I’ll stay on a low-carb diet during the week and then eat anything I want on the weekends,” she told The Wall Street Journal. “I have a tendency to gain weight because I’m so short and because I have a farmer’s daughter’s appetite.”

Importantly, Parton never completely deprives herself of foods she loves. For instance, before he died in 2025, she loved making her husband biscuits and gravy for breakfast: “I made some sausage patties, and I baked some biscuits, and I made some milk gravy,” she told Marie Claire. “Now, I can’t eat like that all the time, but I enjoy eating it when I do.”

This balanced approach—mostly healthy with room for treats and enjoying it when you do indulge—is exactly what nutrition experts recommend for long-term success. Rigid restriction often backfires, while moderate flexibility makes healthy eating sustainable over a lifetime.

She eats simple protein-rich breakfasts

Treats aside, Parton normally prioritizes eating a nutritious breakfast. “I usually try to keep some homemade egg salad around because I like to have something quick and easy,” she told the Wall Street Journal. Her typical breakfast options include egg salad on toast with tomato, or a bagel with cream cheese, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Eggs are an excellent source of protein, choline (important for brain health), and lutein (good for vision). Plus, by keeping prepared, healthy foods on hand, Parton makes it easier to make good choices even during her busiest mornings.

This combination of protein, healthy fats, and vegetables in her breakfasts provided sustained energy (crucial when you’re starting the day at 3 a.m.!)

She had a rock-solid marriage

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Failed relationships are a staple in country anthems but Dolly Parton’s marriage to Carl Dean showed you could write a heart-wrenching anthem while still having a rock-solid relationship. They met the very day she arrived in Nashville in 1964, outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat, and married two years later on Memorial Day 1966. They remained together for nearly 60 years until Dean’s passing in 2025.

“He’s always loved who I was, and I loved who he was, and we never tried to change each other,” Parton explained in O, The Oprah Magazine. The couple maintained their own space while staying deeply connected. Dean preferred privacy and rarely appeared in public, while Parton lived in the spotlight but they made it work.

Strong, stable relationships are one of the most powerful predictors of longevity. The Harvard Longevity Study—a nearly 100-year research project—found that close relationships are a bigger predictor of how long you will live than social class, IQ, or even genetics. Parton’s enduring marriage likely contributed significantly to her health and happiness.

She maintains unshakeable optimism

Ask anyone about Dolly Parton and they’ll mention her infectious positivity. “I always just thought if you see somebody without a smile, give ’em yours!” she tweeted in 2014, capturing her generous spirit.

Even when facing challenges—including a partial hysterectomy and periods of deep depression—Parton maintained her faith and forward-looking attitude. “I ask God every day to lead me, guide me and direct me, to take the wrong people out of my life, put the right people in,” she told Parade. “As I get older, I’m even stronger in my faith.”

Research shows that optimism is associated with longer lifespan, better cardiovascular health, and improved immune function. Optimistic people are also more likely to maintain healthy behaviors and bounce back from setbacks—both crucial for longevity.

She counts blessings instead of dollars

Despite making serious bank through her music, businesses, and theme parks, Parton keeps her priorities straight. “I always count my blessings more than I count my money,” she told CBS Sunday Morning. “I really believe that I was here to do things for people.”

This attitude of gratitude isn’t just folksy wisdom; it’s also backed by science. Studies show that regularly practicing gratitude is associated with better mental health, improved sleep, stronger immune systems, and even longer lives. Grateful people experience less depression and anxiety, maintain better relationships, and feel more satisfied with their lives overall. So Parton’s focus on what she has rather than what she lacks may also be a reason for her remarkably sunny personality and resilience.

She’s never lost touch with her roots

“I’m proud of my hillbilly, white trash background,” Parton told Southern Living. “To me that keeps you humble; that keeps you good. And it doesn’t matter how hard you try to outrun it—if that’s who you are, that’s who you are.”

Despite international fame and fortune, Parton remains deeply connected to her origins in rural Tennessee. Over the years she has invested heavily in her home community, creating jobs through Dollywood and providing educational opportunities through her Imagination Library, which has donated free books to children in her home county and beyond.

Rather than being defined solely by fame or wealth, Parton maintains a consistent sense of self grounded in her family, faith, and community and this sense of community provides her with stability and purpose.

She gives back to others

Parton’s charitable efforts are honestly legendary. Her Imagination Library has gifted over 200 million books to children worldwide. After the 2016 wildfires devastated Sevier County, Tennessee, she established the My People Fund, giving $1,000 per month for six months to families who lost their homes. She donated $1 million toward COVID-19 vaccine research at Vanderbilt University. And these are just a few of the hundreds of examples we could list.

“I really believe that I was here to do things for people,” she said simply. This sense of purpose beyond herself gave her work deeper meaning and motivation.

Research shows that helping others activates reward centers in the brain, reduces stress, and may even help us live longer. People who volunteer regularly have lower rates of depression, higher life satisfaction, and reduced mortality risk. So Parton’s generous spirit is a win/win all around!

She has a good work-life balance

Yes, Dolly Parton is famously hardworking—she has written countless songs, starred in movies, run multiple businesses, toured extensively, and created a theme park empire. But she also knows how to enjoy life and takes time to smell the roses (literally, she loves roses). “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life,” she wisely tweeted in 2010.

How does she do this? Indulging in foods she loves on weekends. Creating a strong marriage and spending time with her husband. And of course, adding fun and whimsy to her life through her fashion sense. She’s famous for saying, “When they say, ‘Less is more,’ I say, ‘That’s BS. More is more.'”

This ability to work hard while also prioritizing pleasure and authenticity is crucial for sustainable success and wellbeing. Parton hasn’t burned out because she has never stopped enjoying herself along the way.

She embraces her feelings

In a world that often tells us to toughen up or push through, Dolly Parton takes a different approach: she feels it all, deeply and unapologetically. “I’m a songwriter, so I have to live with my feelings on my sleeve,” she told Southern Living. “I have to not harden my heart, because I want to stay open to feel things. So when I hurt, I hurt all over. And when I cry, I cry real hard. And when I’m mad, I’m mad all over. I’m just a person; I like to experience whatever the feeling is and whatever I’m going through.”

This emotional openness isn’t just good for her art, it is also good for her health. While it might seem counterintuitive, allowing yourself to fully experience emotions rather than stuffing them down is associated with better psychological wellbeing and even physical health. A 12-year study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research found that people who habitually suppressed their emotions had increased mortality risk, including higher rates of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. Research also links emotional suppression to increased stress, higher blood pressure, and weakened immune function.

By staying emotionally available and authentic, Parton maintains the raw honesty that has made her songs resonate with millions while also protecting her own mental health. She understood that if you shut down the painful ones, you also diminish your capacity for joy. Her willingness to hurt all over also meant she could love all over, create all over, and live all over.

She stays true to herself

In an industry that often demands conformity, Dolly Parton remains defiantly herself. “I am totally real, as a writer, as a professional, as a human being,” she told ELLE. And she is incredibly humble: “A rhinestone shines just as good as a diamond.”

From her big blonde wigs to her rhinestone-studded outfits to her unapologetic embrace of her femininity, Parton never tries to be anyone other than who she is. “I’ve always been misunderstood because of how I look,” she added. “Don’t judge me by the cover ’cause I’m a real good book!”

This authenticity is a huge part of what has endeared her to generations of fans. Plus, research shows that people who live authentically experience less stress, better mental health, and more satisfying relationships. When you don’t have to maintain a false persona, you conserve psychological energy and experience less internal conflict. Parton’s commitment to being herself—take it or leave it—not just helps her live a longer life but also a more vibrant, happier one.

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