The Art of Living Well with Nathan Fletcher

In the eternal words of Lao Tzu, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For Nathan Fletcher, that first step began roughly three years ago. 

While Nate refers to his daily practice very candidly as “just breathing and stretching,” anyone in his orbit can see the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits he has achieved since taking that first step into breathwork, yoga, and meditation.

I was privileged to spend two months on the North Shore with Nathan Fletcher this past winter, to absorb his vast knowledge and life experience, and to witness the daily routine of one of the hardest charging athletes of the past three decades – a man who lived by the sword for many years of his life.

Living fast not only defined Nate’s career and character, it also inspired massive setbacks and career-halting injuries. In recent years, Fletcher has focused his sights on a term that would have never been part of his vocabulary at a younger age: longevity. The way he’s positioned himself to achieve this foreign concept is through consistent, daily practices.

At 47 years old, Nate would probably argue that he’s in the best shape of his life. His mornings start with intention as he dedicates roughly an hour to breathwork and adaptive yoga. It is through this intentional hour that Nate sets the foundation for his days. Inspiring, Nate notes that he wasn’t able to touch his toes at the beginning of his wellness journey. By setting goals, achieving them, then setting new goals, he’s made tremendous progress. His ability to stretch while in a handstand for minutes on end is both mesmerizing and a testament to his dedication. 

With the ultimate goal of being the best he can possibly be every single day, Nathan has committed to a lifelong journey. In the video above, we see what a normal day looks like for Nate Fletcher. To measure the effort and intensity of his daily practice, we strapped a WHOOP to Nathan’s wrist to track his live heart rate, calories burned, day strain, and other vital factors. 

WHOOP is a personalized fitness and health wearable that monitors your recovery, sleep, training and health 24/7, plus provides personalized recommendations and coaching feedback.

It’s wild to see how far we can push ourselves when we have a specific goal in mind. For Nathan Fletcher, that goal is to surf for as long as humanly possible, while also staying healthy to raise the next generation of Fletchers.

Tap into Nathan’s daily routine above and get a WHOOP of your own here.