AceShowbiz -

Paul McCartney celebrated his 70th birthday on June 18. In a recent interview, the former member of The Beatles revealed what he did to stay young and healthy. He said that despite his tight schedule, he managed to do exercise for years by treating his gigs as gyms.

"I've been having cardiovascular exercise for years but it's on stage," Mecca opened up his secret as quoted by the Daily Star. "I can't believe I do a three-hour show without taking a breath. You assume you would be feeling it now but it's the opposite."

Additionally, the "My Valentine" crooner did meditation and ate vegetarian food. He has been on vegetarian diet for a long time and learned Transcendental Meditation from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1960's. He first heard the word meditation from George Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd.

On the day Mecca turned 70, artist Peter Max created vibrant portraits of the musician because he felt connection with Mecca. While the Fab Four became a music icon, he was one of the influential graphic sources of the 1960s. He also got into yoga and meditation around the same time the band did.

"When I heard last week that it was coming up, I decided to whip something up for him," Max told the New York Daily News. The painter reportedly will send one of the paintings to Mecca's house in the U.K.

Mecca was last seen performing on stage at Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee concert outside Buckingham Palace. He will next take the stage to close the opening ceremony of Olympic Games in London on July 27. "A couple of extremely patriotic moments," the British musician said. "But that's all right. I'm a patriot."

Paul McCartney Talks About Meditation and Maharishi:

Paul McCartney Promotes Vegetarian Diet: