The seven-time world champion is preparing for his 20th season as an F1 driver and explained how the training he does is beneficial both physically and mentally.
Hamilton, 40, told Men's Health: "When I was younger, I think the training was really my therapy – and it still kind of is, particularly the runs. That’s where I get most of my thinking done.
"Adding things like yoga, adding things like breathwork. Breathwork has probably taken the longest to get into because it takes time. Then meditation.
"I think the ice bath helps with that too, because you need to learn to breathe and overcome the thoughts of wanting to give up, wanting to get out. Those things really help me stay positive through the year."
The Ferrari driver continued: "Positive affirmations are probably the most important thing of all. When you’re brushing your teeth or starting your day, saying positive affirmations about how your day is going to go, what your goal is, how you’re going to feel, how you’ll approach the job or meet people. When you speak positively about yourself, your body reacts to that."
Hamilton explained that F1 training doesn't differ too much from the exercise regular citizens do, although he did explain that there is a lot of emphasis on neck strength in order to cope with the G-forces involved in the sport.
The British racer said: "Ultimately it’s no different to what people at home would be doing if they go to the gym. I’m still doing similar sort of HIIT workouts and I do similar weights.
"There’s obviously a lot of resistance work. There’s a lot of work on your neck, which is probably something that most people don’t ever do. But I struggle with all the same things that most people do. There’s days I really don’t like it – particularly when you’re sore from previous workouts.
"I don’t always have the time to do it every single day due to commitments. So recovery and sleep are really, really important. Finding the right mixture between what you eat, the sleep and the actual activities you do is one of the hardest things to get right. That’s something I’m searching for all the time."
