Why Usher doesn’t eat on Wednesdays

Usher’s wellness routine includes a weekly fast. The R&B icon, 45, dished on how he prepares physically and mentally for his jam-packed life in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Most days start with a “moment of reflection,” says the eight-time Grammy-winning artiste. He switches up exactly what that looks like, either reading a book to “stimulate my mind,” meditating or practicing yoga. “It really does help to activate my organs and get my mind moving in the right direction,” said Usher.

Unlike a lot of people, his mornings don’t usually start with coffee. “It all depends on how I ended my night before. Sometimes a coffee martini is appropriate,” joked Usher, who will receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday, June 30.

He continued, “No, typically I wake up and drink celery juice. I’ve been doing this concoction of lemon, ginger, water and cayenne pepper. I drink it hot.”

When he eats breakfast, the musician often opts for eggs scrambled with cheese, but only after he’s moved his body.

“I don’t like to eat breakfast before I’ve worked out or done something physical: taking a walk, stretching or doing yoga, sitting in the sun and raising my body’s natural heat levels. Then I eat,” he explained.

The one day that is an exception to this schedule is Wednesdays when Usher doesn’t eat anything at all.

“I fast, not for religious purposes, but it’s something my grandmother practiced,” he said. “I typically try to start around 11 p.m. the previous day, then go the entire day on Wednesday just drinking water.”

In preparation for his Super Bowl halftime performance (“That was one of the hardest 15 minutes that I’ll ever have in my life,” he told WSJ), he turned up the heat on his already regimented exercise and diet routine.

On top of daily workouts, Usher said he was strict about eating healthy foods. “I was remedying my body the night before and waking up the next day and eating a very regimented, low-carb diet,” he said.