Profile: Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami is a best-selling Japanese writer, author of many, with his words being translated into 50 languages and millions of copies sold.
Ritual: Every day, Murakami wakes up at the crack of dawn (4am) and writes for 4-5 hours. At around 10am, he’ll stop writing and start his physical training; running 10km or swimming 1500 metres.
Why: Before his better routines, he lived the classic writer’s life of sitting and writing all day, thinking that’s what writers had to do. But before he knew it, he was stacking on the pounds (not the habit stacking we aim for) and smoking about 6 cigarettes a day.
Quote: When I think about it, having the kind of body that easily puts on weight is perhaps a blessing in disguise. In other words, if I don’t want to gain weight I have to work out hard every day, watch what I eat, and cut down on indulgences. People who naturally keep the weight off don’t need to exercise or watch their diet. Which is why, in many cases, their physical strength deteriorates as they age. Those of us who have a tendency to gain weight should consider ourselves lucky that the red light is so clearly visible. Of course, it’s not always easy to see things this way.
Read: Murakami on learning how to go the distance: The Running Novelist
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