Whether he's playing on the tennis court or kite surfing, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson stays very active throughout the day. Nour Photo/Getty Images
Richard Branson is the 73-year-old founder of Virgin Group.
His daily routine is full of sports, from tennis to cycling to kite surfing.
It all happens on the private island in the British Virgin Islands where he lives.
Richard Branson may be 73 years old, but his daily routine is remarkably active, at any age.
He starts and ends his day playing tennis, kite surfing and cycling in between.
Branson is the billionaire founder of Virgin, a conglomerate that includes companies in industries including travel, telecommunications, entertainment, space and more. Some of its largest companies include airline Virgin Atlantic, wireless service provider Virgin Mobile, hospitality chain Virgin Hotels, and spaceflight company Virgin Galactic.
Here's a closer look at Branson's daily routine.
Branson wakes up around 5 or 6 a.m
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“Waking up early gives me enough time to process things and plan my day effectively,” he wrote in a 2014 blog post.
“The reason I like to wake up early is so I can deal with my emails before most of the world logs on,” he wrote in a 2017 letter. Blog post. “Living in the British Virgin Islands [British Virgin Islands]”I like to be online early, so that I can be reached and available to our offices in other time zones.”
Virgin Group told Business Insider that he had recently taken to taking daily ice baths in the morning.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Ice baths have become popular in recent years, including among celebrities and some Silicon Valley tech executives, such as Twitter co-founder and Block CEO Jack Dorsey.
He said in an interview that Branson goes “to play a tough singles tennis match” around 6:15 a.m interview With Australia's News.com.au in December.
Then he'll move on to his next sport, weather permitting: kite surfing.
Paul Kane/Stringer/Getty Images
Branson famously kitesurfed with model, Denny Parkinson, naked on his back in 2009, for a photo shoot that he later said was the idea of a photographer who was dating Parkinson.
Branson also took up kitesurfing with former President Barack Obama in 2017.
He'll stop for breakfast afterward, which will likely include at least one cup of tea.
Richard Branson. Reuters/Olivia Harris
“To keep me active, I drink a lot of tea. I have 20 cups of tea a day – don't tell my doctor!” he wrote in his 2017 blog post.
Virgin told BI his favorite food is a decaf English breakfast, and he “feels great since stopping caffeine”.
He wrote in a separate article that he usually eats “something high in fibre, like muesli and fruit, to fuel my daily adventures.” Blog post.
After breakfast, he takes a walk on the 74-acre private island where he lives.
Bakr
Branson bought Necker Island, in the British Virgin Islands, in the late 1970s for just $180,000.
As he walks, his assistant reads his emails. He will also sit down with his assistant at other times throughout the day “to answer whatever else comes up,” he wrote in his 2017 blog.
In between emails and calls, he follows the news, which sometimes prompts him to write blogs on various issues.
However, there are more workouts waiting for you when Branson hits the gym.
Paul Kane/Getty Images
He will spend about 20 minutes or so exercising.
He spends some time “socializing with our guests” before lunch and doing some work afterward.
Tropic of Virgo
He often schedules meetings over lunch.
“I'm not a fan of formal meetings and much prefer to lighten the mood with a shared meal, or if time is tight, a walking meeting,” he wrote in his 2017 blog post.
At night, Branson might go cycling on the neighboring island before heading to the tennis court again.
A man (not Richard Branson) rides a bike. Pixel Deluxe/Getty Images
He told News.com.au he likes to do a couple of “extreme” bike rides a week, and also enjoys a good game of chess from time to time.
One of his recent bike rides got a little extreme, like Branson to publish On Instagram he “hit a pothole and crashed badly.”
Branson likes to end his day with a group dinner.
Roberto Finizio/Getty Images
He wrote in his 2017 blog post that he views dinners as a place “where stories are shared and ideas are born.” Branson carries a notebook with him everywhere he goes to write down such ideas that come to his mind.
Some of his favorite foods are – you guessed it – traditional British cuisine. He's a fan of egg sandwiches, stews, shepherd's pie and British toast, according to a 2015 post on the Virgin Group website.
It usually comes at night around 11pm
Sir Richard Branson stands on the wing of a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 at Heathrow Airport. Steve Parsons – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images
“I need about six hours of sleep, and I do it again — a little differently — the next day,” he wrote in his blog in 2017.
