What it takes to improve your “body budget”: the ideal daily routine for health and fitness

Dec 17

The way you approach your day has a ripple effect on your life. A day is a subcomponent of life, composed of many hours, minutes, seconds, and ultimately, the most infinitesimal unit that makes up your existence: this exact moment. We may consider a day a mosaic of multiple moments, one after the other, leaving reality at every breath you take.

You may want to optimize your day and its subcomponents to gain momentum and meaning from life. Optimizing your daily routines doesn't mean constantly striving for future improvements. Rather, it's accepting reality in the present and being aware of scientific protocols you can use to improve your well-being in this moment, and the next one.

Some of those protocols for optimizing your daily routine may not feel particularly beneficial in the moment. Take cold showers, for example. Their physiological and psychological benefits are undisputed. Most people don't find taking a cold shower to be the highlight of their day. However, a Stoic-minded person might make a philosophical argument: many of us in the Western world lead overly comfortable lives with little physical activity and few short-term physical stressors.

Physical movement and short-term physical stressors can produce growth, both psychologically and physiologically, according to the Stoic philosopher. To tap into your inner potential and become more resilient, you should expose yourself to seemingly uncomfortable practices. This growth can have a positive impact on all aspects of your life.

This is akin to overcoming fears in life. Say, you fear elevators and feel completely frozen and highly nervous when approaching one. That “limitation”—so to speak—may be holding you back in life, because a completely integrated human is able to confront their own shortcomings voluntarily in order to gain self-esteem and self-awareness. So, when you fear something, you want to voluntarily expose yourself to the monster, step by step, starting at the smallest unit you can tolerate and working your way up. That leads to taming the monster if you have enough patience and humility to drop into the vulnerability of confronting your shortcomings.

Once you become more integrated, you become a person. This practice builds tolerance and courage. It has a lasting effect. Confronting one challenge gives you the self-awareness and confidence to tackle the next, and the next, and the next, with the mindfulness of a Buddhist monk in their fourth year of silent retreat.

Optimizing your daily routines is a way to voluntarily expose yourself to disciplined practices that can improve your well-being, resilience, courage, and sense of self. You have routines already, so why not make the most of them? This approach to life can be a source of purpose if you choose it, as long as you are careful not to attach your identity too closely to it or you may become trapped.

This post is a collection of best practices for daily routines, drawing from multiple episodes of the Huberman Lab podcast. It provides tools and protocols to optimize well-being, health, and performance. The principles and protocols are divided into three parts of the day: morning, afternoon, and night.

Our body has an internal clock, the circadian rhythm, which is set and reinforced through our routines. This circadian rhythm dictates when we start to feel sleepy and when we naturally want to wake up. For optimal rest, it's best to set a clear sleep and wake schedule. Generally, 5-10 hours of sleep per night is enough, depending on various internal factors. To find the best fit for you, experiment with sleep times within this range and stick to a consistent schedule for a few weeks. Adjust your schedule according to how you feel.

Morning

Sunlight exposure (episode source):

When you wake up in the morning, one of the most beneficial practices is to expose your eyes to sunlight. Aim for 10-30 minutes, depending on the brightness or cloudiness of the day. The cloudier it is, the longer you should spend soaking up the sun.

One convenient way to expose your eyes to sunlight is to go for a walk outdoors, without sunglasses if it's safe. If the sun isn't out when you wake up, it's important to make sure your indoor environment is well-lit. When the sun comes out, take advantage of the opportunity to get some natural light. This helps set your circadian rhythm and lets your body know what time of day it is and how to feel.

2. Caffeine ingestion delay (episode source):

When it comes to caffeine, it's best to have it at least 90 minutes after waking up. This helps avoid the "caffeine crash" that may occur if you consume it right away. If you don't like coffee or any other form of caffeine, that's perfectly fine.

3. Deep work session of 90 minutes (episode source):

Pure, deep work with no distractions or hyperactive hive-mind behavior is essential. White noise can help foster focus. Additionally, elevating your laptop slightly above eye level can help you stay alert. The ideal period for deep work is between 4 and 6 hours after your temperature minimum. Your temperature minimum is two hours before you wake up. For example, if you wake up at 7 AM, your temperature minimum is around 5 AM, making your ideal deep work timing between 9 and 11 AM.

4. Exercise and deliberate cold exposure (episode source):

After your deep work session, you may exercise in any form you enjoy. To optimize your routine for health and longevity, consider setting up a program with different types of training modalities: resistance training, long-form cardio, and high-intensity cardio. You can rotate these modes during the week, ideally with endurance (cardio) training twice per week and resistance training three times per week (the 3:2 ratio). After about 12 weeks, switch the 3:2 ratio in favor of endurance exercise (3 sessions of endurance work and 2 sessions of resistance training per week). For more details about the ideal exercise routines according to current scientific knowledge (2022), check out this episode of the Huberman Lab podcast.

An additional resilience-based practice for the ideal daily routine is cold exposure. Physiologically, it has benefits, and psychologically, it can help us become more alert and feel well. Cold exposure can be done in a cold bath or, if not available, a cold shower. This study provides more details on cold exposure and dopamine increases. To learn more, check out this episode from the Huberman Lab podcast, which explains dopamine and tools to regulate it.

Afternoon

Timing eating (episode source)
Eating post-exercise can be beneficial, especially if you're looking to build or maintain muscle. After your workout, you can have "lunch". The amount of food you eat affects how you feel afterward. The more you eat, the more sluggish you'll feel, especially if your meal is high in carbs. To stay alert and awake in the afternoon, it's best to have a moderate-sized meal with mostly protein, healthy fats, and veggies.
Naps or NSDRs (episode source)
If you need to take some time out to rest and relax after a meal, that's fine, as long as your nap doesn't exceed 90 minutes. If you can't nap, try an NSDR protocol like Yoga Nidra or self-controlled hypnosis. These activities can help promote relaxation, reduce stress and anxiety, and aid in better sleep when you do retire to bed.
Deep work and sunlight exposure (episode source)
After your nap or NSDR protocol, you may continue with a bout of focused work, before exposing yourself to afternoon sunlight. Right before or during sunset is the best time to get natural sun in your eyes for 10-30 minutes. This helps to regulate your circadian rhythm, as it stabilizes melatonin production and aids in falling asleep properly at night.

Evening

Dinner best practices
When it comes to dinner, it is a good idea to ingest food that promotes increases in serotonin and creates a sense of relaxation and tranquillity for you to fall and stay asleep effectively. Meals high in starchy carbohydrates tend to be a good option in this scenario.
Body temperature and light sensitivity
As you transition to sleep, your body temperature decreases. To help this process, try taking a hot bath or sauna (around 20 minutes is optimal). Avoid exposing your eyes to bright light before bed, as this can significantly disrupt your sleep. The ideal sleep environment is dark and cool. Optimizing your room for this can help you get quality rest.

Conclusion

Mental models and protocols can help you understand what an "ideal" day looks like, based on current scientific evidence. Having an "ideal"—although possibly unreachable—can be beneficial, as it allows you to be more aware of your behaviors and how far they are from the ideal. This can improve your well-being and sense of purpose, especially for athletes who want to maximize their mental and physical quality of life for optimal performance.

If you are starting from scratch and intend to implement these protocols into your life, consider beginning from the smallest component on the list. You may start from the very top (morning protocols), and slowly introduce each one of them into your daily routines, test them out, and evaluate for yourself how they feel for your specific circumstance. That’s because each human has variability, and the specificity is very relevant when implementing health and fitness routines. You can be the best (and also worst) judge for yourself.