General Hospital star Kin Shriner has had a long career in soaps going back to the 1970s. He’s done shirtless scenes and fight scenes, requiring the actor to say in top shape. Soap Hub chatted with Kin Shriner for this week’s installment of Wellness Wednesday to learn how the star stays camera-ready.
Kin Shriner Shares His Secrets for Staying Fit
The actor joined GH in the role of Scotty Baldwin in 1977. He’s come and gone from Port Charles over the years to take on roles on Texas, As the World Turns, and The Young and the Restless — but to diehard General Hospital fans, he’ll always be Scotty. Find out the performer’s thoughts on wellness.
Soap Hub: What do you do to schedule wellness into your life? Do you work out?
Kin Shriner: I train every day. I ride a stationary bike for half an hour where I watch whatever I can for that half hour to 40 minutes. I recently watched Angelyne, which is streaming on peacock. I saw this one funny exchange. Angelyne was asked about her boyfriend, and she said he was dead. The person asking her said, ‘No, he just moved out of L.A.’ She said, ‘I’m not sure what the difference is.’
Soap Hub: Do you stay hydrated?
Kin Shriner: Yes. I drink quite a bit of water. Then, after my workouts, I have seven to nine fruits in a bowl of oatmeal with a high-end protein powder. I eat that every day. When COVID first started and we were in lockdown, I think a lot of us put on about 20 lbs. When I knew I was going back to the show, I did an about-face. It took me about six months to lose 20 lbs. But it’s gone now. It’s easier to maintain it than it is to lose it. I tell [a friend of mine] that he can’t eat late at night. When you get older, it takes more to maintain it.
Soap Hub: What else do you do?
Kin Shriner: I enjoy working out and have all my life. I do 100 sit-ups a day. I’ve done that since I was 20. I had a guy that I knew at the Beverly Hills Health Club, which used to be on Little Santa Monica Blvd. All those older actors went there and would sit around and play cards. There were a bunch of us young actors who’d go there around 4 p.m. and play basketball. I remember Robert Urich [Vegas; Spenser: for Hire] would go there, too. It was a cool place to go. I got to know Peter Falk [Columbo] there. He was such a funny guy — he was just like Columbo.
One day, some guy at the chin-up bar called me over and asked if I was an actor. I said yes. He said, ‘You’ve got to do 100 pull-ups every day, and you will always be fit.’ My dad had given me a chin-up bar when I was little. I’ve never been without a chin-up bar. They help keep me tight and toned. It won’t get rid of weight. You have to do that through diet, but you can stay toned through chin-ups.
Soap Hub: Do you do intermittent fasting?
Kin Shriner: Yes. I like to eat dinner early, by 5 pm or 6:30 pm. The next day, I’ll wake up and have a cup of coffee. Then, I hit the gym at 8 a.m. I’ll have my bowl of oatmeal by 10 o’clock. That’s about 16 hours of fasting.
Soap Hub: Do you have any advice for people who are looking to get started?
Kin Shriner: Yes. There are a lot of fitness guys out there…different guys trying to solicit men in their 50s, offering to get them in shape. But the first step — and it’s easy — is find something you want to watch on a stationary bike. Get on the bike, and watch your show. You’ll be perspiring before you know it.
General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Port Charles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on GH spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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