Those familiar with the Wahlberg brothers know that Mark Wahlberg is the one known for his intense 4 a.m. workouts and strict dietary habits. However, Donnie Wahlberg is no stranger to the gym, either. The Blue Bloods star is now over 50 years old but still looks fantastic, regardless of age. And as his band New Kids on the Block is currently on tour, the actor/singer has been working even harder to maintain his impressive physique.
Well, his hard work paid off and he took to Instagram to not-so-subtly show off the results. In the post, Donnie Wahlberg stands on stage with his shirt pulled over his head, arms thrown out to put both his abs and back on display. “I suppose I should probably try to get the t-shirt completely off,” he wrote in the caption. “For safety purposes only, of course.”
Though the Blue Bloods star hasn’t been quite as open about his fitness routine as his brother Mark, Donnie Wahlberg has shared enough for fans to get an idea of how he maintains his muscled figure. It starts with a healthy diet, which he shared with Rachael Ray Magazine includes plenty of vegetables and lean protein. Then a dessert and a steak dinner to reward himself.
He also makes frequent visits to his home gym for workouts, which he once jokingly referred to as “the 11 am Club,” teasing his brother about his grueling 4 am routine.
‘Blue Bloods’ Star Donnie Wahlberg Explains His Reagan Family Dinner Habits
The main attraction of Blue Bloods is the action-packed drama. However, fans have come to prefer the less life-threatening scenes in which the Reagans enjoy a family meal at patriarch Frank Reagan’s home. In the show, the Reagans gather for a weekly dinner and discuss any pressing family drama, as well as the trials of working in law enforcement.
In an interview with The Virginian-Pilot, the prop master for Blue Bloods, Jim Lillis, explained that these dinners aren’t quite what they seem. First, they aren’t dinners at all. They’re typically filmed at breakfast time, around 9 in the morning. At least, they begin filming at breakfast time. The average Reagan family dinner scene stretches well into the afternoon.
Throughout their many hours seated around the dining room table, most actors refrain from eating much if anything at all. Instead, they simply push and cut their food convincingly without ever actually taking a bite. There are a few actors, however, who don’t mind an early morning dinner.
Tony and Andrew Terraciano, who play the youngest members of the Reagan family never fail to eat “a lot,” according to Lillis. And though most of the adults don’t eat, Donnie Wahlberg always scarfs down the vegetables on his plate, which, of course, then have to be refilled.
This leads to 8 hours’ worth of roughage passing through Donnie Wahlberg’s digestive system, which, unsurprisingly, leads to the occasional upset stomach. “I learned that it’s… Yeah, a lot of gas is created,” he explained to Kelly Ripa on an episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan. “The table pushes away from my stomach and then I notice I have to do… People say, ‘Well, he has to leave the room a lot’. You know, walking outside for ‘fresh air breaks.’”
