Here's How 5 Health Experts Spend Their Mornings

— -- intro: Everyone wakes up in their own way. Maybe you’re the “chug some lemon water, pull on your sports bra, and bolt to the gym” type. Or perhaps you begin your day by rolling out of bed and trudging over to the coffee pot. Whatever your wake-up needs may be, there’s probably a trick or two you can steal from these health experts—or you may just enjoy the voyeurism that is peeking into what some of our favorite wellness gurus do each morning.

quicklist: 1category: Here’s How 5 Health Experts Spend Their Morningstitle: Bob Harperurl:text:

“I get up around 7:30 a.m. and take my dog, Karl, out for his morning ‘constitution.’ Once I’m back, I make a big cup of coffee: No sugar. No milk. I wake up watching a bit of The Today Show. Then I meditate at around 8:30 a.m. for just over 20 minutes. After that, I get ready for my workout, which is at 10 a.m. I don’t have anything to eat until after my workout. But I do [have a Bulletproof Coffee] to get me ready to work out hard. [It’s] a cup of coffee with MCT oil and ghee blended in. I jump into my car, get to my CrossFit gym, and get my butt kicked for over an hour. Then I go home, shower, and have a big meal that has a good amount of protein, carbs, and fat to get the rest of my day started.”

—Bob Harper is the longtime trainer of The Biggest Loser and author of the new book Skinny Habits: The Six Secrets of Thin People ($17, amazon.com)

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quicklist: 2category: Here’s How 5 Health Experts Spend Their Morningstitle: Kristin McGeeurl:text:

“Before my son Timothy was born I used to wake up between 5:45 and 6:30 a.m. to meditate. Now I still wake up around that time (he is my alarm clock) and my meditation is snuggling with him. As soon as I open my eyes I chug a glass of H2O to wake me up, and then I make coffee around 7 a.m. and usually have 2% fat Greek yogurt with blueberries, strawberries, a little Fiber One, walnuts, and a flax/chia/coconut blend (Barlean’s makes it—it’s amazing) with cinnamon on top.I make Timothy breakfast and we sit together and play a bit, and I use that opportunity to stretch on the floor (or sometimes bang out a few push-ups or planks) while we play with his train set or blocks or read books until the sitter comes.

My make up routine is super minimal: tinted sunscreen, curled eyelashes. And I usually put out an outfit the night before and have my bag packed and gym shoes out so I can spend the most time with my son as possible. I try and wait to check my cell phone or emails until I’m out the door. If I do it first thing I am not present in the morning with Timothy and he will try to take my phone now anyway!”

—Kristin McGee is a leading yoga and Pilates instructor and Health contributing editor

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quicklist: 3category: Here’s How 5 Health Experts Spend Their Morningstitle: David L. Katz, MDurl:text:

David L. Katz, MD“I get up at 6:30 a.m. generally. I have coffee, and ideally, a few minutes to sit with my wife. Often, though, it’s straight to the computer. I generally work for a couple of hours, and then work out; my gym is in my home. I do 40 minutes on my elliptical, preceded or followed by abdominal exercises, chin-ups, etc. I usually then work a bit more, then do five kilometers on my rower.