The Daily Valet. - 10/1/22, Saturday
✔️ Weekend Reading: The Stuntman's Morning Routine
Weekend of October 1st
This guy is cool, adventurous and does the stunts that Hollywood’s leading men can’t. Honestly, I want to be Riley Harper.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Weekend Reading
The Stuntman’s Morning Routine
Getting up early and taking care of his body is the key to success
Riley Harper was born to be adventurous. It's in his blood. His grandfather was a pilot who did some flying in early Hollywood movies. His father and uncle followed in their dad's footsteps and got involved in stunt work to pay for their hobbies like motocross. Riley says it's like growing up in a family of musicians—eventually you pick up an instrument and start playing. Skilled behind the wheel and on a motorcycle, you've seen Riley tearing across the screen in some of the year's most buzzed-about films, from The Batman to Top Gun: Maverick.
But when the cameras stop rolling, Riley doesn't slow down. In fact, he usually picks up his camera. An avid traveler, he's always shooting with his trusty Leica for his popular Instagram and is now lensing campaigns for a slew of brands. And when he's got free time, he's working on product designs for his brand called Nostalgia Killer. “It started out as just a fun thing to experiment with, but it has done quite well so far.” Riley's an inspiration for why you should chase your passions and create the life you want to live. It's hard to catch this guy, but we had to know how he starts his day and gets so much accomplished.
I like to get up early.I'm definitely more of a morning person than a night owl. The morning sets the path for my whole day, so I generally wake up between 6:30 and 7 am.
Sleep is important so I really prioritize it.I really try to get around nine hours a night whenever I can. So I go to bed relatively early most nights.
No alarm clock needed (usually).My internal clock is pretty spot on, although when I get back home from traveling and my time zones are a bit off I sometimes set an alarm to make sure I get back into my routine with no hiccups. No snooze for me ... but I do like to set a few alarms which is basically a pre-planned snooze button!
My nightstand is fairly functional.I've got a white noise machine (imperative for my sleep quality), a small lamp, my phone charger and usually a bottle of water. I've also got Ryan Holiday's book, The Daily Stoic on there.
Making my bed is not guaranteed.Honestly, it depends on the day. I'm definitely not strict about it, but I try to most mornings.
My dogs usually attack me first thing in the morning.They're ready to go as soon as I wake up, so I take them downstairs and feed them straight away, and take them out to do their business. But the first person I speak to is my girlfriend Paige, normally via phone as she's already gone to workout or work by the time I wake up.
Then I like to make my coffee and think about the day ahead.I get my coffee going and try to go directly into the sunlight and sit on some chairs I have in my backyard in then sun. I sit and read my Daily Stoic book to set the pace for my day. Each page is a day of the year and they have little things to think about during the day. It gives me a really clean mental slate by doing it instead of scouring social media.
The pandemic didn’t change my routine too much.I think I've changed more what I prioritize and it gave me time to think about what I need to focus on more and prioritize in my daily routine. In that way, it was a bit of a reset.
I’m pretty particular about my coffee.Right now, I'm using a Nespresso machine and using Laird Super Foods coffee creamer and functional mushrooms stirred into my coffee. If I'm running out the door for work, I'll stop at my local coffee shop, 10 Speed Coffee in Calabasas, and get a Cortado.
I’m not much of a breakfast guy.I have my coffee and maybe tackle some work emails, but I love working out on an empty stomach. I feel way more in tune when doing so. If I don't workout with my trainer, I'll just go to the gym solo.
I’ve got to work out in the morning.I truly hate working out in the afternoon. I have a trainer who I've been working with for a year now. He is also a physical therapist who helped me rebuild my shoulder when I tore my 2nd labrum and broke my back in April of 2020 [editor's note: the occupational hazards of being a stuntman]. Now we workout usually two to three times a week and do a lot of strength training and mobility. I've never felt better. I have a lot of injuries so it's important to me to work on mobility and real functional movements to prevent any more. I also go to the gym by myself and do simple lifting and stretching on my in-between days and I sauna at my house almost every day of the week that my schedule allows.
My day is planned both digitally and analog.My girlfriend got me into hand writing a to-do list in the morning, which I go back and forth on doing when I have tons of tiny tasks to get through. But for bigger things, I schedule those using my phone calendar.
My grooming routine is simple but targeted. I keep it quick—brush my teeth, hit of deodorant, some facial lotion and I'm out the door. I also believe that good nutrition is key for healthy skin. For my hair, I usually just comb it when I get out of the shower and let it air dry and do its thing—adding product only when it's needed. Sunscreen's important and every now and then I'll trim up my facial hair.
Clockwise, from top left: SPF 50 sunscreen lotion, $9.77 by Sun Bum Energizing moisturizer, $38 by Shisheido Men+Care 48-Hour deodorant, $5.99 by Dove Beeswax lip balm, $3.49 by Burt’s Bees Classic pomade, $20 by Byrd Comprehensive supplement powder, $99 by Athletic Greens Invictus cologne, $100 by Paco Rabanne The Daily Stoic, $16.81 by Ryan Holiday Repair and Protect toothpaste, $6.49 by Sensodyne Soft bristle toothbrush, $6.99 (for two-pack) by Moon
When it comes to getting dressed, I just wing it.I'm not much of a planner when it comes to my style. If I'm on a normal at-home schedule, I live in workout clothes most of the day, if I'm just running around doing my thing. Then for other stuff like work events, I just dress pretty classic and simple.
Never leave home without ...
M11 rangefinder camera, $8,995 by Leica
My Leica M11. It’s the best camera and I love having it with me at almost all times.
See you Monday.
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