Morning routines of some of the most successful people
BLOG BY SHANI KAPLAN
+ Ways you can tweak your mornings to emulate them!
It seems that the common denominator in the lives of those who are most successful, productive and fulfilled is a consistent morning routine. And no, that doesn’t mean rolling over and checking your phone. Setting yourself up for the day ahead is incredibly beneficial and should be a fundamental part of your day for ultimate productivity. Those who follow one seem to say they feel more grounded, prepared and less stressed for the day ahead. After all, there is nothing worse than waking up feeling anxious about the day ahead stressing about the crazy to-do list! Truth are all about alleviating and managing stress where we can for a longer and healthier life!
Let’s look at some of the highest achievers in all areas and what their morning routine consists of:
Barack Obama
Obama follows two simple habits. Exercise- cardio or strength and then breakfast. He chooses to pass on coffee and instead drinks green tea.
Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter
Dorsey has a more extreme approach to his daily routine. He says that he spends two hours each day meditating and skips breakfast and lunch altogether to remain focused throughout the day. He also is a big fan of ice baths in the morning (which we spoke about in last week’s blog)
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey, undoubtedly one of the most successful and well-known women in the world is a firm believer of self-care and soulful habits. Despite her extraordinarily busy lifestyle, she wakes early to takes time to meditate, take her dog for a walk and go to the gym every day.
Jennifer Aniston
If you have ever seen Jennifer in interviews you will find that she seems to have endless energy. Not only this, but she is a highly sought-after actress who is always onto a new project. She has remained extremely athletic and youthful and this is probably because of her healthy habits. Her mornings start early, and she wakes to warm water with lemon and 20 minutes of meditation. She then has a breakfast of a protein shake with collagen and follows with an intense workout routine of cardio/yoga and resistance training.
Gwenyth Paltrow
Paltrow is not only another well-known actress but also the CEO of her own multi-million dollar lifestyle brand, Goop. She has been in headlines with her extreme diet and rituals, but her morning routine seems quite simple. She usually has a coffee and low sugar, high-fat smoothie filled with nut butter, protein powder and adaptogens*.
She follows this up with some kind of workout 6 days a week. Consistency is key.
Jennifer Aniston
If you have ever seen Jennifer in interviews you will find that she seems to have endless energy. Not only this, but she is a highly sought-after actress who is always onto a new project. She has remained extremely athletic and youthful and this is probably because of her healthy habits. Her mornings start early, and she wakes to warm water with lemon and 20 minutes of meditation. She then has a breakfast of a protein shake with collagen and follows with an intense workout routine of cardio/yoga and resistance training.
Gwenyth Paltrow
Paltrow is not only another well-known actress but also the CEO of her own multi-million dollar lifestyle brand, Goop. She has been in headlines with her extreme diet and rituals, but her morning routine seems quite simple. She usually has a coffee and low sugar, high-fat smoothie filled with nut butter, protein powder and adaptogens*.
She follows this up with some kind of workout 6 days a week. Consistency is key.
Tony Robbins
If you have been to a Tony Robbins seminar or watched documentaries on him, his energy is quite possibly the highest of anyone on the planet. And this is impressive with his 60 events a year and 33 companies he’s invested in. He lives and breathes health, personal success, and getting the most out of your life. His routine includes a health concoction of greens, vitamin C and other antioxidant capsules. He then has a three-part morning ritual he calls “Priming” he performs:
#1 30 Kapalbhati Pranayama* breaths repeated three times
#2 Closes his eyes to breathe slowly and saying gratitude in his head for everything he has
#3 Visualisation of light flowing through his body to energise and heal him and then out to reach the world; from those closest to him, to complete strangers
#4 Visualisation of success. The visualisation of the feeling attached to completing three goals and how this will also help others
After this, he believes strongly in efficient exercise- just 15 minutes of explosive, high-intensity training. When the hard work is complete, he moves onto his paleo-style breakfast of eggs and coconut bread.
Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferris is a tech investor/ advisor and the author of 5 NYT bestselling books, most popular being The 4-hour Workweek. On his popular podcast he has interviewed top health pioneers, celebrities and entrepreneurs and through these has created his own morning routine. He always makes his bed first thing and then meditates for up to 20 minutes. He then performs at least 30 seconds of light exercise and has a hot drink. He finalises his ritual with a few minutes of journaling.
Mark Zuckerberg
The young billionaire, CEO of Facebook also wakes up first thing in the morning and works out. He often takes his dog along with him. He doesn’t overthink his breakfast and has whatever he is feeling like to start the day. He is big on constant learning and loves to read and is also currently learning Mandarin.
Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferris is a tech investor/ advisor and the author of 5 NYT bestselling books, most popular being The 4-hour Workweek. On his popular podcast he has interviewed top health pioneers, celebrities and entrepreneurs and through these has created his own morning routine. He always makes his bed first thing and then meditates for up to 20 minutes. He then performs at least 30 seconds of light exercise and has a hot drink. He finalises his ritual with a few minutes of journaling.
Mark Zuckerberg
The young billionaire, CEO of Facebook also wakes up first thing in the morning and works out. He often takes his dog along with him. He doesn’t overthink his breakfast and has whatever he is feeling like to start the day. He is big on constant learning and loves to read and is also currently learning Mandarin.
Arianna Huffington
If you don’t know who Arianna Huffington is, I am sure her last name will give it away. The founder of the Huffington Post starts her day with 30 minutes of meditation, a shower and a bulletproof coffee and then a cardio/yoga routine. She then sets herself up for her day by setting her priorities for the day.
Steve Jobs
In all my research, I loved this particular finding. Steve Jobs, who needs no introduction really, would wake up, make the bed, have a shower and then look in the mirror and ask himself "If today was the last day of my life, would I be happy with what I'm about to do today?". If the answer was no, he would start to make changes until he found his happiness. I think everybody can take something away from this...
Based on these morning routines, we have formulated a little guideline for you to follow
#1 Wake early – you can get much accomplished whilst everybody is still asleep!
#2 Habit - Make your bed
#3 Hydrate - drink water or warm water with lemon
#4 Mindfulness - Journal or meditate
#5 Rejuvenate- Cold shower OR exercise- a sweaty workout, a walk or yoga
#6 Sip - a coffee or tea in peace and enjoy it
#7 Breakfast - Protein/good fat-filled, or skip it if you don't get hungry until later!
#8 Plan - Work out what you would like to achieve in the day ahead, and rate that in order of priority
#9 Bonus Idea - Get your most difficult/ dreaded task out of the way FIRST
* Adaptogens are becoming increasingly popular in Western countries in the last few years, but have been used within Indian and Chinese healing practices for centuries. They are a group of non-toxic plants said to help recalibrate the body if it is out of balance. Some of the main ones include; ashwaganda, tulsi-holy basil, and turmeric.
Try these tips for a week and see just how much your day improves! ☀️
Shani Kaplan
Shani Kaplan is a contributing writer for Truth Naturals. She combines her knowledge gained from working within the fitness/wellness industry in Sydney and London for the last seven years as a Personal Trainer, and class instructor, with her addiction to research due to her BA in Business Marketing. Shani loves martial arts, resistance training, dance and yoga, nutrition, travel, design, photography, and art.
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