“
I never leave home without my chapstick. Chapped lips are the most uncomfortable thing in the world."
My Morning Routine
⇾ Ronnie Woo,
Personal Chef and TV Personality
Waking up and staying motivated with the celebrity chef.
It doesn't seem fair that Ronnie Woo is constantly eating indulgent food while flaunting his six pack on his popular Instagram. Then again, the guy works hard at both, so why not enjoy them? Woo is the type that doesn't do anything half-assed. After traveling the world as a model, he decided to go back to school to get not one, but two Masters degrees simultaneously—an MBA and a Masters in Marriage & Family Therapy. After graduation he started questioning his life's path. "I had a moment where I asked myself what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life," says Woo. "Becoming a chef was almost too obvious because I love food, too bad I didn't have this moment before spending all that time and money on school." He put the same tenacity and sweat equity into his culinary career and now is a private chef, cooking for the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba, while hosting a television series and sharing recipes on his site, The Delicious Cook. We caught up with Woo as he was prepping a new digital series, "Craving Jetlag," that will premiere this fall on his YouTube channel.
The Series
Those moments between turning off the alarm and getting into our work routine can be the most defining 60 minutes of our day. Benjamin Franklin set a day's worth of plans by 5 am and Steve Jobs asked a simple question: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" Our rituals are a reflection of us. So we've ventured out to discover how some of our most influential and fruitful peers get started.
My Routine
I'm not really a morning person.
But I try to wake up around 8 am. To be honest, I tend to stay up pretty late either from cooking at an event or doing the prep for a coming event. I shoot for seven hours of sleep, but I usually get about six.
I also prep my day the night before.
I actually do most of my mental wind-down and preparation the night before to make my morning as easy as possible. Of course, this is probably also why I go to bed so late. But this way, when I wake up, I can get straight to work.
I'm a dedicated dog dad.
So the first thing I do when I get out of bed is feed the dogs and let them out to do their business. Then I spend a little time going over my day's schedule before responding to important emails. When that's done, I will wash my face, brush my teeth and complete my skin regimen.
The dogs are my favorite part of the morning.
It just makes me happy that they get so excited to eat! I can appreciate that. And afterwards, I'm ready to just go straight to my office and get started on work.
I'm not a huge coffee drinker.
Instead, I drink matcha green tea. If I have time, I'll make a matcha latte, otherwise I will just mix it with some filtered water and sip on it throughout the morning. Personally, I find that it gives me more focused energy than coffee.
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I love a giant bowl of warm slow-cooked oatmeal for breakfast.
I'll make it with a splash of half n' half and maple syrup. That is the absolute best! But that takes time to make, so often I'll just eat a hard-boiled egg, a banana and an apple—which is a lot more portable too.
I'm all about to-do lists.
I don't know why but I just love crossing things off of lists. I like getting everything off my mind and onto a list so I can categorize it, organize it and conquer. Honestly, I love lists so much I think I might be OCD.
I don't like working out in the morning.
I prefer to train in the early afternoon. I've got more energy then and it allows me to get emails and paperwork done in the morning, so I feel accomplished and not like there's all this work waiting for me. It also leaves me time to finish any additional prep for my night's events.
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My grooming is pretty simple.
I'm not big on heavy fragrances. I actually don't wear deodorant because I literally smell like nothing. And I almost never wear cologne. The rest of my grooming regimen is a mix of high-low staples.
Clockwise, from top left
Extra-Firming eye balm,
$64 by Clarins
UV Plus Anti-Pollution Sunscreen SPF 50,
$43 by Clarins
Biotin and Vitamin C gummies,
$7.99 by Nature Made
Classic Clean shampoo,
$3.67 by Head and Shoulders
Strawberry lip balm,
$1.99 by ChapStick
Pronamel toothpaste,
$5.92 by Sonsodyne
Extra Firm Control hairspray,
$4.99 by TRESemme
Moisturizing cream,
$7.60 by Cetaphil
Extra-Firming
eye balm,
$64 by Clarins
UV Plus Anti-Pollution
Sunscreen SPF 50,
$43 by Clarins
Moisturizing cream,
$7.60 by Cetaphil
Pronamel
toothpaste,
$5.92 by
Sonsodyne
Strawberry
lip balm,
$1.99 by
ChapStick
Classic Clean
shampoo, $3.67
by Head and Shoulders
Biotin and Vitamin C
gummies, $7.99 by
Nature Made
Extra Firm Control hairspray,
$4.99 by TRESemme
“Great for strengthening sensitive teeth.”
“I wash my hands a lot, and this keeps them from drying out.”
I travel a lot, and you have to find what works for you.
Depending on the reason for my trip, my routine differs. If I'm gone for a TV appearance, my morning routine is quick and specific. I wake up early, brush my teeth, drink some matcha and then go to the gym for at least 90 minutes. Then I will drink more matcha green tea, shower, get ready and head to set. But, if I'm on vacation, I don't have a routine—and that's deliberate. I love sleeping in and then going straight to a big indulgent breakfast. I like to take a break from the gym when I'm on holiday and allow myself to eat whatever I want. It's all about balance, right?
You'll usually find me in comfy athleisure.
It's what I wear most days of the week. But if I am doing TV or have meetings, I put on my good underwear and try to dress up a little more.
Always in His Pocket
