We would all love to fight like Floyd, think like Kobe, and jump like Jordan. So why can’t we? Well, we can.
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve researched the everyday, hourly lives of these incredible humans, seeing if I can spot the habit, the switch which changes you and me into a much more disciplined and organized person.
In this article, we will look at their ‘code’, the 3 key habits, and essential parts of their routines that make them great.
Their ‘code’ can be broken down easily, into just 3 Key Components:
Sleep
Structure
Diet
Sleep
1/5 people are awake at 5:30. Why am I saying this? Because every single one of these 6 great athletes are already awake at this time too, but sleep for these great individuals isn’t just about when they wake up or go to sleep. It’s much more than that.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the winner against Spain, 2018 Euro Championship.
Take Ronaldo for example, who still strives to be the best on the pitch even at the age of 37. He does this through his sleep schedule. Ronaldo rarely sleeps through a full night, instead taking small hour-and-a-half naps throughout the day, this leaves him plenty of time to focus on his sport instead of sleep (this ‘less-sleep’ mindset was also heavily preached by Kobe Bryant).
We can take two things from Ronaldo’s sleep schedule:
The Importance of Using Your Time Productively
The Power of Naps
After looking closely at all 6 athletes' sleep schedules one thing stood out to me, the power of naps.
We all get tired in the afternoon and consequently become much less productive, but what if this didn’t have to be the case? Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Sir Isaac Newton all took regular naps throughout their day. So what makes naps so widely used by successful people?
The Science Behind Naps:
“Naps Reduce Fatigue, Increase Alertness and Improve Memory”. — NHS.
The power of naps is still somewhat a secret. This gives millionaires, athletes, and you a clear advantage over everyone else. Most people wake up in the morning and proceed with their days. Then what happens… They become tired and less productive, and all that they can think about is sleep, sleep, sleep. Hence only being productive for half a day, imagine if you could do 2x more work than everyone else. Where would you be? Promoted, the boss, or even the CEO of your own business.
Ok, so how long should I nap for?
30-90 Minutes
In a study conducted by John Hopkins, he found that “People who napped for 30 to 90 minutes had better word recall and memory than people who didn’t or napped for longer than 90 minutes”. Hopkins goes on to call a nap the ‘golden 30–90 minutes’, he also found that nappers were better at figurative drawing and cognitive skills.
So, put simply.
Take Naps.
Now that we’ve looked at their sleeping patterns, let’s look at what helps them stay disciplined and keep improving. Structure.
Structure
Are you highly motivated and disciplined?
No.
The stereotype of all legendary sportsmen and just successful people, in general, is that they are highly structured and disciplined, while this is true for the most part some are not disciplined at all. The structure of their days depends on their different personality types:
Spontaneous
Strict
Let’s look at some examples.
Strict
The only thing I can control is how hard I work — Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant. The LA Lakers basketball superstar is renowned for his incredible work ethic and discipline. So what does his schedule look like?
Kobe was obviously highly-disciplined, so for a strict schedule to work you must be too. His famous schedule was named ‘666’ because he worked out for 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, and 6 months a year.
Kobe’s day was split into 2-hour stints of basketball, track work, and weightlifting. He religiously entered the gym at 6 am every morning, then left to drop off his kids before returning for practice, starting at 10:30 am.
Obviously, Kobe’s routine is fairly extreme but, we can still take away some key points. When studying the routines of Kobe and other sportsmen like him there were 2 patterns that emerged.
All disciplined athletes wake up extremely early, getting ahead of their competition.
No successful athletes practice for less than 1 and a half hours at a time.
Spontaneous
What if I’m not super disciplined? Not to worry, most people aren’t. For example, look at Conor McGregor.
‘The Notorious’, Conor McGregor.
The Irish UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, Conor McGregor was the first fighter to hold UFC championships in 2 weight classes at the same time. He openly talks about wanting his training to be ‘spontaneous and free-flowing’ when interviewed:
“For me, I notice other people needing to be in the gym at 12am to 1:30pm then come back a set-time. I don’t do that”
His personal trainer John Kavanagh also preaches the benefits of a spontaneous workout routine as he says Conor ‘Reaps and benefits many rewards from it’.
But why does it work so well for some but not for others? Conor is highly motivated and passionate about his sport, driving him to wake up at times like 4 am and train so hard.
A spontaneous schedule can work very well for some, but you have to be honest with yourself because if your passion and motivation is low then you won’t get very far with this ‘free-flowing’ schedule and should consider taking a more ‘strict’ approach.
Now that we have covered 2 approaches you can take to your day and how much sleep you should be getting. Let's look at what foods fuel their self-development and improvement.
Diet
All athletes are famous for the careful treatment of what enters their bodies. This is also known as a Diet.
When looking at all 6 of these incredible athletes, one habit kept re-emerging, a careful and healthy diet. All athletes ate 3 main meals a day: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, and all emphasized the importance of eating all 3 meals.
A healthy diet and meal are made up of 6 ingredients: fruits and veg, carbs, meat, fats, and dairy products. So, what goes into 3 carefully planned athlete's meals…
Micheal Jordan’s Breakfast
Everybody knows of Micheal Jordan, but not many know about his secret formulae. Breakfast. Jordan’s breakfasts change regularly but some things remain the same (this is his menu, not one breakfast):
Oatmeal mixed with blueberries, strawberries, and raisins.
Scrambled Eggs
Orange Juice
Finally, a fitness shake made with Gatorade, protein powder, and more fresh fruit.
Floyd Mayweather’s Lunch
After eating one of Jordan’s breakfasts I don’t think many would be ready for lunch, especially Floyd Mayweather’s. Mayweather preaches the benefits of what he calls ‘good meats’ like chicken, salmon, and steak. He also, like many mums loves good vegetables. So what's on his lunch menu:
Chicken, Salmon, or Steak.
Green Vegetables like asparagus, salad, and broccoli.
Fruit (banana, oranges, and apples).
LeBron James’s ‘King’ Dinner
The ‘King’, LeBron James unlike most, doesn’t like red meats, he prefers leaner meats such as turkey, salmon, and chicken. LeBron also really likes dessert, but what’s on the ‘Kings’ dinner plate…
Turkey, Salmon, and Prawns
Chicken Pasta
Salad
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream!
To live a much healthier and cleaner life just pick from these 3 options: Eat meals off these great athletes menu’s, plan your own individual meals with our free planner or follow our 30-day simple meal plan.
If you just pick a few meals from these great athlete’s menus you will live a much better life. Or, gain access to our many free meal plans and planners here to feel healthy and clean forever.
Conclusion
Now you know the athletes ‘code’ of success, their 3 key components to living a more disciplined and successful life:
Sleep
Structure
Diet
If you only act on one of these principles for as little as a month, you will quickly see their amazing impacts on your life. To read more self-improvement and personal development content sign up for our newsletter. Thanks for reading and never stop improving!