Gwyneth Paltrow got into wellness after her dad was diagnosed with cancer. Here's how her morning routine changed between her 20s and 50s.

• Gwyneth Paltrow told Business Insider her father's cancer diagnosis led her to wellness.

• Paltrow's daily morning routine now includes meditation and exercise.

• She is an advocate of 'eyes-open' meditation and tries to be mindful in daily life.

Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't always the health-conscious owner of a multimillion-dollar wellness empire. In her younger years, the actor burned the candle at both ends, she told Business Insider.

"In my early 20s, I didn't have much of a morning routine," Paltrow, 51, said at an event to promote her partnership with the new meditation app, Moments of Space. "I was either going out with friends and sleeping late or getting up really early to go on set."

But her outlook on health changed when her father, Bruce Paltrow, was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 54 in 1998. He died from throat cancer complications in 2002, aged 58.

"When my father was diagnosed with cancer is when I started to explore the whole world of wellness and mindfulness," Paltrow said.

The rest is history: In 2008 she founded the wellness and lifestyle brand Goop, which was valued at $250 million in 2018.

Paltrow's morning routine includes meditation and exercise

Now, like many other CEOs, she sets herself up for the day mindfully.

"For much of my adult life, I've had a morning practice that involves some meditation and some exercise," Paltrow said. She has previously spoken about her love of Tracy Anderson dance workouts and yoga.

Paltrow is an advocate of "eyes-open" meditation, which involves being mindful at any moment in everyday life, whether commuting to work or cooking dinner. Paltrow does this by paying attention to everything around her, including the space between objects.

"Once you learn how to do eyes-open meditation — something you can literally incorporate at any time — you can be engaged with the world but still very connected to yourself," Paltrow said. "I rely on it to feel more whole."

Read the original article on Business Insider