Note from the editor: This post accompanies the recent episodes of The Tim Ferriss Show and the Tribe of Mentors podcasts featuring Suzy Amis Cameron and James Cameron. It explores James’s daily routine, which he credits for providing him with endurance and stamina during the back to back production of Avatar 2 and 3. As he explains, “I’ve never done a year of production in my life. Titanic took six months to shoot. And we just finished a year because we did Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 back to back. And that was one solid year of production. And I’m feeling great, whereas before, I’d be completely burned out after a six-month shoot and require a month to recover.” As a bonus, you will also find James’s green smoothie recipe. Please enjoy!
James Cameron (@jimcameron) is a filmmaker and deep sea explorer. He is writer, director and producer of The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2, True Lies, Titanic, and Avatar. Both Titanic and Avatar (the highest grossing film of all time) won the Golden Globe for Best Director and Best Picture and were nominated for a record number of awards. Cameron was also at the vanguard of the 3D renaissance, developing cutting edge 3D camera systems. As an explorer, in 2012, Cameron set the world’s solo deep diving record of 35,787’ in the Challenger Deep in a vehicle of his own design.
A dedicated environmentalist, Cameron founded the Avatar Alliance Foundation to take action on climate change, energy policy, deforestation, indigenous rights, ocean conservation and sustainable agriculture.
He is currently in production on Avatar 2, 3, 4 and 5.
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Here is a typical day of Jim’s regime:
— 05:00 — pre-workout — green smoothie (spinach, apple, orange, banana — heavy on the spinach, and you can see the recipe below)
— 06:00 — 1 hour workout — usually kickboxing, yoga or light weight training with high intensity intervals
— 07:30 — breakfast — sometimes tofu “scrambled eggs” or a quesadilla made with plant-cheese, sometimes red beans and rice — always a protein shake made with fruit, nut butters, pea protein — use this to wash down supplements (hemp oil capsules, MSM for supple joints, vitamin D) — B12 is a sublingual tablet — and a cup of Oolong tea
— 11:00 — mid morning snack of fresh fruit (grapes, watermelon, berries) on set
— 13:30 — lunch — bowl of soup plus any one of the scores of great lunch dishes prepared by Brad and Sandy, our vegan chefs at the studio — mexican fiesta, Indian, thai, Italian (pasta, pizza, lasagna), burgers (Beyond or Hungry Planet) — these are comfort food dishes with a conscience
— 16:30 — mid afternoon — a green salad, on set
— 20:00 — dinner — a very light meal, sometimes a plant-based burger, sometimes just some humus and pita and a handful of olives, sometimes an avocado chopped up with salsa — plus always a glass of wine for stress reduction 🙂
“I don’t think about protein or carbs. Just a broad mix of flavors, and a lot of emphasis on leaf vegetables, produce (some raw, mostly cooked) — fiber fiber fiber — can’t emphasize plant fiber enough.”
JAMES CAMERON’S SMOOTHIE RECIPE:
Fill 12 oz container (Canteen)
Ingredients (Organic fruits and veggies):
- 1 and 1/2 cup of water
- half of an orange
- small piece of orange peel
- half of an apple
- half of a banana
- 1 stick of celery
- handful of spinach
- handful of beet greens
- 5 ice cubes (make sure blender does not get hot)
Instructions:
- pour water in blender
- add celery, beet greens, and spinach
- blend slightly
- add the rest of the ingredients
- Blend until smooth (usually 2 minutes)
For more recipes, ingredients, swaps, resources for what Jim, Suzy and their family eat for peak performance you can find it in Suzy’s book.
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“I don’t think about protein or carbs. Just a broad mix of flavors, and a lot of emphasis on leaf vegetables, produce (some raw, mostly cooked) — fiber fiber fiber — can’t emphasize plant fiber enough.” Yet to listen to the entire episode but this is exactly what I tell my friends who want to bulk up or burn fat. I followed Occam's protocol (minus supplements) on a plant-based diet and packed 20lbs muscles. This is legit. Thanks for sharing this talk, Tim.
Thanks for (in the end) having some vegan guests in the show. I'm also a vegan, and I've been a TFS supporter from the very beginning, no matter what diet the guests follow. But sometimes some green visibility comes in handy 🤗. Very interesting episode, and looking forward to Avatar 2-3-4… Thanks Suzy and James for helping to create a better world. And thanks Tim. Keep kicking some asses! Best from Spain
nice to see vegan power couples…in other news what were the slip on vans you recommended a few months back.. Thanks Tim Ferris….
I did intermittent fasting and low carb/paleo (basically one meal a day at dinner) for a few months and it worked fine. I am about to start a plan again and you are adamant about 30 g of protein within 30 minutes of waking up. Do you think adding a protein drink (Myoplex or Muscle Milk) first thing in the morning would be more beneficial than the intermittent fasting?
Not bad, would suggest a little bit less daily protein, it would be better, less work on the kidneys. The American idea of mixing fruit and veges in smoothies is peculiar but understood as we Yanks have been hooked on sugar for so long we got to have it in everything we consume. Bitter food eaten in isolation does wonders for the digestive tract and body. Fresh green foods tend to have a bitter flavor profile and best eaten at ambient, not cold temperatures. An ideal green smoothie should be no less than 95% vege! Go easy on the fruit. Secondly, the meal deal for the filmmaker makes is feasible being they are wealthy. The average American, that's making $50K/yr or less with limited time, money or personal chefs would have a problem adhering to the meal plan. Therein is the demise between the wealthy and less wealthy that correlates directly with healthy and less healthy. There are remedies. I am working on one. The daily movement/exercise routine is on target. Keep on spreading your message Cheers, Michael
That’s how a healthy people live. Even with such a busy schedule he managed to have a good diet and workout daily. That’s a very good diet plan which includes protein, carbs, healthy fats. minerals, vitamins and much more. At night before going to sleep nuts can be used to reduce the stress and have a good sleep
Really enjoyed this episode, thanks Tim. Didn't know much about them before this. Motivated me to eat more plant based meals!
Great podcast. I really want to experiment with more plant based meals and that will make my hunting resources go further.
Tim, you had me at 4-Hour Workweek and I love the Five Bullet Fri. I also have Tribe and Tools. In reading James Cameron's routine, I see my AM smoothie is pretty close to his. He validates much of the strategies that took me from a rough character after a heart attack to 65 going on 35 almost 2 decades later…I read the promo for the Mark Pro/ Recovery device and already value medical devices as my wife Dr. Malia and I have several different machines. I figured I'd at least speak up for a massive health breakthrough I'm a part of that few are aware of. Of course-no links on here, yet if someone reaches back out to me, I can send info on studies/science/tech that explains this new category of products. (It is NOT a med. device.) The effect on physical performance is substantial (according to Olympic and other top athletes.) My partner works out hard each day and never has pain due to our products. Other pains are handled by our products too. Keep up the good work and post the Laird Hamilton discount link again soon, LOL.
I loved getting to know a little about James Cameron's day and one of his recipes. Thanks for sharing this content.
Tim, don’t say I mentioned it but where is the book titled “4Hour Language” What a challenge that would be.
There are wealthy people who eat like crap, and poor people who eat healthy…Don't diminish the role of personal choice by making broad generalizations. I have seen poor people buying fruits and veggies with food stamps, and I have seen poor people buying ice cream and chips…they do have choices. Unfortunately, most poor people do choose the latter.
"broad generalizations". "most poor people." Hmm.