Maria Shriver spends a lot of time thinking about brain health.
The author, activist and entrepreneur has long been dedicated to raising awareness around the topic. She is the founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement and, for over a decade, she has been bringing attention to the cause and advocating for brain health, becoming somewhat of an expert in her own right on the subject.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that the 69-year-old's daily routine is chock-full of activities that are designed to benefit her brain.
“I meditate every morning for brain health,” Shriver tells Shop TODAY during a recent sit-down interview. “I now prioritize my sleep schedule for brain health. I’ve tried to take everything that I’ve learned in this space, by being around so many researchers and doctors [and learning] about what they’re advocating, and I’ve tried to put it into my daily life.”
When it comes to the practices that help her prioritize sleep, she says that she tries to limit screens (she never watches TV in her room) and makes sure that she preps for a good night's rest.
"I don’t walk in, jump in my bed and expect to fall asleep," Shriver says. "I do things that I know I need to do. I need to put my eye drops in before I go to sleep, I take a shower — that helps me calm down — and brush my teeth." Once she's in bed, she prays and goes through the things she's grateful for to put her in a good space for the night. "I'm like, 'Wow, I’m so grateful I was able to walk today. I’m so grateful that my kids are alive and that they’re healthy. I’m so blessed that my grandchildren are here, that I know their names, that I can see them, that they live in close proximity to me.'"
Food is another big part of the equation. “Food has always been a struggle for me ever since I was a young girl, I’ve had a sweet tooth,” she shares. “I can now feel when I eat something that’s high in sugar. I’m still vulnerable to that pull. But now I know I’m not eating [thinking about] my weight, I’m eating [thinking] about my brain. I’m trying to think, what’s going to give me the longest brain span here? Because that’s what I want. I want to be around as long as possible for my grandchildren and my children. So I’m eating with that in mind.”
That's part of the reason why she founded MOSH (which stands for Maria Owings Shriver Health), a better-for-your-brain protein bar company, along with her son, Patrick Schwarzenegger, in 2021.
Shriver says that she has long been a “protein bar fanatic,” but many of the sugar-filled options on the market gave her stomachaches or headaches, and she struggled to find options that were good for both her brain and her gut. “So my son and I built one,” she says.
“We spent quite a long time devising a bar that would work on all those fronts,” She shares. The result is a protein-filled snack that features ingredients like omega-3s, Cognizin Citicoline, lion’s mane and vitamins that the brand says support the brain and body’s functions.
The company also donates a portion of its proceeds to the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement to support women’s Alzheimer’s research, advocacy and awareness.
“You can put clean ingredients [in bars] and they taste terrible, but to get it delicious and nutritious, to get it good for you, good for the world, good for a movement is really challenging,” Shriver says. “And we’ve tried to keep up to date and stay current and keep reiterating and iterating. It’s really a labor of love.”
For our Shopping Diaries series, Shriver walked us through some of her essentials, from her favorite sneakers to the coffee that helps her start every morning.
Shopping Diaries: Maria Shriver
Shriver says she eats "minimum, two a day" MOSH Bars. "I’m always on the move, I’m always traveling. And so for me also — I knew there were millions of other people like me — if I didn’t have a MOSH Bar, I would eat Swedish Fish or Dots or licorice or some other thing that wasn’t good for my brain health. So this has cut down my snacking on categories of foods that I shouldn’t be snacking on."
While she says she always has the Peanut Butter Chocolate flavor with her, the new plant-based Hazelnut Chocolate Chip has been a standout (even as someone who says she doesn't like hazelnut).
Shriver says she travels with the bars as well as electrolytes, "wherever I go." Ultima's drink mixes are a staple for her (she was even drinking one when we sat down with her after her appearance on Jenna & Friends). "I have low blood pressure, so electrolytes help me in the morning. I throw them in my water before I go to the gym."
"I cannot start my day without my coffee," Shriver says. And this is her go-to. "I drink it black and I drink it strong. Young people come over and they take it and they’re like, 'Whoa." ... I take a sip of that and I’m like, 'Let’s go.'"
Fitness is a big part of Shriver's routine. "I do strength training three to four days a week. I try to do the elliptical, I try to walk. If one of my kids is around, I try to get them to walk, which kills two birds with one stone. I'm walking, I’m talking and I’m hearing what’s on their mind, which is a big thing for me." She adds, "I try to do things with other people. If I can go to the gym with a friend — I don’t normally, I go by myself — but it just makes it more fun, it just makes it more enjoyable."
For her walks, Shriver swears by these shoes. "I’m a New Balance girl all the way, always have been. I just love my 990s."
Shriver says that her four kids all play a role in keeping her feeling her best — and helping introduce her to some of the latest trends and products.
Her sons Christopher and Patrick, for example, often remind her to hydrate and make sure she’s meeting her protein goals (“My boys are the ones that turned me on to creatine to put in a smoothie,” she says), her daughter Christina keeps her educated on non-toxic cleaning products and Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt is “very schooled” on SPF and has introduced her to plenty of sun protection products. "My daughter is a sunblock connoisseur."
She keeps this formula in her car. "I put it on, I remember to reapply it, [I have] a visor and I’m pretty good to go."
