Shadowing Practice: I Tried Andrew Huberman's Morning Routine for 30 Days - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
171 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Thank you to HelloFresh for sponsoring this video.
2
This is Andrew Huberman, the internet's favorite neuroscientist.
3
Through his research at Stanford University and his excellent podcast,
4
he has become the go -to expert on the best habits and routines for living a successful and fulfilling life. And this is me.
5
While I don't think I have the worst habits in the world, lately I've been in a slump.
6
Less energy throughout the day, slacking off in healthy habits, and an inability to focus on my work,
7
leading to a constant feeling like I'm going through the motions at half speed.
8
So for the next 30 days, I want to try Andrew Huberman's science -backed morning routine to see
9
if he can pull me out of the rut that I'm in.
10
But what is Andrew Huberman's morning routine?
11
For me, I tend to wake up sometime around 6am, am 630 and I write down the time in which I woke up.
12
The second thing I do after I wake up is I make a beeline for sunlight.
13
So getting outside for a 10 minute walk or a 15 minute walk is absolutely vital to mental and physical health.
14
We get back, I start craving caffeine, but I purposely delay my caffeine intake to 90 minutes to 120 minutes after I wake up.
15
So for me, I just drink water.
16
I also put a little bit of sea salt in the water
17
and I also drink my athletic greens which is compatible with fasting.
18
So I don't eat anything until about 11 a .m or 12 noon.
19
Next I would do a 90 minute bout of work and that's typically phone off and out of the room.
20
You'd be amazed how much you can get done in 90 minutes if you are focused.
21
After I finish that cognitive of work about, I do some form of physical exercise for about an hour.
22
Very last, but certainly not least, deliberate cold exposure.
23
And that's what I do each morning, and I'm certain that these tools work.
24
On day one, I wake up craving coffee.
25
However, instead, I get ready and I head out from my morning walk
26
and while it's definitely no morning coffee it actually is really really nice
27
and i feel pretty good afterwards what doesn't feel so good though is drinking salt water
28
but i don't want to rely on how i'm feeling to evaluate my progress on this goal
29
as feelings can change pretty quickly.
30
I don't want to do this.
31
I don't want to do this.
32
Here we go.
33
To track my progress with this challenge, I'm going to be conducting three tests.
34
The first is I just took a blood test for day one.
35
That's going to measure things like my testosterone levels.
36
And judging by how scared I was to prick my finger...
37
Oh, I can't do it.
38
I can't do it.
39
I'm worried they might be a little low.
40
Ow.
41
Test number two is by tracking my energy
42
and my mood levels at the end of each day i've already been doing this for the past month
43
so at the end of this i'm going to compare my numbers
44
and see if i've made any improvements finally i'll be testing my work productivity to help me evaluate
45
that i've asked for help from the one person who knows
46
my work habits better than anyone else my name is brendan i am cam's brother and his boss
47
i'm evaluating how you do at your job that makes me your boss just talk about my work habits.
48
Sure.
49
You procrastinate, get distracted, procrastinate more, just a serial scroller, bad communication, bad time management, missed deadlines.
50
Yeah, I think that sums it up.
51
And sadly, he's not wrong.
52
I am terrible at focusing, and in my first week in this challenge, that seemingly has not changed.
53
Even with a science back checklist to help my brain is still struggling to get into the zone
54
and work effectively
55
and even though it's still early into this goal i really
56
need to figure this out for a bit more context i work from home most days
57
and if you come through here just gotta come through the bathroom past the toilet
58
and voila this is where I work staring at a screen in a storage room closet
59
that is connected to my bathroom now I have done the
60
best to make this space feel cozy however it is still kind of a place to work no pun intended
61
and with that I've become really good at getting out of this room and distracting myself at any chance I can get.
62
Even with my phone out of the room I am getting up constantly to top up on coffee
63
or look for snacks that I can't even eat because I'm fasting
64
and with each of these interruptions I'm killing my momentum
65
when I try to dig into a task and I'm falling further
66
and further behind in my work and this is definitely the area I need to improve the most.
67
Or at least that's what I thought.
68
Testosterone.
69
That's your ideal range.
70
2 .49.
71
2 .4.
72
I'm below average!
73
Gosh!
74
I am speechless.
75
I am speechless.
76
So, one week in and I am failing in two categories.
77
Great.
78
with the discouraging week one complete i really want to hone in on improving my work sessions for week two
79
so i decide to revisit some huberman lab episodes to see
80
if there's any tweaks i can make to improve my focus a couple of things for optimizing workspace
81
that are grounded in neuroscience and physiology
82
so what i do is i prop the computer up such
83
that it's at least at eye level
84
when our eyes are directed upward it creates a state of
85
heightened alertness in addition i use low level white noise turned
86
on at a low volume not with headphones most of the
87
time puts the brain into a state that's optimal for learning
88
and workflow the one single perk of working in a bathroom white noise is easy to come by i'm hoping
89
that if i compare as much of huberman's advice on focus with the rest of my morning routine
90
that it can put me in the best possible position to lock in on my work
91
and really start to see some progress this feels crazy to say this early into a challenge
92
but i feel like i'm already noticing benefits from this strictly from like an energy
93
and mood standpoint i used to wake up every morning
94
and just doom scroll twitter and now i like I genuinely look forward to these walks
95
but get some natural light in my eyes get some fresh air some steps I'm like halfway through an audiobook
96
that I started this week things are going well even with my cold showers
97
while they're definitely not fun during I do feel energized afterwards
98
and it feels like it fuels the rest of my day this next blood test is about to be so much better.
99
But as much as I've seen improvement in my energy and in my health, my work sessions still seem to come up short.
100
If I'm being honest, there hasn't been as much improvement as I was hoping.
101
It's hard to point to anything and say you've accomplished more than you normally do.
102
Determined to improve my performance, I opted to switch where I was going to be working and hopefully get myself into a better zone for focused work.
103
But after three days working out of my house, my work still hasn't improved.
104
And it's starting to look more and more like the problem isn't where I'm working.
105
The problem is me.
106
Yet another day where I am not as productive as I should.
107
Just feels like the story of my life at this point.
108
Ever since I started working for myself, ever since it's just me and my computer in my house, like, it is, like, pulling teeth.
109
It just feels like my brain cannot do this.
110
And I don't know what that is, but it feels like I've been fighting against the same thing.
111
Number one problem in my life is being able to work for myself, be disciplined, be focused in my own work.
112
And I, like, it's been eight years of fighting this same thing.
113
Like, how does it make any sense?
114
It starts to just feel like, like, it just starts to feel like this is who I am.
115
Like, this is, like, maybe I'm just, like, not the person that I thought I was.
116
Maybe this is just, like, it, you know?
117
And that's, that s* is scary.
118
And I just feel like I'm leaving so much potential on the table for myself, for my future.
119
And that, like that thought is like horrifying, you know, goodness gracious.
120
Feeling defeated, my only hope now is to try
121
and work backwards through the past two weeks to hopefully try and figure out what has been holding me back.
122
Why is it that everything feels like it's working except for this one thing?
123
Ever since it's just me and my computer in my house, it is like pulling teeth.
124
Just a serial scroller.
125
Halfway through an audiobook that I started this week.
126
And I just feel like I'm leaving so much potential on the table for myself, for my future.
127
Like that thought is like horrifying.
128
Even though I've been working with my phone off and out of the office, I am still constantly using it throughout this routine.
129
on my walks before I get ready to work
130
and after my 90 minutes are up I immediately go to my phone
131
and if I'm constantly distracting myself before I sit down it feels like I just keep craving
132
that distraction when I'm working
133
the next morning I decided to try keeping my phone powered
134
down until it was time for my lunch break to see if it would help me focus.
135
The moment you sit down to do some serious work and you flip off the internet, all of a sudden it's as if the phone has a voice.
136
But we all are familiar with the fact that if we are focused on something, all that just kind of melts away.
137
So I'm creating this space.
138
I'm funneling my brain into a state where I set up a relationship, not just between me and the work that I'm doing,
139
but between me and my ability to control my own state of mind.
140
The more I avoided using my phone, the more focused I felt, allowing me to move throughout my mornings faster and more productively,
141
and on the days where I really wanted to use my phone the most, I straight up stashed that in my car because I need to focus.
142
And I have to say that while it can be a challenge to try
143
and achieve this state
144
and this tunnel of work some days you start to get
145
kind of addicted to it it feels really good it's like
146
a workout for the mind i don't remember the last time
147
i had an experience where i i feel like i was in a flow state twice today twice oh
148
and it feels good i cannot say it enough that felt so good today
149
as strange as this may sound i feel like the habit of jumping in the cold showers
150
and drinking those awful salt water drinks has actually made me more resilient when it comes to distraction.
151
Because just practicing that daily habit of doing something hard that I know will be satisfying once it's over,
152
it's literally the exact same thing with getting in focused work.
153
It's hard, it's challenging, but I feel so much better than I have in some time.
154
We got a 10 in energy and a 10 in mood.
155
That is the first perfect day of this challenge today was a good day a really really good day
156
and when i tally up my numbers from the last 30 days there's been improvement in both my energy levels
157
and my mood with my reported energy levels increasing almost two whole points not just
158
that you've turned in everything on time this week
159
which i appreciate it's that it's really good work
160
which leaves just one final test we go day
161
one day 30 let's go I'm average vitamin D got better
162
my cholesterol got better everything is better things have been going
163
so well I even started putting my friends onto the routine
164
and how did you hear about it you told me about it things have been going
165
so well that i am honestly going to continue doing this
166
and i'm so thankful that i gave this a try
167
and to celebrate on the final day i invited my brother
168
and my friend matt out to go for a cold plunge to finish this off by doing something challenging
169
that i know will feel good afterwards and my hope is
170
that going forward after this challenge that I can do that more often.
171
That I can force myself to do difficult things that I know will pay off in time.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B21
173 sentences
Jay Shetty's Morning Routine
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
166 sentences
Try This 12-Minute Routine for 30 Days. Watch What Happens.
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
285 sentences
How To Eat To Build Muscle & Lose Fat (Lean Bulking Full Day Of Eating)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B23
13 sentences
Andrew Huberman's Full MORNING ROUTINE | Andrew Huberman #shorts #andrewhuberman
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
178 sentences
This Is How I Reduced My Screen Time (I Made a Dopamine Menu)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2631 sentences
Revealing the DAILY ROUTINES of SUCCESSFUL people | Hey Tablo Ep. 21
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2263 sentences
7 Habits That Changed My Life After 30 (Wish I Started Sooner)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
105 sentences
3am Dopamine based Morning Routine as a Doctor in Rural UK
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
354 sentences
My Friends Planned My Day and Told Me Nothing
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
23 sentences
The 5 Second Rule: Count Down and Go
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
275 sentences
The 5 Habits 80% of Top Performers Use Every Day | Aspire Archives
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
305 sentences
1,000 hours of productivity advice in 14 minutes (science backed)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
How One Person Tested a Science-Backed Morning Routine (and What You Can Learn)
Ever felt stuck in a slump, with low energy and trouble focusing? The video follows someone who tried Andrew Huberman’s 30-day morning routine to break free. From delaying caffeine to cold exposure, the journey is relatable—and packed with everyday English phrases perfect for practice.
5 Useful Phrases for Daily Chats (From the Video)
- "Going through the motions": To do something without enthusiasm. Example: "I was just going through the motions at work until I changed my routine."
- "Make a beeline for": To go straight to something. Example: "I make a beeline for the coffee pot every morning—though now I wait 90 minutes!"
- "Slacking off": To not try hard. Example: "I’ve been slacking off on exercise, but the routine fixed that."
- "Serial scroller": Someone who scrolls through apps a lot. Example: "My brother called me a serial scroller—guilty!"
- "Pull me out of the rut": To help escape a boring routine. Example: "I hoped the routine would pull me out of my rut."
Shadowing Practice: Master the Dialogue Step-by-Step
Shadowing—repeating speech aloud right after the speaker—is a great way to improve English pronunciation and fluency. Here’s how to use the video for english speaking practice:
- Listen and mimic tone: Notice how the speaker sounds frustrated ("I don’t want to do this!") or surprised ("It actually is really nice"). Copy their intonation to sound natural.
- Pause and repeat short phrases: Use a shadowing app or pause the video to practice "deliberate cold exposure" or "serial scroller." Focus on linking words smoothly (e.g., "going through the motions" vs. "going through the motions").
- Record yourself: Compare your version to the video. Do you stress the right words? A shadowing site can help track progress.
- Role-play the conversation: Pretend you’re the speaker explaining the routine to a friend. Use phrases like "I tend to wake up around 6am" to practice daily communication.
With consistent shadowing, you’ll not only learn practical phrases but also speak more confidently. Ready to start? Hit play and shadow speech like a pro!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | i've already been doing · I've been fighting · has been holding |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has become · I've been · i've made |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be amazed · is connected · are grounded |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | greens which is · person who knows |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.