The new Start TODAY app features a roster of 15 best-in-class trainers who specialize in different workout modalities, but share one common goal: to help you become the healthiest, happiest version of you. But how do they stay fit, prioritize their mental health, and nourish their bodies? To help you get to know them better — and find the best trainer for you — we are following each one of them around for one day.
Today, we’re getting to know James McMillian, a personal trainer, Chief Innovation Officer at Tone House and your Start TODAY functional fitness coach.
McMillian starts his day on the right foot with green tea and meditating on his balcony.Courtesy James McMillian7a.m.: Wake up
“I’m a day person, not a morning person. I’m up early some days, but then I’m up late every night. I don’t like waking up, no matter what time. I don’t like the process of getting up, but once I’m up, I’m up. My alarm clock is my Sonos (speaker), so it has chill R&B that comes on, and that starts at 7:00 a.m. If I don’t have a client, I get up, I go in the kitchen and I start making my tea.”
7:10 a.m.: Drink green tea and meditate on my balcony
“I mostly just close my eyes and I try not to think about work and more so my goals for the day and different things that I want to do in the day. I also try to listen to this audiobook daily, '101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think' by Brianna Wiest. I sit think about life and try to manifest what I want to do with my day or what I want to do next. With my career, it takes a lot of taking in a lot of different energies and different mindsets. So I have to restructure my mindset to center myself back to my goals."
The Start TODAY app has guided meditations and motivational walking podcasts to help you get in the right headspace to tackle your goals.
McMillian eats the same breakfast every day: a bowl of oatmeal with berries and maple syrup.Courtesy James Mcmillian7:40 a.m.: Oatmeal for breakfast
“Every single morning I have green tea and oatmeal with fruit, usually strawberries and blueberries, and oat milk. It’s so simple, it’s not too heavy and I know it won’t mess with my belly during my workout. The worst thing is to go into squats and you have to use the bathroom or go into some cardio work and your stomach is feeling weak. So, it’s the easiest, quickest meal.”
Start your day with one of the fiber-packed oatmeal recipes in the Start TODAY app, like Tres Leches Overnight Oats, Chai-Spiced Oatmeal or Peanut Butter Berry Oats.
A long walk with his dog Onyx is one of the non-negotiables in McMillian's daily routine.Courtesy James McMillian8 a.m.: Walk my dog Onyx
“I take my dog out for a walk. I call it my meditation walk because we take a nice long walk by the water. I live on the East River, so we sit down, we look at the boats, the water, we take our walk.”
Turn your walk into a moving meditation with our library of more than 50 inspirational podcasts in the Start TODAY app.
9 a.m.: Workout and train for endurance competitions I have coming up
“I start with endurance work. I’ll run a mile on the treadmill, grab a pair of dumbbells, do thrusters, squat to press — some days I do 20 reps, some days I do 50 — and do another mile run and then weighted lunges, another 1 mile run, and weighted drop downs. Then I’ll go to the squat rack and I usually do my endurance lift, so I’ll do back squats for 20 reps, five rounds of that. Then I’ll probably go into some chest work, bench press, core work. I always do a total-body workout, no matter what. So, it’s an intense hour-long workout. No breaks. My rest is the weekend, Saturday and Sunday are the only days I take off.”
McMillian's full-body conditioning classes in the Start TODAY app pack a cardio and strength workout into one 30-minute session.
McMillian makes his social life active by playing in a pickleball league with friends. Courtesy James McMillian10:30 a.m. Play pickleball in Central Park with friends
“I usually do some social events. On this day, we have pickleball, and that was with a group of us guys, we’ve been training together for a while. We do different pickleball tournaments and things like CityPickle in Central Park or we may do a group workout."
Having a support system is a vital part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Find yours by joining our live virtual coaching calls (free for app subscribers!) where you can connect with our trainers and other members of the Start TODAY community who are on this journey with you!
McMillian leading students at the Brooklyn Autism Center through a workout. Courtesy James McMillian12:30 p.m. Train students at Brooklyn Autism Center
“I go to Brooklyn Autism Center three times a month. I train their students and I give them a Tone House style workout for all of their five grade levels, from ages 5 to 15. I’ve worked with them for the last three years. We’re actually partnered with the special Olympics at Tone House. In college, I study autism as a minor. I just wanted to be able to train them and I want to retire opening a gyms for special needs teens and adults. I want to give them access to a facility where they can train and continue to stay in shape. Every time I train with them I understand true emotion. You see true happiness in them, and when they’re upset, you see true upset and anger; when they love something, you see the pureness in it. They’re actually so special, they can tap into the veins that we can’t tap into. If they want to tap into strength, they’ll show you the purest form of strength. It just sparks my mind to want to continue to help and see how far I can build with them.”
McMillian says many people don't know that he's a gamer.Courtesy James McMillian2 p.m. Chill time playing video games
“I am a gamer. A lot of people don’t know that, but I like to play college football games with a group of friends. And it’s really a chance for us to talk about our day; we don’t really see each other much because we’re so busy and everybody is at the top of their career. But when we get on the game, we actually talk about life or relationships, and it’s a moment where we don’t have to be right next to each other, but we’re still in each other’s presence.”
Lunch: PB&J
“I’m a creature of habit. I’m a boring person with a fun personality. I’ll eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich all day long — that’s my go-to snack.”
Take the hassle out of lunch by bookmarking a few simple, budget-friendly recipes like Black Bean Wraps, Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowls and Chicken and Kale Taco Salad in the Start TODAY app!
McMillian is the Chief Innovation Officer at Tone House, a strength and conditioning athletic training facility in NYC.Courtesy James McMillian4:30 p.m. Coach 4 classes at Tone House
“When I was younger, I used to be afraid of public speaking because I had a stutter problem. I told myself that I would put myself in front of people, put myself on stage, to kind of get through that as much as I can. But it really helps me help somebody who needs that confidence building. I’ve seen people start off shy and scared of training and turn into somebody that’s a leader, somebody that found their wife or husband in the gym, somebody that steps on stage now and competes. I have one young lady who is a former dancer, and she’s a small young lady she weighs about 115 pounds and she lifts 315 pounds on a back squat and is now power lifting with me and doing competitions. But her entire life, she was a dancer and it made her eat a certain way, move a certain way, have to be skinny and now becoming a powerlifter and lifting 315 pounds. So, it’s seeing the changes and development in people. It really makes me happy to see that I can help someone build and pour into themselves, because knowing my upbringing, not having that confidence in the beginning and forcing myself to learn how to have it, I want to make sure everyone surrounding me has the same purpose and same drive.”
8:30 p.m.: Dinner
“Pasta with chicken, like a chicken cutlet … or a cheeseburger. My favorite meal is steak, so steak or some pasta. I really eat whatever I want, and I know a lot of trainers don’t say that. I eat healthy, but if I want to have a cheat meal, if I want to eat a burger, I’m going to eat a burger. I usually go to the diner at the corner of my block and sit there and eat.”
Enjoying the foods you love doesn’t have to mean writing the meal off as a “splurge.” The Start TODAY app has recipes like Feta Meatballs, Chicken Tikka Masala and Pad Thai that are all on track with your health goals!
McMillian's bedtime routine includes falling asleep on the couch with his dog.Courtesy James McMillian9 p.m. Hang out with Onyx or my frat brothers
"My frat brothers, we’ll probably sit down over a glass of whiskey and just talk about life. That’s probably like a Friday evening type of day for me. Where we just sit down and really just bond with each other. Weeknights, when I come home, I’ll sit on the couch with Onyx and spend time with him. There’s an old school show called Martin, Martin Lawrence. I watch that every single night. I’ve seen every single episode, but I still watch it. I feel like a lot of my upbringing and how my father was was just like Martin. Onyx and I both end up knocking out. Anybody that knows me knows that I knock out at random. So that is a daily thing where I’m just sitting there and next thing I know, I wake up four hours later.”
The Start TODAY app offers sound baths and restorative yoga flows designed to calm your nervous system and help you wind down before bed for a more restful sleep.
A daily goal I am working on...
“I’m working on reading more. That’s why I do audiobooks, just because I always fall asleep while I’m reading. So, the audiobooks actually help me to get to the information and have the same thought process as if I was reading the book.
It may surprise you that...
“I’m always dancing. I’m always singing out loud. That is my joy, singing and dancing. But I can’t sing, so I won’t lie to you.”
Most important daily habit
“Consistency. Having a routine. You’ve got to have non-negotiables in your day. Every morning when I wake up, I have to have my tea and I have to take Onyx on a long walk, it’s a non-negotiable no matter is going on. You have your job, that’s a non-negotiable. You have to go to work because you’re working to make a company move forward. So now you have to do things that help you move forward mentally and physically."
If being consistent with your healthy habits is a challenge, following a fitness and meal plan designed by an expert can make it less challenging. Download the Start TODAY app and have your daily workout and meals outlined for you, plus complete a "One Small Thing" each day that will help you take manageable steps toward a healthier lifestyle!
Brianna Steinhilber is a health editor for TODAY.com. She is a NASM-certified personal trainer with a journalism degree from Fordham University.
English (US) ·