Richard Branson Shares His Extremely Active Morning Routine: 'I've Got to Look After Myself' The 73-year-old schedules early morning tennis and ice baths between meetings.
By Emily Rella Edited by Melissa Malamut
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson has a strong and consistent morning routine with an early morning wake-up time that is not for the weak — or night owls.
The billionaire, who turns 74 in July, schedules pre-dawn tennis matches and pre-breakfast ice baths. He maximizes his time to ensure his days operate smoothly — and if you think he wakes up and hits the ground running without a plan, think again.
Although his schedule ultimately depends on where he is in the world, Branson calls Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands home. (He also owns a sister island, Moskito Island.)
"If I'm at home on Necker Island, I will pretty much always be on the tennis court at 6:15 a.m., playing singles tennis," Branson tells BIZ Experiences. "Then I'll jump into an ice bath for five minutes, just to wake me up for the day."
Then it's time for a healthy breakfast of fruit salad and muesli and a couple of hours of work before hitting the gym for 30 minutes. And all of this happens before noon.
Twice a week, he'll also throw in a bike ride.
Being active isn't just limited to the mornings, either. In the evening, if it's windy enough, the septuagenarian will go for a sail before playing tennis again.
Related: Richard Branson: Create Something Special, Money Will Follow
"I think the moral of that story is simply that fitness is critically important to all of us," Branson says. "I can run Virgin while finding quite a lot of time to stay really fit and healthy. And then the day expands because I'm staying fit and healthy."
"In order to really enjoy my life, I've got to look after myself," he adds.
