5 lessons I learned from following Barack Obama's morning routine for a week

When you're the 44th president of the United States, carving out time for yourself can be a difficult undertaking.

While a day in the life of President Obama is varied and often unpredictable, his morning routine gives him the chance to spend a little time alone.

Obama usually starts the day with a 45-minute workout, Reggie Love, his former personal aide, told Business Insider.

He alternates between strength training and cardio exercises, a friend of the president told WebMD.

The president is reportedly not a big coffee drinker. His morning beverage of choice is water, orange juice, or green tea, according to Love.

Obama often works late into the evening and sleeps an average of five hours a night, according to the New York Times. As much as possible, the president also aims to eliminate small decisions, such as what he will eat or wear that day, Vanity Fair reports.

I followed Obama's morning routine for a week, and also tried my best (admittedly, without much success) to eliminate coffee consumption and minimize decisions about food and clothing.

Here are my five biggest takeaways from the experiment: