Finding the time to exercise and eat right can be challenging enough for the average person, let alone if you’re a self-made billionaire putting at least 80 hours a week into your work.
Elon Musk is a renowned investor, entrepreneur, founder, and co-founder responsible for businesses such as SpaceX, The Boring Company, Neuralink, Tesla, and more.
Alongside other tech moguls like Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates, Elon Musk has been named not just one of, but the richest person in the world with a net worth of over $200 billion.
Although his lifestyle may seem unfathomable to most of us, his diet and exercise routine can actually be pretty relatable to the rest of the world.
In a world where technology is rapidly growing, thanks to people like Musk, and work-life balance can feel nearly impossible, hopping off our computers or smartphones to go workout can be a chore.
Organizing your time can help your work day feel a little more manageable and may make blocking out time to exercise easier. Musk uses a variation of the Pomodoro technique, which is the idea of working on one single task for 25 minutes at a time, then taking a five minute break. Repeat this four times, and then give yourself a full 30 minute break.
Instead of 25 minutes, Musk breaks his tasks into five minute periods to help keep him on track and constantly working.
Even with an extremely demanding work week, Musk at least tries to fit in some time to exercise because he understands how important it is for your overall health and wellness. In an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Musk states, “Being overweight is a big deal.”
Obesity is a public health concern and at least one in five adults are affected by it.
Rogan even points out that being overweight may be one of the larger contributing factors to worsened symptoms of COVID-19. In fact, obese individuals with COVID can experience increased risks of hospitalization, ICU admission, and even death.
So, it’s no wonder why Musk understands the importance of maintaining a healthy weight...even if he doesn’t fully practice it.
Musk states on Rogan’s podcast, “The older you get, you tend to put on more weight. That’s happening with me.”
Muscle mass can decrease as you age and be replaced with fat, increasing the chance of strength and function loss. Musk clearly understands what to do to live a healthy lifestyle, but he seems to prefer indulging in foods he enjoys over healthy foods.
As a teenager, Musk challenged himself to live off $1 per day for food and ate meals mostly consisting of hot dogs, oranges, and pasta. In an interview with Business Insider, Musk says, “I would not encourage anyone to live on $1 a day. That would not be super fun. Also, I did this back in 1990, so a dollar went a lot further back then. Would be much harder to do that today.”
Musk may not be living off the bare minimum anymore, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his eating habits have changed much. If he’s eating at all, it may not be chicken and veggies.
Although Elon Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, is a dietician, he prefers tasty food, and admits in a Reddit AMA that barbeque and French cuisine are a few of his favorite foods.
“I’d rather eat tasty food and live a shorter life,” Musk states on Rogan’s podcast.
Musk doesn’t spend too much time eating. He tries to get three meals in a day but said he wished he didn’t have to eat and could just absorb nutrients while sitting.
Quite often, he’s skipping breakfast and just having a cup of coffee and maybe an omelet. Breakfast may claim to be the most important meal of the day, but for Musk, it could mean time wasted where he could be working.
For lunch, the Tesla CEO is typically scarfing down whatever he can during meetings, as long as it tastes good and can be eaten in five minutes or less. Musk also enjoys drinking Diet Coke, despite the negative effects it can have on your health.
Dinner typically consists of higher calories, and he admits to overeating at night. Musk may also indulge in Whiskey, his favorite alcohol, or wine. However, he’s sure to eat or drink alcohol no less than two to three hours before bed.
Eating too close to your bedtime may disrupt your digestion and cause heartburn, and it can cause you to wake up one or more times during the night.
With a typical bedtime of around 1am, Musk usually gets around six hours of sleep, despite Jeff Bezos ensuring that eight hours of sleep is essential for productivity.
Not everyone has the luxury of affording a personal trainer, but the richest man in the world definitely does. However, he admits on Rogan’s podcast that he hasn’t used them in awhile.
Musk understands the importance of exercise and does it to keep his stamina and flexibility in his body high as well as his brain sharp.
Musk tells Rogan, “To be totally frank, I wouldn't exercise at all if I could. I prefer not to exercise.”
Although he may not enjoy it, Musk typically finds himself doing cardio and lifting weights on his own.
Instead of listening to music or a podcast like most of us might on the treadmill, Musk turns on a compelling TV show, which may help him forget how much he really doesn’t like running.
Fitness is different for everyone. You may love lifting weights while your best friend may love hopping into a Zumba class. For this billionaire, he enjoys fitness mostly in the form of martial arts.
Musk has participated in Taekwondo, karate, judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and on social media, has even challenged Vladimir Putin to single combat. He must enjoy jiu-jitsu to some extent because even his children have practiced it since a young age.
There’s no doubt that Elon Musk lives an immensely busy lifestyle, but he does find time to exercise once or twice a week.
Although we may not necessarily recommend following the diet and workout routine of billionaire, Elon Musk, it’s important to not restrict yourself of the foods you love and make sure you enjoy your fitness routine.
Musk’s own advice on Rogan’s podcast is, “Maybe have tasty food but smaller amounts of it.”
Portion control is a large part of maintaining a healthy diet, along with getting enough nutrients and vitamins. Taking a supplement like Vitamin C+ Liposomal can help you get some of the essential vitamins needed for your bones, skin, blood vessels, and overall health.
Choosing an exercise routine that you truly enjoy, whether it’s martial arts or running, can help keep you motivated and can teach you to love fitness.
Elon Musk may not be the perfect example of how to live a healthy lifestyle, but he definitely shows us what years of hard work and motivation can do. So whatever your goal is, whether it’s to win a bodybuilding competition, make the leaderboard at your gym, or simply be a healthier person, you can learn from Elon Musk’s work ethic.
