Richard Branson's Real Diet Plan & Exercise Routine

If there’s one thing that many successful business people have in common, it’s the consistency of a daily routine. Billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Cuban stick to a similar routine everyday to help keep them on track of their business and personal lives.

Sir Richard Branson is no different and has even kept the same routine for years. 

The British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business mogul founded the Virgin Group in the 1970s, and it today now controls over 400 companies in sectors from health to banking to travel and more.

Although living, spending a pandemic, and working on your own private Caribbean island whenever you want is sure to keep you looking and feeling young and energetic, it’s also Branson’s daily habits, workout routine, and diet that keep his mind and body fresh.

Richard Branson’s Daily Routine

Having a daily routine is something anyone, billionaire or not, can benefit from. It can help keep you on track of your goals as consistency is key when it comes to weight loss, strength training, or becoming one of the wealthiest people on the planet.

Richard Branson hasn’t changed his routine much in the last few decades, and his healthy lifestyle of exercise, proper nutrition, and work-life balance have all helped contribute to his business and personal success.

Morning is for Family and Exercise

Waking up on his own Necker Island with the sound of waves crashing and the smell of seawater in the air is just one of the ways billionaire Richard Branson starts his mornings. Other times, he’ll be traveling the world for business in his private plane.

No matter where the Virgin Group Founder is waking up, he’s typically rising early at 5am to get his day started. He dedicates his morning before work to spending time with his family and exercise.

Richard Branson’s Systematic Fitness Program

His exercise routine consists of about an hour of strength training to help keep up his strength and physical fitness. 

The benefits of exercise in general are endless, from cardiovascular health to stronger bones, and so much more. However, the benefits of exercise in the morning versus in the afternoon may vary.

Morning exercise may have the greater potential to reduce visceral or belly fat and lower blood pressure, and evening exercise may contribute to enhanced muscular performance. 

This means that the time of day you choose to exercise could be dependent on your goals.

According to CNBC, in order to build bone mass and muscle, Branson writes in his blog about his “systematic fitness program”.

This consists of weight training and resistance band work with Ronny, his fitness coach. 

Every other day, he’ll change up his workout and the muscle groups targeted to help his body recover properly.

Taking time to recover is essential for muscle building and injury prevention. Check out  ADABOLIC  to restore muscle glycogen, maximize endurance and power, and accelerate recovery.

Other Types of Exercise

If Branson is on Necker Island, he’ll head out to the ocean for some kite surfing. He has even been seen  kite surfing with former president, Barack Obama during a vacation to the British Virgin Islands.

This type of exercise can help build upper body and core strength, and improve heart health. It combines aerobic exercise with resistance, so although it may be a fun hobby to relieve stress, it can also be great for your overall health.

Provided there’s no ocean around, you can find the billionaire playing tennis, which is a great way to challenge your cardio, coordination, and strength.

It’s evident that Branson understands the importance of exercise and overall wellness, and even writes  in a blog post, “I seriously doubt that I would have been as successful in my career (and happy in my personal life) if I hadn’t always placed importance on my health and fitness.”

After a tough morning workout of lifting weights, kite surfing, or playing tennis, Richard Branson is ready to sit down and eat breakfast.

Afternoons Are For Work

Richard Branson typically starts his workday around 10am where he’s answering emails and catching up on the news. During the day, he spends some time in meetings, but not in the traditional way.

He dislikes formal meetings and would prefer to take a walk while talking or discuss business over lunch.

The majority of his workday is spent answering emails and taking calls from the Virgin offices across the world. However, he’ll also take time to post on his blog, sometimes tips for young entrepreneurs and sometimes family photos.

Evenings Are For Relaxation

Like the average person, the billionaire’s typical workday ends around 5pm, and he looks forward to winding down with his family.

He loves dinner because he gets to eat while enjoying good laughs and conversation with his family and friends.

After dinner is over, Branson will check his email inbox and social media for the few hours before bed. He’ll typically head to bed around 9pm-11pm and read a few chapters of a book or watch a documentary before falling asleep.

Although the  recommended amount of sleep  for adults is at least seven hours, Branson likes to get at least five to six hours of sleep at night for his optimal energy and performance.

Richard Branson’s Diet

Healthy eating is an important part of Richard Branson’s life, not just for his physical health but also his brain health. 

According to Inc.,  Branson aims to follow a specific disease-fighting diet designed by Harvard-trained cancer doctor William Li.

Branson says, "Dr. Li argues that drinking one to three cups of coffee a day lowers the risk of heart failure by 33 percent. And that by eating one kiwi fruit a day you can increase protection of your DNA from oxidative damage by 60 percent. He also suggests that by sipping five cups per day of green tea you can significantly lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels."

He can be seen drinking several cups of tea throughout the day, so it’s evident that he takes Dr. Li’s advice seriously.

Some of the other foods incorporated into this diet are:

• Berries
• Leafy greens
• Oatmeal
• Sourdough bread
• Hard cheeses
• Legumes
• Sardines
• Anchovies
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Walnuts
• Dark chocolate
• and more

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Typically for breakfast, he’ll eat something light and nutritious. You may him eating a fruit salad with muesli, nuts, and dried fruit. Although a cup of milk or a spoonful of yogurt may bring this dish some moisture, Branson prefers to eat it dry.

For lunch and dinner, he sticks with his disease-fighting diet and has even slowly started to adopt a vegetarian diet. He has recently cut down on beef and fish due to environmental concerns.

According to plantbasednews.org,  he says, “I’ve stopped eating beef because everything I’ve read indicates that the more demand for cattle there is, the more the rainforests will be munched away. I’m experimenting with going completely vegetarian.”

Also, after watching the documentary, Seaspiracy, Richard, along with other celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian have stopped eating fish to help support marine life.

Take Richard Branson’s Advice

Although we may not all be billionaires or live luxurious lifestyles on private islands, we can live a healthier life like Richard Branson. 

No matter how busy your schedule may be or how much you may love fast food, following an exercise routine and adopting healthy eating habits can help you be more successful in your daily life.

Take advice right from the billionaire himself, “The key for everybody is sticking with it — we all know that feeling of the high we get when we do an hour of exercise — I never want to stop getting that wonderful endorphin rush. But it’s easy to slip into a ‘not today, I’ll do it tomorrow,’ mindset. You have to keep going even when you don’t feel like it.”