Usher has shared surprising details about his weekly fitness routine and diet.
The R&B singer, 45, opened up about his health and wellness regimen in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on June 17. Speaking to the outlet ahead of his “Past, Present, Future” tour, which kicks off in August, Usher revealed why he doesn’t eat any meals on Wednesdays.
“I fast, not for religious purposes, but it’s something my grandmother practiced,” he said. “I fast on Wednesdays. I typically try to start around 11pm the previous day, then go the entire day on Wednesday just drinking water.”
In fact, the “Yeah!” singer revealed that he doesn’t eat at all until he’s done some physical activity in the morning. When he does eat breakfast, his go-to meal tends to be eggs, though he doesn’t have a preference on how they’re cooked.
“I sometimes eat eggs scrambled with cheese,” Usher said. “For the most part, I like them poached or over easy. But I don’t like to eat breakfast before I’ve worked out or done something physical: taking a walk, stretching or doing yoga, sitting in the sun and raising my body’s natural heat levels. Then I eat.”
Before eating breakfast, however, Usher revealed that the first thing he does after waking up in the morning is give himself enough time to meditate and self-reflect.
“I try to wake up early enough to have a moment of reflection. Some days I may grab a book and read to stimulate my mind. I may sit quietly and meditate,” he revealed. “One thing that is a frequent practice is yoga. It really does help to activate my organs and get my mind moving in the right direction – as Tony Robbins would say, ‘make my move,’ you know what I mean?
Instead of drinking coffee to wake him up, the father of four opts for celery juice and a “concoction of lemon, ginger, water, and cayenne pepper” served hot.
Back in February, the “My Boo” singer turned heads with his show-stopping Super Bowl halftime performance. As Usher reflected on training for the halftime show, which he described as the “hardest 15 minutes that I’ll ever have in my life,” he explained how preparing for the biggest night in football required him to work out every day and maintain a low-carb diet.
“Being able to go after [the halftime show] the way that I needed to do – vocally, energetically, spiritually and physically – it did call for me to consistently work out every day. I didn’t really have the time to do a lot of other things,” Usher shared. “I was remedying my body the night before and waking up the next day and eating a very regimented, low-carb diet.”
As for his routine in the gym, the singer shared that he begins his workout with walking or knee activations and reverse walking to “engage my quads, my knees and glutes.” Usher explained that he also enjoys swimming to stay fit, as well as bike riding and weight lifting.