As part of his job as Netflix’s Chief Action Officer, Arnold Schwarzenegger reached out to Netflix’s fittest stars to learn about their habits and routines. These health and wellness tips will first be published all month in his daily fitness newsletter, Arnold’s Pump Club, so make sure to sign up here. Check back for weekly updates throughout June.
Quarterbacks have one of the toughest jobs in sports. Not only is it physically demanding, but the mental focus, split-second strategizing and leadership it requires calls for a special kind of athlete. Even though I’m Chief Action Officer at Netflix, I like to meet my other co-workers outside the action. A new docuseries produced by the NFL and Peyton Manning, Quarterback premieres on Netflix in July, and one of the featured QBs is Kirk Cousins from the Minnesota Vikings. The show goes deep into how he keeps his body, mind and even spirit strong. Here are a few quick thoughts from Kirk on how he stays fit:
What’s one action or item you’ve recently added to your daily routine that keeps you healthy?
I started pouring apple cider vinegar into my water in the morning and just sipping on that. Uh, I was told it has a bunch of health benefits. That’s something I’ve added in recently.
What’s one thing you do every single day to strengthen your mental health?
I think prayer has been a really big part of my mental health over the years, making sure I have that quiet time to pray in the mornings or in the evenings.
Do you have a health routine? If so, what is it and how often do you do it?
I have a pretty complicated and, uh, involved health routine. It’s everything from the weight room to throwing the football to tissue work [and a] chiropractor. I see all kinds of people for my body and do all kinds of exercises, and it’s pretty much six days a week. It’s the way it has to be as long as I’m a professional athlete.
One of my favorite aspects of being Netflix’s Chief Action Officer is sharing the habits and routines of the stars of different shows. A new docuseries about American Gladiators is coming out on Netflix. (You can watch the trailer here.) One of the featured gladiators is Nitro (Dan Clark), who also happens to be a member of the village. I reached out to Dan to share some of his health tips.
Says Dan, “I excavated the Gladiator spandex from the garage and put them on. It’s been 25 years since they’ve seen the light of day. I’m not what I used to be, but still fighting the fight, just like Arnold would want me to!”
What’s one action/item you've recently added to your daily routine that keeps you healthy?
I started making my sleep routine as important as my workout and eating routine. I used to be a guy that lived by the saying, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” But after reading the science and literature about the importance of sleep, it’s become as important to me as my workouts. I use the Oura ring to track my sleep.
I also purchased a cold plunge this past year. In addition to all the health benefits like reduced stress, better sleep and improved recovery, I also use it as a mental strengthening and motivational tool. I figure if I can make myself get into freezing water when I don’t want to, then I can make myself do anything. It’s part of training my mind to do hard things.
What’s one thing you do every single day to strengthen your mental health?
Reveri. It’s a hypnosis app backed by science from Stanford professor of psychiatry Dr. David Sinclair. Visualization has been the backbone of any success I’ve had. I’ve been practicing it since I was 14 years old, and it has completely transformed my life. I use Reveri specifically to help with procrastination, eating healthy and achieving my goals.
As cliché as it sounds, I developed a unique gratitude practice following my heart attack 10 years ago. (I wrote a book about the experience.) Before the heart attack, I always searched for happiness and only allowed myself to feel happy when I had accomplished a major goal. This new practice centers around finding and embracing small everyday moments of beauty that might have slipped by me in the past. I’ve learned that shining a light on these small moments is the pathway to happiness.
Do you have a health routine? If so, what is it, and how often and when do you do it?
I’ve got to move every day. It has become so ingrained in my identity that I can’t imagine living a life where I’m not moving, lifting or competing, regardless of whether it’s weights, cardio, martial arts, cycling or playing pickleball. It’s just who I trained myself to be.
In training for American Gladiators, did you learn any workout or strength/agility techniques you’ve continued to do?
Before American Gladiators, I came from a football background. A lot of the skills that make you a good Gladiator also make you a good football player. Weights, sprints, agility and practicing movement patterns you use in competition. I still pray at the pulpit of iron a few times a week. I believe nothing on the planet gives you that muscular look more than weightlifting. I still deadlift, bench and squat. But at 59, I don’t lift as heavy anymore. Now, it’s more about the quality of the movement and time under tension. I’ve also incorporated more bodyweight exercises, along with mobility and yoga.
As an ongoing part of my job as Netflix’s Chief Action Officer, I’m asking some of Netflix’s fittest stars to share their habits and routines. Australia’s Nick Kyrgios is one of tennis’ most promising players. He’s in the Netflix tennis show Break Point, and whenever he’s on the screen, you know you’re about to hear a wild story. Here are his tips:
What’s one action/item you’ve recently added to your daily routine that keeps you healthy?
Consciously not using or looking at my phone at times like breakfast and dinner to feel more in the moment with the company I have around me.
What’s one thing you do every single day to strengthen your mental health?
Eating healthy is something that helps my mental health a lot. I feel better and lighter during the day, and I found it helps my sleeping patterns.
Do you have a health routine? If so, what is it, and how often and when do you do it?
Being a professional tennis player, we always have a routine day-to-day. Something I try to do is get some active recovery done in the morning by walking to a café to get a coffee with my team before we start the day.
I wanted to start with two stars from Physical: 100. It’s a fantastic competition in which 100 of Korea’s top athletes, military members and actual Olympians compete in grueling challenges to see who’s the strongest.
Two competitors stood out to me. Shim Eu-ddeum is a fitness YouTuber with 1.5 million followers, and Jang Eun-sil is a top wrestler; both women outlasted many men while competing in Physical 100. Here are some of their habits.
What’s one thing you do every single day to strengthen your mental health?
Shim Eu-ddeum: I always remind myself to not overdo it. Every morning, I assess my energy level and my mental state. I also take time to clear my head by meditating and going on walks.
Jang Eun-sil: I consider each day to be very precious, and plan my day with the mindset [that] doing my best today means setting myself up well for tomorrow. I also try to carve out time for myself as a way to recharge. I usually work out during that time. I enjoy it because it feels like I get to focus on myself. I can only depend on myself to look after me, so I want to become stronger. I think that physical health improves my mental health and makes me more positive. I also like to listen to calming music.
Do you have a health routine? If so, what is it, and how often and when do you do it?
Shim: I like to go on walks. On weekends, my friend and I walk two to three hours at Namsan Park and have a delicious meal afterwards. Even on busy days, I try and take 30 minutes to walk along the Hangang River and get some fresh air.
Jang: My routine is to get plenty of sleep and get reenergized from breaks. Because I have a physically demanding job, I make an effort to make sure I have plenty of energy, and the best way to do that is through sleeping. After a night of deep sleep, I have a healthy breakfast in the morning and always make sure I take my supplements. From my time as a professional athlete to now, I always try to eat a diverse diet of products that are good for my health.
In training for Physical: 100, did you learn any workout or strength/agility techniques you’re going to continue to do forever?
Shim: I’ve done Pilates for over 10 years. As I was preparing for Physical: 100, I started powerlifting and found that it helped me gain more muscles. I still powerlift one to two times a week as Pilates and powerlifting are complementary workouts and relieve my stress as well. I want to continue doing Pilates and powerlifting until I’m a grandma.
Jang: I definitely have to say wrestling and CrossFit. These two sports really fit me well and I’m still addicted to them! While it’s been physically challenging from the past 10 years of arduous training for the national wrestling team, I had a lot of fun learning CrossFit. When I went to the box, I was captivated by how everyone, not just athletes, came to work out with a healthy and positive mindset. I’m always surrounded by elite athletes so it was a new source of motivation and challenge working out there. No matter how hard the training is, we help each grow, and I think we feel a bigger sense of accomplishment and satisfaction because of camaraderie.
