British soccer star David Beckham may not be dominating midfield anymore since retiring from the sport over a decade ago, but the drive that led him to three FIFA world cups remains the same.
“I wasn’t the most talented player on the pitch, but I knew that I worked harder than anyone else,” he tells Fortune. “That’s the one thing that I take into being a father, being a husband, and obviously, being in business … I’ve been an athlete for a long time, and I feel that I still am an athlete in my head anyway.”
Beckham, who has launched a clothing line, and owns professional sports teams and a production company, was in New York this week to launch IM8, the new supplement company he co-founded that targets gut health, immunity, and longevity.
“It excited me because we want to make a difference,” says Beckham, on why he put his name behind the wellness brand, which is a collaboration with biotech company Prenetics to develop supplements for healthy aging. He’s been taking the company’s 92-ingredient powder supplement for the last six months, he says. The products, which list their full ingredients, are third-party tested, per the company website. “We want to help people feel healthy and feel better and live a healthier, longer life,” he says.
In the wake of his latest wellness business endeavor, Beckham shares a typical day-in-the-life balancing family, work, and well-being.
David Beckham’s daily routine
Beckham, an early bird, is the first to rise in the morning.
“I’m already downstairs preparing breakfast for our daughter, Harper, before she goes to school. She comes down at around 7:20 a.m., eats her breakfast, and it’s probably either oatmeal or sometimes she has a piece of toast. She always has a matcha, which I make. She only likes daddy’s matcha.”
Following the morning meal, Beckham drives Harper to school before taking his supplements and completing his workout, which consists mainly of heavy weights, because at age 49, he knows strength training can help combat age-related muscle loss.
“When I was a player, I never did any lifting of any weight because that wasn’t my thing,” he says. “I bulk up a little bit, and that’s what I enjoy doing … I don’t do as much running anymore.”
Beckham then goes to the office before picking his daughter up from school, eating dinner, and hitting the hay early, aside from the occasional evening movie.
Sleep, he says, is his ultimate longevity hack, and with good reason (getting quality sleep can help people live longer and stave off the risk of chronic conditions). Beckham started prioritizing his sleep after noticing how his lack of it negatively impacted his energy and alertness.
“One of my things that I’ve tried to change for longevity is my sleep,” he says. “I always felt that I didn’t need that much sleep, but it then changes when you have a really good night’s sleep. You have eight or nine hours, and you realize how important it is.”
For more on aging well:
- Being a morning person comes with major benefits for your brain and body. 5 ways to become one
- 5 ways to reduce your dementia risk as study estimates U.S. cases could double by 2060
- Long-living blue zone diets are fueling the latest superfood craze: Beans
