Martha Stewart is the original lifestyle entrepreneur. At 84 years old, the founder of Martha Stewart Living, bestselling cookbook author, and television host remains one of the most active and recognizable figures in American culture. In 2023, she became the oldest person to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, a milestone that put her commitment to physical wellness in sharp focus.
The Martha Stewart daily routine is a blend of discipline and creativity. This article covers her early wake-up, fitness habits including SoulCycle, collagen and skincare regimen, gardening practice, cooking rituals, and the philosophy that keeps her productive decades into her career.
Everything here is sourced from Stewart's own interviews, her newsletters, social media posts, and television appearances.
Wake-Up: 5 AM
Stewart wakes at approximately 5 AM every day. This early start is not new. She has described her early rising habit across decades of interviews as a natural byproduct of wanting to maximize the day.
"I wake up at five. Sometimes earlier. There's so much to do. I love the morning. It's quiet and productive."
Her early start gives her time for physical activity, correspondence, and garden tasks before most of the world begins work. She treats the early hours as uninterrupted creative time.
Morning Hydration and Coffee
Stewart begins her day with water and coffee. She is a documented coffee drinker who has described her morning coffee as essential to her wake-up sequence.
She does not follow an intermittent fasting protocol. Her approach to morning nutrition is practical and traditional: eat well, cook from whole ingredients, and avoid unnecessary restriction.
Morning Fitness: SoulCycle
Stewart incorporates SoulCycle indoor cycling as a core fitness practice. She has discussed the high-intensity spin classes as one of her primary cardiovascular activities and has praised the format for its efficiency and energy.
"I love SoulCycle. It's a great workout. You work hard, you sweat, and you feel amazing afterward."
Why Cycling Works for Longevity
Indoor cycling is a low-impact, high-calorie-burn activity that places minimal stress on joints compared to running. For someone in their eighties, maintaining cardiovascular fitness without accumulating joint damage is a critical consideration.
SoulCycle's class format also provides a social and motivational element. The structured, music-driven sessions remove the need for individual programming and make consistency more achievable.
Skincare Routine
Stewart's skincare practice is one of the most discussed aspects of her wellness routine. She has described a multi-step morning and evening ritual that includes cleansing, toning, targeted serums, and SPF protection.
"I have taken care of my skin my entire life. It shows. Sunscreen, moisturizer, and a consistent routine. That's the secret."
Stewart's Skincare Principles
She emphasizes sun protection as the single most important anti-aging intervention available. She also prioritizes consistent moisturization and has spoken about using prescription-grade retinoids as part of her long-term skin health strategy.
Stewart is pragmatic about skincare: she uses what works and is not brand-loyal beyond products she has tested herself. Her recommendations across her platforms reflect genuine use rather than promotional obligation.
Collagen Supplementation
Stewart incorporates collagen peptides into her daily routine. She uses collagen for its documented benefits for skin elasticity, nail strength, and joint health, all areas of increasing importance as the body ages.
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides are among the most widely used collagen supplements, providing hydrolyzed collagen that is absorbed more efficiently than whole collagen proteins.
The Garden
Stewart's 156-acre farm in Bedford, New York, is central to her daily life. She spends time in her gardens every morning when she is in residence, checking on her animals, overseeing planting, and harvesting produce for cooking.
"My garden is my greatest teacher. It grounds me. I am happiest when I am outside with my animals and my plants."
Why Gardening Matters to Her Routine
Gardening provides light physical activity, outdoor light exposure, and a documented stress-reduction benefit. Research consistently shows that time in natural environments lowers cortisol and improves mood markers.
For Stewart, the garden also fuels her cooking directly. She harvests vegetables, herbs, and eggs from her farm and uses them the same day, maintaining a relationship with food that most people only read about.
Cooking
Stewart cooks from scratch as a daily practice, not just a professional one. She believes that cooking your own food is a fundamental act of self-care and that quality ingredients are the most direct path to good nutrition.
"I cook every day. It is not a chore to me. It is one of the most satisfying things I do. And when you cook yourself, you know exactly what you're eating."
Stewart's Food Philosophy
She focuses on whole, seasonal, and often homegrown ingredients. Her meals emphasize fresh vegetables, good fats from olive oil and butter, and quality animal proteins. She does not subscribe to extreme dietary philosophies.
Processed food and excessive sugar are avoided not through rigid rules but through the practical reality of cooking everything herself. When you make everything from scratch, the processed options simply are not present.
Work and Creative Output
Stewart's professional output remains extraordinary. She manages media partnerships, brand collaborations, a significant social media presence, and ongoing publishing commitments.
Her work ethic is well-documented: she works long hours, maintains extensive correspondence, and applies the same perfectionism to her professional output that she does to her home. She views productivity as inseparable from wellbeing.
Evening Wind-Down
Stewart follows an evening skincare routine as conscientiously as her morning one. She has described applying targeted treatments, eye creams, and overnight moisturizers as part of her nighttime ritual.
She reads in the evenings and keeps an early bedtime consistent with her 5 AM start. Her wind-down is not elaborate: it is the familiar, repeated set of actions that she has practiced for decades.
Sleep
Given her 5 AM wake time, Stewart typically targets between seven and eight hours of sleep. She treats sleep as the foundation of her energy and productivity, not something to minimize.
She sleeps at her farm when possible, citing the natural environment and fresh air as beneficial to sleep quality. The absence of city noise and her attachment to the physical space both contribute to her rest.
The System
Martha Stewart's routine is the result of a lifetime of disciplined, purpose-driven living. She does not chase wellness trends. She maintains the practices that have worked across decades: early rising, physical activity, cooking whole food, tending her land, and protecting her skin.
Her 2023 Sports Illustrated cover was not a stunt. It was a natural outcome of taking consistent care of her body and mind for 84 years. The routine behind it is available to anyone willing to be as methodical about the basics as she is.
Explore Similar Routines
Alongside her daily collagen, Stewart leans on a short, age-appropriate supplement list aimed at bones, heart and sleep, vitamin D3 through the winter, omega-3 fish oil with meals, calcium with K2 for bone density, and magnesium in the evening to wind down.