- Comedian Kumail Nanjiani said basic habits help him stay healthy and sane on a busy stand-up tour.
- He said hitting the hotel gym and eating enough protein are key to keeping his fitness on track.
- He also has a rule of not stacking too many shows in a row so he can take time to enjoy traveling.
For the first time in a decade, Kumail Nanjiani is back on tour, and said the grueling schedule won’t stop him from prioritizing his health.
Doing stand-up shows in city after city, sometimes multiple shows a day takes a huge amount of energy, the comedian and actor told Business Insider in an interview about his partnership with Quest Nutrition.
“Being on stage for two hours every night, it is genuinely very exhausting,” Nanjiani said.
A careful routine helps him keep his mental and physical health intact. Here are four habits Nanjiani said he follows on the road.
He cuts back on sugar and eats high-protein snacks
Nanjiani said he loves food, but snacking on junk won’t cut it on tour.
“I find if I eat refined sugar or something, my energy is really up and down, so I need something that’ll sustain me,” he said.
He relies on protein supplements to stay satiated and energized — but an enjoyable taste and texture are crucial, and anything chalky or too dense is out.
“I come from a big eating culture. I’m always going to be someone who’s excited about eating,” he said.
Nanjiani said he’s a fan of protein chips, which can make a convenient meal mixed with lean ground beef and taco seasoning.
The comedian said he doesn’t like eating a full meal before a show or late at night afterward, so he’ll eat a few protein snacks, like a blueberry muffin or chocolate chip muffin with some fresh fruit, in a pinch.
“It’s really out of necessity. But it does a really good job of keeping me sated and my energy doesn’t crash,” Nanjiani said.
He works out almost daily
Despite the hectic schedule of stand-up shows, Nanjiani said he doesn’t skimp on fitness.
Working out is so crucial to his self-care routine that he always scopes out the hotel gym before booking a room to make sure his favorite fitness equipment is available.
He does vocal exercises
Nanjiani said daily vocal warm-ups help him avoid the performer’s nightmare of a rasp or sore throat.
“Once you lose your voice, if you have a run of shows, you’re just never going to get it back,” he said.
He avoids doing back-to-back shows repeatedly
Nanjiani has a basic rule for keeping his mental health intact while touring.
“I try not to do more than two shows a night, two nights in a row,” he said.
The strategy frees up time for him to enjoy travel with his wife, writer and producer Emily Gordon, who joins him on the road.
It gives him a chance to go to bed early some nights, since getting seven to eight hours of sleep is another non-negotiable for his health on tour.
“We can walk around the city, see some stuff, do the show. Then we’ll get a nice dinner that night,” Nanjiani said. “It’s just for my mental health, to have enough time for Emily and I to do something that’s just really fun and has nothing to do with the shows.”
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