Hoda Kotb is starting off the day with a sweat session – in her workout gear. In a new social media post the morning show host shows off her strong body in exercise clothes while discussing her routine with her followers. “Good am! Starting my morning with a workout #todaystheday .. and @celinedion,” she captioned the Instagram videos. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.
1. Meditation
Hoda “started meditating," she told Hello in 2023. "Never, in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would meditate. I can't sit still. I thought, 'this isn't for me'." She manages to slip in sessions despite her busy schedule. "If I want to get a little pick me up, I can meditate when my girls have ballet. It's 45 minutes when I can't watch them. So, they're in a room and I'm sat outside. All of a sudden, I was like, 'Oh my gosh. I'm doing this. I'm doing this right now.’” She is a big believer in the benefits. "I didn't realize that when your mind quiets you get this clarity and the energy. I didn't know it worked that way. But it really does." Why should you meditate? “When you meditate, you may clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress,” says the Mayo Clinic. Benefits include:
- Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
- Building skills to manage your stress
- Increasing self-awareness
- Focusing on the present
- Reducing negative emotions
- Increasing imagination and creativity
- Increasing patience and tolerance
- Lowering resting heart rate
- Lowering resting blood pressure
- Improving sleep quality
2. Tea
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Hoda is a tea drinker. “Every morning, I make a lemon-ginger tea with a bunch of real lemons squeezed in it and a ginger cube — those frozen ones they have at Trader Joe’s,” she told First for Women. “They’re sold in a tiny ice tray, and each one has a ginger cube in it. I just pop it in with hot water, and before I start my day, I’ll drink that or pour it over ice. I don’t know what it does, but it makes me feel alive, great, clearer!”
3. Spinning
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Hoda is a fan of spin class. “I do ‘Sundays with Love’ spin bike classes, which are exercise but with an inspirational element thrown in. They make me feel strong, connected and alive!” she told First for Women. The Cleveland Clinic explains that biking, a low-impact aerobic exercise, is great for building muscle, improving strength and flexibility, and improving balance. It can also boost mental health and help other health conditions, including arthritis.
4. Early Morning Workouts
Hoda gets her sweat sessions in very early. “The thing I have to do each day is exercise, whether it’s a walk in Central Park or a workout,” she told First for Women. Why should you consider exercising in the morning? It may boost heart health benefits, a 2022 study determined, while another study tied morning sweat sessions to better sleep and psychological function. A third study published in Obesity linked morning workouts to a lower BMI compared to those who worked out in the afternoon or evening.
5. Walking
Hoda also enjoys walking. “And I like being outside. When you’re in a gym, it doesn’t have the same effect. But being outside and seeing life — it feeds the soul and the body!” she told First. Going for a daily walk can be a game changer in terms of exercise, especially at a brisk speed. One study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that walking at a brisk pace for about 30 minutes a day led to a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia and death, compared with walking a similar number of steps but at a slower pace.
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