Heeere’s Ed’s Routine!

Ed McMahon’s easygoing style was obvious to TV viewers during his 30-year tenure on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” His disciplined side, however, was less apparent. Nearly every morning the World War II and Korean War Marine veteran puts himself through the paces in a mini-gym at his Beverly Hills home.

No less than five days a week, McMahon, 74, and wife Pam work on their dueling treadmills, as he calls them. That hour of exercise gives them a chance to catch up on each other’s news--including his new role as Tom Arnold’s boss on “The Tom Show,” which the WB network will launch in the fall.

Moreover, three days a week McMahon pedals 10 minutes on a stationary bike before a physical trainer shows up for an hour’s worth of free weights as well as exercises for stretching and endurance. After all that, later in the day, he says, “I get off my rear end and climbs stairs or take a walk with Pam.” He records all of the day’s doings in a steno notebook, right down to his weight.

His 6-foot-3 1/2-inch frame is allowed 214 pounds, but he’s keeping it at 212--not, McMahon clarified, by dieting but by sticking to low-fat food. He has breakfast and lunch at a desk in his home office: melon or grapefruit, oatmeal with berries, a piece of nine-grain toast with low-sugar jam, decaf coffee and ice water; then, pasta or a turkey sandwich or a chicken breast. Dinner is light, maybe a Caesar salad with low-fat dressing. That, McMahon pointed out, is pretty good, given he was raised in an Irish family whose grandmother made a meal at day’s end large enough to feed the First Marine Division.

One ritual he still honors takes place after the day is as good as shot and before dinner is on the table. That’s the hour when a man has time to reflect with a beverage, and he first observed that ritual, he says, during a real important time of his life. As a Marine pilot in Korea, he survived 85 combat missions. As he explained it, when a fighter pilot finished his mission for the day, he met up with the other guys over a drink, told war stories and that was happy hour. So, continuing the rite, he has a glass of red wine--”two, tops.”

* Guest Workout runs Wednesdays in Life & Style.