If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hair spray and the electric toothbrush. We asked actor Rob Lowe, who is also a longtime spokesperson for the Atkins brand, about the espresso machine he travels with, the water bottle that motivates him to stay hydrated, and the surfboard he brings to Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch.
This is my baby. On set, they’ll be like, “Where’s the baby? Has anybody seen Rob’s baby? Can someone bring Rob’s baby to set?” I carry the baby with me all the time. If I’m being good, I get through one a day. It’s very durable, it’s ecofriendly, it’s reusable — I hate having any kind of plastic water bottle that you throw away. It’s so bad for the environment. This one has really cute delineations: Keep drinking! You’re doing great! Just a little bit more!, which make me laugh. And they actually do help me realize if I’m on pace or behind. I’ll go hours and hours and then be like, Oh, damn it. And then I’ll just go glug glug glug glug glug to catch up. I’m a big believer in catching up.
I travel with these and I take one about 20 minutes before I go to sleep. It just takes a little bit of the edge off and shuts my mind down just a smidge, and off I go. I don’t know what they’ve figured out to put in it, but I feel like I get better results than just taking a melatonin pill. There’s no hangover, there’s no weirdness. I don’t feel like it’s a sleep aid whatsoever. The flavor is “snoozeberry,” which sounds like something Willy Wonka would’ve come up with.
I discovered sleep masks probably ten years ago, and this is the best sleep mask I’ve ever found. For me, it’s gotta really black out all the light; that’s number one. I also don’t want to feel anything around my eyeballs. I have really long eyelashes, so I don’t want to feel my eyelashes against anything, and a lot of sleep masks are no good for me because of that. And the beads that they have around the nose area just makes it sit on your face in a very comfy way. It’s got the right weight to it. It was a game changer when I found it. I keep them everywhere: in my car, in my backpack, in my bedside table.
I grew up around golf. My father and grandfather were avid golfers. I got really into it around my mid-20s, but then I had kids and couldn’t be doing a five-hour round on the weekends, so I gave it up for almost 25 years. When my kids got out of the house, I went back to the game with a vengeance. PXG is notorious for making all of the best golf equipment. Their clubs are very expensive and worth every penny. They’re the only clubs I play. They just introduced golf balls, and it’s the same deal: the best golf balls in the world. They allow for a combination of both distance and control. Whenever I have the time, I’m either at the range practicing or out playing. I find it great for my concentration. I can zen out and not think about anything else.
I remember when the only time you could get good espresso in parts of the country was at a Starbucks. Now you can take your own machine anywhere. I travel with this, and it’s just so simple and easy to use. The pods, the various different blends you can get, are great. You literally press a button and it’s almost as good as anything you’ll get in Italy. I have to watch my espresso intake. I start my day with a triple shot, and then I like to have one right around the doldrums of the late afternoon, four or five o’clock. If I’m super-tired and jet-lagged and crawling through my day, there might be more.
I’ve been surfing for about 18 years now. It’s funny, I grew up in Malibu as a teenager, but never learned to surf because the waves were so gnarly, they would beat the crap out of you if you went out and tried to learn as a kid. So it took me until my 40s to learn. I’ve had this same surfboard remade, remade, remade whenever it breaks. I bring it up to this surf shop in Santa Barbara, A-Frame, and just say “Fix this,” and the magicians there make it happen. It’s got the best of both worlds: It’s not a shortboard and it’s not a longboard, and I can paddle with it. I’m going up to Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch next weekend, and this is the board I’ll bring.
[Editor’s note: Rob’s surfboard, the Fletcher Chouinard 8’1” Mickey Munoz board, is no longer available, but a brand representative recommended this Huevo Ranchero as the closest alternative.]
I’ve been a spokesman and a partner with Atkins for almost six years. I’ve been living the Atkins lifestyle since my late 30s, ever since I realized I can’t eat like a teenager anymore, and I’m in my late 50s now, so way before they approached me to get in business with them. When they sent me these two particular items, I was blown away. I was like, This has to be b.s. because they’re so good. The chocolate peanut butter bar I bring with me when I’m out hiking, skiing, or golfing, and it’s my go-to pick-me-up snack. They’re on my person or around me at all times. And the shakes are for when I’m hungry, but I don’t really want a full meal — they’re my secret weapon.
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