I tried out the routines of seven different celebrities for a week and it turns out, it was just what I needed
With the importance of routine greater than ever, I wanted to see if adopting the morning regimes of seven famous faces could give me the lockdown motivation I desperately desired
It’s official – it’s only day two and I can no longer walk.
Thanks Kim Kardashian.
As I reach the summit of my run – 14 floors up the height of my apartment block, gasping for breath and on the verge of collapse (someone call 999) – I begin to ponder whether committing to a week’s worth of intense celebrity regimes really was the wisest decision.
My routine in the past year has certainly been anything but consistent.
From staying in bed till early afternoon, to that one morning I decided to jog around the garden before quickly discovering I couldn’t actually do it for more than 30 seconds, I was struggling to nail down a structure to my day that brought meaning and purpose.
After a bout of regular heart palpitations starting early in the first lockdown and the doctor telling me to ‘meditate more’, three Headspace meditations later, even that routine didn’t stick around for long.
Tired, burnt-out, and unmotivated are what 55 percent of adults in the UK felt like during winter 2020.
While working from home has created little separation between work and life, a year of lockdown has seen the regularity of routine that we depend on for stability upended.
In effect, causing chaos and disorientation in our lives.
For this reason, the importance of structure is as prominent as ever in discussions around mental health.
Trauma and change therapist, Victoria Browne, explains that lack of routine creates a negative cycle, affecting everything from sleeping to eating habits which in turn, has a negative impact on mental health, physical energy and even your digestive system.
Speaking about the toll lockdown has taken on people’s lives, she says, “As humans we like something to aim for and due to restrictions, there is that lack of aim and focus for a lot of people which gives them a sense of loss.”
As for exercise, in the last six months, it has essentially been non-existent (one reason why a week of pretty much daily workouts was going to be a challenge).
So in light of this, and in a bid to battle burn-out, it was time to find out whether regular routine, including a mix of meditation, workouts and ice-baths boosted my overall energy levels and productivity.
For the next week, I would be trialling the various morning regimes of seven celebrities, and with a different alarm set for every day, I was under no illusion that my body clock was going to be seriously messed up.
From Kim K to Churchill (the pairing I never thought I needed), this is how my week of morning routines went.
Mental health in crisis:
- Over half (54%) of the adult UK population feel anxious or worried because of the pandemic
- 22% report feeling hopeless and 54% feel frustrated
- Half of UK adults say they are worried about being able to cope with pandemic-induced uncertainty
- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle (balanced diet, enough sleep, exercise) is cited as popular coping methods to deal with the stress of COVID-19 with 29% saying this helps them manage
(Source: Mental Health Foundation December 2020)
Day One:
Kim Kardashian
· 6am wake-up
· Work-out
· Run to RnB
· 90-minutes of make-up
Kicking off my week-long programme with the queen of social media herself, I felt surprisingly energised waking at 6am before beginning the workout which saw me following Kim’s real life booty routine.
As you can imagine, many squats and lunges later, I began to feel the struggle of months of zero exercise (sorry body).
Next came the run.
As a somewhat inexperienced runner, I opted to jog up the stairwell to the 14th floor of my high-rise flat instead.
Safe to say I was absolutely shattered and ended up collapsing onto the sofa just in time to watch the sunrise – something I have never been up early enough to see before.
A quick shower later, I was ready to dive into Kim’s beauty regime consisting of a 90-minute make-up session.
While only able to stretch it to 45 minutes, I loved having the time to paint on a full-face which I hadn’t done in months.
Verdict: I really enjoyed being Kim for the morning and despite the pain, fully felt the energising benefits of exercise. It was the most put together I had been for a long time, leaving me ready to face the day the Kardashian way.
7/10
Day Two:
Jennifer Anniston
· 7am wake-up
· Splash face 25 times with ice water
· Transcendental meditation
· 30-minute work out
Day two began at a respectable 7am, and despite the hour longer in bed, I felt much less spritely than I had the day before.
Once up, I proceeded to splash my face 25 times with cold water which certainly woke me up.
I then began a 20-minute transcendental mediation which entailed listening to a deep (and slightly creepy) noise onto which I unloaded tension.
Although strange, I emerged feeling fully relaxed, setting me up nicely for a half-hour boxercise session.
A shower and smoothie later, Jen’s morning was complete.
Verdict: Jennifer’s routine was not only practical and achievable for the everyday person but it was also very energising. I took time for myself which focused my mind to the day’s tasks ahead.
10/10
Day Three:
Jack Dorsey
· 5am wake-up
· 30-minute meditation
· 7-minute workout circuit repeated three times
·5-mile walk to work
Getting up at 5am and being my earliest start, to my surprise I felt relatively motivated.
The meditation went better than the day before and I was left refreshed and invigorated although not eager to start the workout.
I repeated the 7-minute exercise routine three times, with this high-intensity training regime said to have the same benefits as prolonged endurance training.
This consisted of a circuit of squats, jumping jacks and triceps dips just to name a few.
Next, with nowhere to walk to work, I headed out at 6.40am to meet a friend and do a 6-mile walk around the coast.
This took around an hour and 45 minutes, and I honestly loved it.
It was nice to be out in the fresh air and have time to clear my mind in the early morning peace and quiet.
By the time I had completed the morning routine, I felt focused, and like I had already achieved so much – it was only 8.45am!
Verdict: As much as I ended up enjoying the morning, I could never repeat it full-time. I respect Jack’s commitment to the daily hike, but really, who has the time?
6/10
Day Four:
Kate Hudson
· 7am wake-up
· Face ice-bath
· Pilates
· Dance workout
After waking at 7am, the first thing I did was create the facial ice-bath.
Said to have a number of benefits including reducing puffiness and aging, I filled up the sink with cold water and ice-cubes and dunked my face in for the recommended 30 seconds.
Verging almost on painful, when I came up for air, my face was stinging.
While previously I was not feeling energetic in the slightest, that soon changed.
Following this I did 20 minutes of Pilates; an exercise I have never liked since I am the most inflexible person going.
Safe to say this did not change – sorry Kate.
After persevering I then moved onto a 30-minute dance workout which I thoroughly enjoyed and which left me in a positive mood.
Verdict: Maybe starting to get bored of exercising, but this was my least enjoyable morning so far. Pilates was a chore to get through but the ice-facial is something I would consider doing again.
5/10
Day Five:
Oprah Winfrey
· 7am wake-up
· 20-minute meditation
· 60-minute strengthening exercise
· Walk and listen to music
This morning’s meditation was insanely good and I think I am finally starting to get in the zone.
I was so at peace the time felt like mere minutes and re-affirmed that I definitely want to carry on practicing mindfulness regularly.
After this, I did an hour full-body workout which was a bit of a struggle, but I got there in the end.
True to Oprah’s regime, I then took myself on a nice stroll which I don’t do anywhere near enough given the current circumstances.
I put on some tunes, the sun was shining and life was good – thanks Oprah.
Verdict: Oprah really packs a lot into her morning, especially as she gets up at 7am. I’m not sure I would be able to do this all on a regular working day but certainly enjoyed my morning.
7/10
Day Six:
Winston Churchill
· 7.30am wake-up
· Substantial breakfast in bed
· Read mail and national newspapers
· Stay in bed working and dictating secretaries
· 11am get up and bathe
· Walk
· Drink whisky and soda in study
The day I had been most excited about arrived and after six days of early starts and rigorous work-outs, the four-hour lie-in was most welcomed.
Waking up at 7.30am, it felt good knowing I did not have to move for the foreseeable future.
I grabbed some magazines, read the news and basically just had a good old time.
With my butler unavailable, I did have to get out of bed to make my own breakfast but soon returned to the comfort of my duvet to demolish some cereal (yeah I know, not quite Winston’s banquet in bed).
Vodka at 11am is not something I would normally reach for but hey, I was more than happy to oblige.
I poured myself a vodka and orange juice, and then returned to my ‘study’ (bedroom) to do some work.
I then went out for a nice walk before returning to begin my day.
Verdict: It’s safe to say I could happily get used to the morning routine of Winston Churchill, despite the fact it isn’t perhaps the most practical of daily schedules. Lie-in, reading, breakfast in bed and a vodka, what more could you want? A butler I suppose.
10/10
Day Seven:
Julianne Hough
· 6am wake-up
· Mindfulness exercises
· 20-minute meditation
· Morning journaling
· Run and work-out
My final morning saw me undertaking the routine of dancer Julianne Hough.
Waking up at 6.30am, the day began with some mindfulness exercises which are, well, unique.
Still in bed, taking 20 breaths in and out the nose for three rounds whilst moving my arms up and down over my head, I had to think of three things I am grateful for.
Once I had completed this, I didn’t really know how to feel – I’m just glad no-one was watching.
Next came a 20-minute meditation during which I actually ended up falling asleep.
I then wrote down my stream of consciousness into a journal, designed to just get all my thoughts out and shut away.
Finally, it was work-out time – a run followed by a fitness class.
I opted for the trusty stairwell of my apartment and ran up the 14 flights, then completed one of Julianne’s dance classes on YouTube.
Thankfully, I won’t be on Dancing with the Stars anytime soon.
Verdict: Overall, despite how unusual the some of the mindfulness exercises were, they were a lovely way to start the day. Journaling helped clear my thoughts and is something I would definitely do again
8/10
Tanya’s Top Tips:
1. Stay active and aim to exercise four times a week even if one of those is just a jog or long walk.
2. Short on time? Opt for a 30-minute Hitt workout which is suitable for everyone and leaves you to decide on the intensity level.
3. Remember the endorphin rush and amazing feeling you get after exercising if you find yourself grappling with motivation levels – it makes it all worth it.
4. If you usually struggle with exercising in-front of people, now is the perfect time to boost your confidence by getting stuck into something new and embracing Zoom – your camera doesn’t even need to be on!
Lessons I’ve Learnt
The experience of trying out a different morning routine everyday was interesting, and may I even say, enjoyable.
Despite the struggle of getting out of bed at times, knowing I had goals to meet gave me a newfound sense of purpose.
Often being more productive than normal, I felt generally more focused and that I already accomplished so much before even having breakfast.
Exercise-wise, going from 0 to 100 was tough.
By day two I couldn’t even sit down thanks to the delights of Kim Kardashian’s bum work-out.
However, once this eased off and the week went on, it got easier to exercise without the pain of sore muscles.
Basingstoke-based fitness instructor, Tanya Perkins, strongly advocates for staying active during lockdown due to its benefits on energy levels and productivity.
“After you've exercised, you're in a happy mood, you're more productive, and you're not sluggish in any way,” she says.
Although there were some mornings I enjoyed more than others, there are elements of each that I would happily incorporate into my own daily schedule.
As Victoria suggests, it is crucial to find a routine that works for you, and the best way to establish consistency is to make small incremental changes over time.
She says, “In my experience working with people, a regular routine that fits your personality, your lifestyle, and your work demands is much better than trying to copy somebody else's routine that isn't for you.”
As we continue to adapt and re-adjust to ever changing rules that we have no control over, what we can ensure is that we take control of the structure in our own everyday lives.
Through this experience, I have felt the transformative benefits exercise and mindfulness have on not only my mental wellbeing, but my energy levels throughout the day.
Will I be getting up at 5am every morning for a 6-mile hike? No.
A regular routine that encompasses a bit more of the above, I have learnt, is good enough for me.
I’ve just got to make sure I’m not pulling a Churchill everyday.
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