• Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban said longevity is advancing so much that 60 is the new 40.
• While anti-aging science can be high-tech, what Cuban has shared about his own routine is simple.
• His low-cost longevity habits include walking regularly, eating vegetarian, and taking vitamins.

Mark Cuban isn't ready to act his age.

Speaking in the new anti-aging science documentary "Longevity Hackers" (streaming on Amazon and Apple TV) the billionaire businessman of "Shark Tank" fame said he feels decades younger than his biological age of 66.

"60s are the new 40s," Cuban said."You see guys my age in their 60s that can look good, can be fit, and not be limited in terms of things that they do."

While some entrepreneurs are spending millions on anti-aging routines, what we know about Cuban's routine is relatively simple — and doesn't cost much to follow.

Here's what Cuban has said about the diet, exercise, and supplements that keep him feeling youthful.

"If I never had to look in the mirror, I'd think I was 35," he said.

He walks as much as possible — including on the set of 'Shark Tank'

Exercise has been a major part of Cuban's routine for years, and it's crucial to healthy aging.

"I actually work out more now than I did 10 years ago or 15 years ago because my body needs it more," he said.

The entrepreneur said he typically spends between 45 to 90 minutes in the gym, including plenty of cardio.

He also stays moving whenever possible. While Cuban is not slated to star on "Shark Tank" in 2025, he said previous seasons of the show were a great opportunity to get his steps in.

"Everybody else is taking the carts, the set is .35 miles away, and I'm walking back and forth so I'm walking two miles a day while we're shooting Shark Tank," he said.

Walking more is also linked to a longer, healthier life, and as little as 500 extra steps a day can make a difference, according to research.

He's a vegetarian

Cuban has followed a vegetarian diet since 2019.

"When you get older, food becomes more like medicine where you need the nutrients in order to be able to be your best self," he said.

Plant-based diets rich in nutrient-dense foods like greens, whole grains, nuts, and beans are linked to a longer life and lower risk of chronic diseases.

"What I eat really makes a difference in how everything in my body operates," Cuban said.

Cuban said he enjoys plant-based food — and he's invested in plenty of vegan and vegetarian food companies — but the downside is that it can make it tricky to dine out or attend events.

"I love being vegetarian. It can be weird when you're with a bunch of guys going to a steakhouse," he said.

He supplements with vitamin D and melatonin

Cuban rounds out his nutritional needs with daily supplements to reduce inflammation and improve sleep, he previously told Business Insider.

He supplements melatonin, a hormone naturally produced by the body to regulate its internal clock.

Cuban also takes vitamins D and E, both of which are linked to healthy aging. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which is crucial for healthy bones, while bolstering the immune system to lower the risk of cancer. Vitamin E also supports the immune system and lowers inflammation, reducing the stress on cells to potentially stave off age-related damage.

He said being able to invest in his health with simple, daily habits has paid dividends by allowing him to keep up with the activities in his life that matter.

"To me, aging is just being who are you regardless of what the number is," Cuban said.

• Michael Dell says humor is vital and workers need to laugh and play and relax sometimes.
• The Dell Technologies chief said people shouldn't always listen to their parents' advice.
• Dell said he goes to sleep early, works out around dawn, and enjoys Texas barbecue.

Laugh and play pranks, balance work with downtime, and don't always listen to your parents' advice, Michael Dell says.

The Dell Technologies founder and CEO shared the colorful life advice during a recent episode of the "In Good Company" podcast. Dell, 59, ranked 13th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a $115 billion fortune at Thursday's close.

The personal-computing pioneer said humor plays a key role at his company.

"If you can't laugh, joke around, play tricks on people, you're doing it wrong, right?" he said. "You have to be able to laugh at yourself."

Dell said he toiled tirelessly as a young man to build his company, which generated $88 billion of revenue last year. But he warned against overworking and burnout.

"I learned a long time ago that there's a diminishing return to the number of hours worked in any given day, " he said. "And if you're going to do something for a long time, you better find the [right mixture of] working and playing and relaxing."

Dell said he goes to bed at about 8:30 or 9 p.m. each night and wakes up around 4 or 5 a.m. to exercise.

"You won't find me at the nightcap," he said. "I'll be asleep."

Barbecue and bad advice

The Texan businessman also voiced his love for one of his home state's delicacies, even if he doesn't prepare it himself.

"I believe in the theory of labor specialization, so I personally am not cooking a lot of barbecue, but I'm definitely eating barbecue," he said.

Dell also offered some general advice for young people: "Experiment, take risks, fail, find difficult problems, do something valuable, don't be afraid, and, you know, be bold."

He recalled his parents encouraging him to become a doctor and urging him to set aside his passion for building computers. On the other hand, he remembered his mother telling him and his two brothers when they were little to "play nice but win," which became his company's guiding philosophy and the title of his 2021 book.

"Well, yeah, your parents aren't always right, but they're not always wrong either," he said, adding people's "mileage may vary on the parents."

• A 41-year-old Pilates instructor said she's prioritizing longevity workouts as she gets older.
• She said shorter, lighter workouts help her stay energized and strong with a busy schedule.
• Her Pilates-based workouts involve strength-building exercises, mobility, and mindfulness.

When it comes to staying fit beyond 40, you have to be smart about it.

For Lia Bartha, a mom-of-two who founded the fitness app B The Method, that means low-impact exercise.

Bartha told Business Insider she spent her 20s and early 30s pushing her body to the limit doing high-intensity cardio and teaching Pilates.

Bartha knew she needed a change when she hit her mid-30s, after she had kids. She was looking ahead at how she wanted to feel in the long-term.

"I trained and taught that way for so long, I started to feel myself kind of plateauing and getting bored because it was so rigid. I felt like it wasn't necessarily intuitive in how my body was aging," Bartha said.

So, in 2018, she developed her own method, an online fitness brand that incorporates Pilates along with other wellness techniques such as breath-work and gentle movements to subtly tone muscle.

The shift from classic Pilates, and big equipment like reformers, was a better fit for her body as she got older — and drew in thousands of subscribers globally. Bartha has worked with celebrity clients like Aubrey Plaza, Cynthia Erivo, Ego Nwodim, and model Martha Hunt.

"It's thinking in this bigger way of, how is supporting my body for the end of the day?" Bartha, now 41, said. "I'm a mom of two girls, so I have this job of working out and I'm teaching and then I'm doing the business side and then I have to take on this extra shift of taking care of them and feeding them. I think the exercise really has to help you mentally."

10 minutes is plenty of time to work out

As a younger athlete and dancer, Bartha said she spent hours on cardio or intense exercise to stay in shape, but adjusting her workouts to a packed schedule has taught her to do more with less.

"I was kind of just doing what everybody else was doing. I was like, OK, I'm going to get on the treadmill and just walk or run forever," she said.

Now she often works out for less than an hour, and designs workouts that are just as challenging and effective in 20 minutes.

The benefit of shorter sessions is that it's easier to commit to them every day.

"It doesn't have to be 45 minutes or an hour all the time. If you're giving yourself 10 minutes a day very consistently, you'll see huge benefits," Bartha said.

Low-impact exercise is a gentler way to train

A big shift for Bartha was learning that exhaustion and sweatiness isn't the best indicator of a good workout.

"You don't have to go through an aggressive workout that leaves you very sore and fatigued to have all of the benefits of exercise," she said.

Low-impact workouts like Pilates tend to emphasize slow, controlled movements instead of fast, explosive techniques. As a result, they're easier on the joints, and don't take as much recovery time afterward.

Low-impact techniques like isometric movements have many of the same benefits as higher-intensity training in helping to build strength and muscle. They can also improve factors linked to longevity, such as stability and balance.

"We want to think of the body in the long term, and I think that's where low-impact is just so important," Bartha said.

Consistency is key

Bartha said she fell into the trap of pushing too hard instead of developing an enjoyable, sustainable routine.

"One of the most common mistakes that people have in terms of fitness is just getting through it to get through it," she said.

She said listening to her body and taking it easier led to better results, with less work, because the workouts left her feeling energized instead of depleted. As a result, working out felt less like a chore and more like something she could do every day.

"It's finding your body where you're at," Bartha said.

• I became a Pilates instructor 11 years ago, and I've since built a successful side hustle.
• I've made over $20,000 annually from teaching classes, which helped me switch careers.
• I love connecting with clients and strengthening my muscles during each class.

As a competitive runner for most of my adult life, I struggled to balance my love for intense cardio with proper stretching and strength training — until I discovered Pilates.

When I took my first Pilates mat class at my hometown YMCA in 2005, I instantly fell in love with the low-impact, full-body workout.

The exercise was fun and challenging, and I was excited for each class. This was also the first time I looked forward to going to a gym for anything other than cardio.

So, when my studio offered a teacher-training program, I signed up. At first, I was solely interested in deepening my own Pilates practice, but after leading group classes and private sessions during an apprenticeship, I realized I loved teaching and could make money doing it.

I've now been teaching Pilates for about 11 years and have no plans to stop.

Working as a Pilates instructor turned out to be a great side hustle

When I committed to becoming an instructor, I was burned out from my job as a freelance publicist.

However, I realized teaching classes meant I could earn a decent amount of money. My Pilates income — which, some years, reached over $20,000 annually — made it financially possible for me to transition to a new career as a freelance writer.

As a teacher, my studio paid me a flat rate for classes and private lessons. I also received bonuses for high attendance — an incentive to build my client roster and make lessons more fun using creative playlists and props.

Plus, I often subbed for other teachers to supplement my income.

I was able to build a fitness community and strengthen my body

Over the years, I've built a core group of clients and have developed close relationships with other instructors. I still socialize with them regularly, even outside sessions.

When the gym I worked at closed in 2017, several students even followed me to a new studio to take classes, and others came to my home to keep up their regular sessions.

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic meant in-person teaching was not an option, I launched virtual Pilates classes that helped me keep up with my own practice and connect with others.

Outside of the friends I've made, I also love the way Pilates makes me feel, and the workout has taught me to slow down and connect to my body. From the first set of "the hundred" — a traditional Pilates warm-up — to the final push-up or stretch, I learned to move intentionally and precisely.

The exercise has helped my body feel stronger, fitter, and faster, and, as a runner, I still like to incorporate some moves into my pre- and post-run routine.

I don't teach as much these days, but I still make some extra cash

Today, I don't teach at a studio or make as much money as I used to, but Pilates is still a great side hustle for me.

I'm able to earn extra income and connect with my favorite students through virtual classes and one-off private workshops and events.

If you ask me, you can't beat a side hustle that allows you to meet amazing people, make money, and do something great for your mental and physical health.

• Workouts that combine strength training with a high heart rate can help you save time in the gym.
• A trainer said his go-to workouts help to build muscle and improve stamina in less than 20 minutes.
• Strategies like workout ladders, EMOMs, and weight complexes can make exercise more efficient.

A smart fitness plan can help you build muscle, burn fat, and improve your health all at once — and kettlebells are an ideal tool for the job, according to a personal trainer.

"I like to describe the kettlebell as sort of the Swiss army knife of functional fitness," personal trainer Pat Flynn, who specializes in kettlebell training, told Business Insider. "It's like the ultimate secret weapon."

Kettlebells can be more dynamic than other types of strength training, making them well-suited for getting the most athletic benefits in the least amount of work.

Flynn shared his favorite "pocket-sized" workouts with kettlebells that are simple, don't take much time, and build full-body muscle while elevating heart rate for cardio benefits and better calorie burn.

Three workouts a week is enough for most people, he said. Combined with a quick warm-up for better mobility and performance, they take around 15 to to 20 minutes; less time than catching up on your favorite TV show.

Save time with a ladder-style workout

One of Flynn's go-to ways to work out is doing two exercises one after another, increasing the number of reps of one movement and decreasing the reps on the other to move up the "ladder."

For example:

• 10 reps of a two-handed kettlebell swing and one push-up
• Nine swings and two push-ups
• And so on …
• …ending after a round of one swing and 10 push-ups

The ladder uses a strategy called a superset, performing exercises back-to-back with minimal rest, cutting down on workout time. In this case, it involves using different muscle groups with each move, so that you're resting your legs while your upper body is working, and vice versa.

An 'EMOM' workout keeps you moving

Flynn said he often uses a timed workout called an EMOM, which stands for "every minute on the minute."

To do it, set a running clock. At the beginning of every minute, complete a set of exercise such as:

• 10 kettlebell swings

or

• 10 goblet squats

Rest for the remainder of the minute. Repeat for 10 to 15 minutes.

The built-in rest offers some time to recover while still keeping up the pace enough to raise your heart rate, combining the benefits of cardio and strength training.

If that's too intense, try an alternating EMOM, swapping in a less intense movement like a 20-second plank hold for every other round.

Working out on the clock can help you maintain a high intensity, burning calories while also performing strength exercises so you're building muscle to burn even more energy over time, according to Flynn.

"You'd be better off in terms of bang for buck performing what's called metabolic resistance training," he said. "One of the best ways to get leaner is actually try to focus on being stronger and a bit more muscular as well."

Kettlebell complexes combine multiple exercises efficiently

Flynn likes combining movements together into a workout complex, which means transitioning from one exercise to the next without putting the weight down.

One example:

• 5 single-arm kettlebell swings (with one kettlebell)
• 5 single-arm cleans
• 5 single-arm presses
• 5 squats
• 5 lunges
• Repeat on the other side

A complex is great for increasing your intensity and getting work done in less time. Beginners should master the basic moves first before trying a complex, since you need to be comfortable switching seamlessly between moves (and sometimes doing more advanced moves).

Flynn also likes the Armor Building Complex, a similar workout created by Dan John, a strength and conditioning coach with decades of experience.

With a kettlebell in each hand, perform:

• Two cleans
• One military press
• Three front squats

Repeat for a set time (say, five to 10 minutes) as long as you can maintain good form.

The rep pattern helps make sure that the bigger muscle groups like your legs are working as hard as your arms with the same weight, avoiding a common mistake in HIIT-style workouts.

The end result is a workout that offers a little bit of everything for overall fitness in a short amount of time.

"We just want to be really well-rounded, right?" Flynn said. "We want to have a good amount of strength, lean functional muscle, healthy body fat percentage, mobility, and not get injured."

• Every night between 5 and 7 p.m., my two little ones would hit an emotional wall.
• We started going on a walk with them every evening, and it helped so much.
• Adding a walk to our routine helps our family connect, and helps ease them into bedtime.

As a parent to two little ones, I dread what many call the "witching hour," the time between 5 and 7 p.m. when my 2-year-old and 4-year-old hit a wall, and I crash land behind them. When I was a new parent, the meltdowns, demands, and emotional dysregulation of my babies used to force me to revert to babyhood myself. I'd also become tearful and distraught. I even started to develop noticeable anxiety leading up to that specific time of day.

That is until I began implementing a tried-and-true parenting hack in our evening routine: a change of scenery. Yes, when my kids reached toddlerhood and turned into puddles on the floor — made of tears and flaccid bodies — I decided to switch up our environment and head outside, hoping to ease the blow of that anxiety-inducing time of day.

Our routine is important to me

We started our routine years ago, but after the disruptive summer schedule and a hurricane that made walking outdoors unsafe, our walks were put on pause for a time. I decided to re-commence our evening walks once power lines had been repaired and fallen trees removed, and as expected, there was some pushback from my preschoolers. The unwillingness to comply was a challenge. Simple acts of putting on shoes, jackets, and hats were akin to those of the trials and tribulations of a hero in a Greek myth.

But what I have found to be effective in decreasing both the length and intensity of their own emotional reactions is to speak about new habits as an exciting addition to our already-established routine.

When we return home from school pick-up, I allow my kids to watch one (or two, depending on how much time I need in the kitchen for dinner prep) episodes of a children's show. Once our meal is in the oven or turned to simmer, I announce, "It's time for our evening walk!" Then, I remind them that our evening walk is "what we do every day now, so that we can enjoy the last hour of sunshine before the moon rises and tells us that it's time to rest our bodies."

And now, as the temperatures drop and the sun sets earlier in the day, I make it a point to gear up my kids as early as possible. In the middle of the transition from indoors to outdoors, I say, "Remember, this is how we take care of our minds and our bodies."

We go for walks no matter the season, and they help us all feel better

And though we still have days where one or two or all of us are feeling out-of-sorts during the witching hour, I find our evening walk to be the spell we all need: the thing that breaks the curse and grants us the freedom to disconnect from the stresses of our day and reconnect with one another, our community, and our natural world.

During our stroll, I put my phone away. I allow my kids to choose the route, and I resist the urge to fill the air with my words. I listen. I hold their hands. I participate in their play. We say hello to our neighbors. My girls pass on treats — handed to them by other dog owners — to satisfy their furry children. We pay attention to the "treasures" that will undoubtedly appear along our path: colorful fall leaves, in-tact acorns, shiny rocks, or "really cool" tree branches.

By the time we've made our loop around the neighborhood and return home, we all feel much better. It's become the best part of my day and one I'm hellbent on practicing, even into the darkest winter months.

• Caspar Lee is an ex-YouTuber turned entrepreneur and venture capital fund owner.
• He shared his tactics for staying fit while running his own businesses and traveling often.
• These include using AI tools, walking as much as possible, and combining exercise with socializing.

Caspar Lee may no longer be a YouTuber, but he's still involved in the influencer world behind the scenes.

Lee, 30, is based in London and co-founded three companies: the marketing agency Influencer, the talent management company MVE, and the venture capital fund Creator Ventures.

With so many projects on the go, his schedule looks very different from week to week, and it can be hard to maintain a consistent fitness routine.

"I don't need to be able to run for over two hours, but I don't want to struggle if I go for a run," he told Business Insider as part of his campaign to promote Google's AI, Gemini Live. "I also do it for the mental health benefits, to be able to enjoy life, and I want to have some sort of muscle because it will be great as I get older."

Lee shared how he keeps fit to achieve these goals while running his own businesses.

Different types of exercise

Lee builds a few different types of exercise into his schedule. When he's traveling, he goes to the gym or goes on runs because it helps him manage jetlag and anxiety.

"If I'm struggling to stay awake, I'll go to the gym. Or if the next morning I'm struggling to wake up, I'll go for a run," he said. "I get a little bit anxious when I travel, and the endorphins help."

When he's not traveling, he likes to exercise at home after he gets back from work. He particularly enjoys the 20-minute workout videos by Joe Wicks on YouTube.

While he's at work, he tries to offset long periods of sitting down by doing stretches and building walking into his day.

"If I need to grab some food, I'll walk to fetch it. And instead of jumping on the Tube to get to a meeting 20 minutes away, I'll try to walk. I even try to take calls while walking. I just think walking is one of the best forms of exercise you can do and it's really underrated, so I do as much of it as I can," he said.

Making exercise social

"I'm not just someone who hangs out at the pub drinking pints. I'd rather be doing something fun," Lee said. "I love exercising with my friends."

His favorite workouts to do with friends are runs and playing golf

"I love to play golf. It's a nice 4-hour walk," he said. "And it's such a great way to make new friends and to spend time quality time with existing friends. Most weekends when I'm in England, I'll try to play golf one of the days."

He structures his workouts around playing golf, too, doing strength training early in the week and cardio later in the week so that his muscles aren't stiff for weekend golf rounds.

Lee also works out with his fiancée, the influencer Ambar Driscoll, "quite a lot," doing bodyweight exercises and walking.

AI-driven workouts

Because of all the traveling Lee does, he struggles to keep to a strict workout schedule or work with a personal trainer consistently. He said the Gemini AI structures and plans his workouts for the week.

He spends 45 minutes in the gym, doing three sets of six exercises for a particular muscle group, which he lets the AI decide.

"Yesterday I was using Gemini Live to help me because I wanted to do a fun push-up routine. It just came up with a bunch of things I could do," he said. "I probably don't put exercises together correctly, which is why I then ask Gemini 'What am I doing wrong?' and it helps."

Simple diet rules

"Generally my rules are: eat as little sugar as possible, drink as much water as possible, and get in protein," he said. "But I do love a dessert, so when I want to have sugar — like a tiramisu — I'll have it."

He makes a lot of chopped salads, he said, including tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, mangoes, dates, and walnuts.

"I'll ask Gemini Live for help with food as well. I'll say 'Look, I just came back from traveling. I'm tired. I'm jetlagged. Can you help me come up with something that's going to help with that?' And it has the most incredible recipes," he said.

• Disney CEO Bob Iger says diet and exercise are critical to doing his job well.
• Iger said he wakes up early and works out because it gets his mind and body ready for the day ahead.
• He said that exercising gives him energy and helps him to motivate others.

Disney may be known for its magic, but there's nothing mystical about one of CEO Bob Iger's tips for excelling as a leader: diet and exercise.

Iger, 73, wakes up early and works out for about an hour "for sanity and vanity purposes," he told a recent episode of the "In Good Company" podcast.

Exercising clears his head and prepares him for the day ahead, Iger said. "Staying in shape, having stamina is critical for me, and that's eating well and exercising and just taking care of my body and my mind. I could not do this job if I were not in some form of physical and mental health."

Disney is one of the biggest US companies with $90 billion-plus in annual revenues and a market value north of $200 billion.

Iger first served as CEO between 2005 and 2020, spearheading the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets. He returned to lead the company in late 2022.

He's widely credited with turning Disney into a hitmaking machine that monetizes successes like "Frozen" across movies, TV shows, theme parks, resorts, cruises, toys, clothes, and video games.

Iger, who is known to rise at 4.15 a.m., said that getting up early vitalizes him and "a great leader has to be an energetic leader."

The Disney chief emphasized he's not a machine and doesn't always come bouncing into the office.

"Look, I'm a human being, so if I'm really tired from global travel and long hours and who knows what, I'm not afraid to show that to my people, because I think that's a way of being relatable," he said. "They feel that too — it's human nature. Sometimes you feel overworked and tired."

But Iger said that "for the most part, you've got to bring your energy to your job every moment of the day, meaning every waking hour, because it's motivating," he said. "Energy is motivating."

Iger is far from the only CEO to prioritize health and fitness. Apple's Tim Cook also wakes before dawn to work out for an hour most days, while Meta's Mark Zuckerberg has taken up martial arts in recent years.

On the other hand, Warren Buffett, the 94-year-old CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, famously enjoys Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and other junk food.

• Going for a quick walk after eating really can help improve digestion and energy, a dietitian says.
• Walking helps to control blood sugar levels and circulates nutrients.
• Keeping to a healthy routine can make you more likely to maintain other healthy habits, too.

Taking a short stroll after a meal can help you avoid the post-feast slump and set you up for a healthy habits during the holidays, according to a dietitian.

Walking after you eat can help increase energy, improve digestion, and control blood sugar levels, said Nicholas Fischer, registered dietitian for MedStar Health.

As a seasonal tradition, a quick walk can be a great stepping stone for staying active as you enjoy more rich holiday food and might otherwise be more sedentary during the colder, darker months.

"You're getting that blood pumping, you're giving your body a chance to circulate nutrients," Fischer said. "If you sit on the couch all day, you're more likely to be stiff and tired whereas if you get up, your body is more ready and able to move."

Even five minutes of walking can have major benefits

You don't have to hike for miles after Thanksgiving to get the benefits of a holiday walk.

"People can start with what they can do, a five minute walk, and they can build on it," Fischer said.

Research suggests that as little as 500 extra steps a day translates to better heart health and lower risk of some illnesses.

There's also no need to think of walking as a way to compensate for indulging, since it should be something that feels good and not like a chore.

"People should enjoy this time, it's one meal out of the whole year," he said.

Feeling more energized and alert after a walking is a great incentive to keep moving throughout the season, which in turn can make it easier to stick to other healthy habits without waiting for New Year's resolutions.

"If people have a consistent walking routine or habit, they likely have other healthy habits that have a compounding interest effect," Fischer said.

• A bodybuilder said he stopped skipping warm-ups, and it's led to better results in the gym.
• A 5-minute warm-up can help improve muscle activation and reduce injury risk.
• Adding weights to a warm-up can lead to better performance, research suggests.

A bodybuilder said a four-part warm-up with some weightlifting helps him get the most out of his workouts to build muscle and strength.

Andre Adams, a National Academy of Sports Medicine Master trainer, competes in the International Federation of Bodybuilding pro league.

Adams said taking even a few minutes to warm-up and working in a few sets of moderate weight can translate to better movement.

This can be especially important for anyone hitting the gym after working at a desk job, since sitting all day can create tension and muscle imbalances.

"Skipping a warm-up is way more common that you think. I've been guilty of it too, everyone's on a time crunch," he told Business Insider said. "It doesn't have to be lengthy, it can be five minutes, it's just performing the right movements for the workout."

A quick four-part warm-up includes foam rolling and body weight exercise

Adams said typically spends about five minutes warming up with muscle activations, followed by five minutes of light cardio.

Jumping right into a workout can increase risk of injury, which may not happen right away but can build up over time, causing persistent aches and pains.

A warm-up is also important to prepare the muscles and joints to work effectively so you can maintain the highest quality movement possible.

"When I was younger and my body was much more resilient I would often times skip warm-ups all together and get away with it. However, over time as I aged this lead to pain, muscle imbalances, unproductive workouts and ultimately injuries and setbacks," he said.

Now he warms up by following four steps recommended by the NASM:

Inhibit — the first step is to reduce tension and calm down overactive or tight muscles, usually by foam rolling.

Lengthen — next is some stretching, which can be static (holding a stretch) or dynamic, with movement. For a typical leg day, Adams said he might do some standing hip circles.

Activate — priming the right muscle groups, often with bodyweight exercise. To target the glutes for leg day, for instance, Adams does glute bridge marches.

Integrate — putting it all together with compound exercises similar to what you'll be doing in the workout. This can include bodyweight movements like squats. It can (and should) also include exercise with weights, but at a slightly lower intensity than your working sets.

Adding weights to a warm-up can boost performance

A small recent study found athletes who lifted heavier for a warm-up — at 80% of their 10-rep max — were able to lift more during their workout and perform better.

"Making the right decisions during the warm-up can significantly enhance training performance," study author Igor Nasser, professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, told Business Insider. "In our study, it was clear that the strategy of applying greater intensity during the warm-up sets leads to better outcomes than using lighter loads, which is more commonly practiced."

It confirms what bodybuilders already know — that not going heavy enough on the warm-up can leave gains on the table, according to Adams.

"You haven't activated as much muscle fiber as you could have," he said.

That doesn't mean going all-out. Adams said for a working weight of 200 pounds, a warm-up might involve one set at 100 pounds, following by a set at 150 pounds before the main event.

Taking the time for all parts of the process only adds a few minutes to a workout, and can boost performance, improve range of motion, and prevent injury.

"It's not just making the muscle fibers activate, it's making the body work as a system, and that's why we have to do those four steps," Adams said.

• Comedian Kumail Nanjiani said working out is a key part of his self-care routine on tour.
• He books hotels based on which have the best gym, including machines like a leg press.
• Nanjiani said he steers clear of hotels that don't put much effort into their gyms.

Kumail Nanjiani said making time to hit the gym is a big priority even as he's juggling a busy schedule for his stand-up tour.

"I love it very much. I need it. I can't do without working out now and I do it most days when I'm on the road," Nanjiani told Business Insider in an interview about his partnership with Quest Nutrition.

The comedian and actor said he chooses hotels on tour based on what the hotel gym looks like, so he knows his favorite gym machines will be available and he can plan his workouts ahead of time.

"I'm like this all the time. When Emily and I go out to dinner, I already know what I'm going to get because I've looked at the menu," he said. "When I'm walking into a gym in the hotel, I know exactly what they have, what I'm going to do, and how long it's going to take.

The routine helps him fit an hour-long workout between checking into the hotel and getting to his show, with time to spare for a little relaxation.

Nanjiani's ideal gym has a leg press and shoulder press machine

Nanjiani said the two pieces of fitness equipment he's most excited to see in a hotel gym are a leg press and a shoulder press machine.

"If I can have one or both of those, to me there's nothing better than that," he said.

While Nanjiani's home gym is equipped with some weights, using a leg press is a treat. It offers the advantage of targeting the glutes, hamstrings, and quads from multiple angles.

"I love a leg press machine. I have a gym at my house, a very small gym. It doesn't have a leg press machine, so I'm doing squats," he said.

The actor is also a fan of heavy dumbbells, and said he looks for a rack that goes up to 60 or 70 pounds.

But his go-to for upper body exercise is the shoulder press machine because it helps ensure safety and good form even at higher intensities.

"You can really go heavy weight and not be afraid of dropping the dumbbell on your head," Nanjiani said.

There's one fitness machine that's a dealbreaker, though. Nanjiani isn't a fan of the multipurpose combo of a pull-down, fly, and leg machine all in one, since it makes it hard to do any of those exercises well.

"There's one piece of equipment that a lot of hotels have that they clearly got some deal on," he said. "I think that that machine is absolute trash. If I look at a hotel gym and they have that one specific machine, I know not to go. I know they haven't put any thought into their gym."

• Besides taking Mounjaro, a weight-loss drug, Jim Gaffigan found that gardening benefited his health.
• He said gardening encouraged him to eat healthier and helped him achieve his fitness goals.
• Incorporating more vegetables into the diet can increase happiness, according to a nutrition expert

Jim Gaffigan's hack to eating more greens is to grow them himself.

In an interview with Men's Health published on Tuesday, the comedian opened up about his weight loss.

"I've always been kind of a compulsive eater," he said in the magazine's "Eat Like" video segment. "The whole concept of eating healthy and living healthy is very foreign to me. It took a while for me to kind of climb on board that," he added.

Gaffigan, 58, said he decided to live healthier when he noticed his metabolism slowing.

"Big thing that made me eat healthier is I started gardening," he added. "That was a big change. Now I love it. I can achieve some fitness goals, believe it or not, puttering around the garden."

Gardening has also encouraged him to eat better. "Growing vegetables makes you more interested in consuming those vegetables, which makes you healthier, which makes you kind of look at what you're consuming, which makes fast food look like the crap that it is," he said.

Gaffigan posts his gardening projects on Instagram. In a July post, he gives his followers a tour of his garden, where he grows onions, cucumbers, beans, and artichokes.

Gaffigan, whose stand-up special "The Skinny" is out on Friday, also said he uses Mounjaro to help him lose weight. Mounjaro is the brand name for Tirzepatide, a prescription drug used to treat type 2 diabetes and manage weight loss.

"Most of our lives we've been told, Just control your appetite. Just stop being a fucking pig," he said. "The reality is, we can't. Maybe our brains are a little wonky or whatever. I think that in some ways, the appetite suppressants are this justification for people who have compulsive eating, that they're not weak — that some of it can be fixed."

Since his doctor suggested taking the drug two years ago, Gaffigan has lost 50 pounds. "I feel good," he told People. "I'm just grateful because it's such a better life."

A representative for Gaffigan did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Sneaking more greens in your diet

A way to sneak more greens into your diet is to try the 80/20 rule, where 80% of your food is healthy, and you can be more flexible with the other 20%.

BI's Rebecca Harrington tried the rule on her salad in August last year. She sneaked treats like rice, potato chips, cheese, and breadcrumbs into her salad bowl.

"It's hard to eat perfectly all the time, but trying to make the vast majority of foods that you eat nutrient-dense, whole ones is generally going to be effective," she wrote.

Naomi Whittel, a nutrition expert and author of the wellness book "Glow15," previously told Business Insider that another hack to increase vegetable intake is to add a handful of spinach when you're heating up leftovers or making a smoothie.

"As vegetables increase in the diet, happiness might be a change that is noticed before specific physical changes in the body, so I always tell people to consider eating vegetables an investment in happiness," she said.