85-year-old GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley has an impressive exercise regimen

He's running.

Twelve miles, to be exact. That's how much exercise Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has been getting per week for the last 20 years, he tells Roll Call.

Regardless of the weather, the oldest man in Congress wakes up at 4 a.m. four days a week and runs three miles. The early hour makes sure he can leave for work by 6 a.m. and avoid rush hour traffic, and it also forces him into a 9 p.m. bedtime, Roll Call reports.

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It's not as if Grassley is a lifelong runner. In fact, he tells Roll Call that "anybody that says they love to run is lying." Grassley just started a running regimen when he was 65 because he saw that people he visited in nursing homes weren't doing any kind of exercise. He chose an activity that didn't require much equipment — much like the push-ups he often challenges reporters and high schoolers to as well. Grassley also runs "so I don't get fat, I guess," he added.

Grassley's other hobbies include avoiding deer in his home district, stopping by Dairy Queen for "you know what," and checking to see if the History Channel is showing history (it's usually not).