Television news runs on a carefully thought-out system. Broadcast studios are designed with intention to match each show's energy, segments are timed down to the second to keep the program on schedule, and the on-air talent is expected to look camera-ready for the duration of the show.

But even if newscasts come with a certain level of formality, the anchors that ground the programs are only human. And that means that — when they're working at ungodly hours of the day, or for hours on end — they've come to rely on some behind-the-scenes tricks to stay comfortable and alert in the studio.

PEOPLE sniffed around for insight into the off-camera rituals and unseen habits that get some of the most prominent anchors through each day — and it turns out, TV journalists have lots of them. From bold commercial break activities to built-in back massagers at the studio to wearing jeans under the desk, here's a peek inside the hidden lives of today's network news anchors.

If you've ever seen a mug sitting on an anchor's desk, don't assume you know what's inside. While coffee might seem like the obvious choice, newscasters sip all sorts of unexpected beverages to stay alert and refreshed.

"A 5 o'clock show means it's too late in the day for coffee — for me, anyway," says NBC News' , who never puts coffee or water in her network-branded mug. Instead, she says, she opts for hot chocolate as "a perfect little sweet treat pick-me-up."

The Hallie Jackson NOW and Sunday Nightly News host adds: "My team knows I'm so obsessed with hot chocolate that for Christmas one year, they got me a giant blow-up holiday elf sitting in a mug of hot chocolate."

NewsNation's also realized that there's no rule about what anchors have to be sipping on — so she found her own signature low-calorie drink to bring to the set. "I’m always on a diet," she tells PEOPLE. "A&W Diet Root Beer feels like a guilty pleasure."

Some anchors actually do put water in their mug, but spice it up a little beforehand. Veteran journalist , who now anchors an eponymous weeknight show on NewsNation, has a soothing ritual of drinking hot water with lemon during the show, saying she's done it "since my earliest days in the anchor chair... for decades now."

CNN Newsroom's emphasized the invaluable role that production assistants play in helping anchors get through the day, saying that her old PA took it upon himself to sneak a surprise fresh fruit into her water each morning.

"The fruit would change depending on what he came up with that day. Sometimes it was lemon and mint, sometimes strawberry and mint, et cetera," she says. Now that he's moved off the show, Dean's back to plain water in her glass for the time being.

For some, it's the unorthodox pre-show drink ritual that keeps them powered through the broadcast. CBS Mornings' can relate to Jackson in that she prefers Swiss Miss hot cocoa in the morning over a shot of caffeine, and MSNBC's cracks a sparkling orange Celsius at 4:01 a.m. to keep her awake through hair and makeup before her 5 a.m. hit time.

CNN's takes a spicy shot of ginger on the move as she's zipping around before filming 5 Things, explaining, "It helps wake me up and get me going given my 3 a.m. alarm."

Every time the camera cuts away for commercial break, anchors have a few brief minutes for themselves. Often that time is used to prep for the next news block or, if needed, run to the restroom — but some on-air professionals do it differently.

Over at the Fox News studios, commercial breaks are packed with all sorts of rituals that viewers never get the chance to see.

is on the air for six hours straight each morning — from 6 a.m. till noon — which has required him to get creative about maximizing the moments when he's not speaking. During FOX & Friends, when he knows that one of his co-hosts is about to take the reins with an interview, Kilmeade runs to the smoothie bar in the building's gym area to get a quick pick-me-up.

After FOX & Friends, when Kilmeade's hosting his self-titled radio show, he uses commercial breaks to dribble a soccer ball and shoot it against the wall — a habit that started during the pandemic when everyone was working from remote locations.

FOX & Friends' , on the other hand, may look comfortable on-screen, but in a studio that remains freezing cold even in the dead of N.Y.C. summer, she uses breaks in the show to reset her body temperature. When the cameras aren't fixed on Earhardt, she's known to put on a puffer jacket and warm herself up. She also keeps a heater stationed below the table for reinforcement.

For NewsNation's , who anchors a solo show, commercial breaks are a time to slip on headphones and play whatever genre of music feels fitting for the segment ahead — hip-hop, rock, you name it.

"This is how I match message to moment," he says. "Music can create a mood and that is important in offering perspective."

On the screen, news anchors are sharply dressed in their nicest business attire — but in some cases, there's more than meets the eye.

of ABC World News Tonight told PEOPLE in May that beneath the anchor desk, he's usually dressed in a comfy pair of jeans. When he takes his seat before the broadcast, he said, "the first thing that we try to do is make sure my jeans aren't showing."

And Muir's not the only one who takes advantage of strategic camera framing. NewsNation's sometimes stays in shorts and sneakers during his nightly CUOMO newscast, and when MSNBC's hosts Way Too Early during the network's pre-dawn hour, she's known to get away with a similar jeans-and-sneakers situation that the cameras don't capture. “I mean… it’s 5am," she tells PEOPLE. "No rules."

Then there are the anchors who take their socks and footwear seriously and don't care who sees.

When COVID-19 hit and 's youngest daughter was bored in college during remote learning, she dared CBS News' chief Washington correspondent to ditch bland dress socks during his broadcasts and bring a piece of his San Diego roots to the screen in the form of colorful Stance-brand skater socks.

"She was sure I wouldn’t do it. But the dare was too good to resist," Garrett tells PEOPLE — and the tradition carries on to this day while he hosts The Takeout on CBS News 24/7. "The socks are as close I ever will ever be to true surfer cool, and it’s not that close. But my daughter is delighted.”

NewsNation's says he brings a similar hometown flair to his anchor attire.

"I live in Washington, but my heart is firmly in the American west," says the On Balance host, who swears by the comfort of the Lucchese cowboy boots he wears on the air each weeknight. "Growing up in Missouri and then working in Colorado, boots are just natural to wear — and a lot more comfortable than dress shoes."

As for CNN's , who enjoys wearing her low-top Converse on the set of The Situation Room, she makes the case to her executive producer that she likes to keep it real with the viewers.

But even while some anchors are chasing comfort on the job, others go for the opposite approach. Brown's colleague, Inside Politics host , knows that the cameras would catch her in sneakers, so she slips on her "sitting shoes" just before the cameras roll. Bash defines "sitting shoes" as pairs of fashionable heels that look great when she's planted at her desk on screen, but would be miserable to walk around in any other time of day.

When you're on TV for extended periods of time, you've got to look and feel fresh, and nobody knows that better than MSNBC's , whose skincare products stay within reach on long days in the studio.

“One thing about me I do not play when it comes to my Korean skincare," the Weeknight co-host tells PEOPLE, explaining that it's become part of her reputation in the studio. "If I’ve got back-to-back shows, production knows they can find me somewhere washing my face. Full routine. No skips.”

, who anchors CNN This Morning Weekend and hosts First of All, has also crafted his own skincare ritual that happens during the show, after realizing that shuffling papers all morning at the desk can quickly dry out a person's hands.

"Sounds absurd, I know — but I reapply hand cream every 30 minutes," he admits. "If I’m ashy, it doesn’t matter how well the suit fits or how fresh the beard is. Gotta stay moisturized.”

Meanwhile, some anchors are on their feet more than others, like of CNN News Central. For her, studio self-care means massaging her back between segments — and fortunately, the studio has a mounted ball roller backstage that she can sneak away and use. On especially rough days, she'll ask to borrow the studio crew's Theragun.

Television personalities need snacks, too, and PEOPLE learned that broadcasters have a wide variety of brain foods in their repertoire — some more expected than others.

Fox News' is a self-admitted creature of habit, and he says he's developed "tricks and ticks" for years that help him survive the morning shift on America’s Newsroom, one of which is eating a banana at the 30-minute mark of every show.

"If you find something that works," he explains, "stick with it. Right down to the mints you prefer during commercials!”

Like Hemmer, CNN's had her own rituals to stay awake as a morning show host — but when she moved to the 4 p.m. slot to lead The Arena, she found herself back at square one trying to beat the afternoon energy crash.

In time, Hunt developed a new disciplined routine that always seems to perk her up: two chocolate chip cookies during show prep to go with her latte.

doesn't like eating right before anchoring her weeknight show, but with a 7 p.m. call time, she always finds herself hungry for dinner about halfway through the program. Now, she keeps a small bag of pretzels nearby to grab during commercial break.

"I snack on a few pretzels each break," the NewsNation anchor says, "and they tide me over to dinner after the show."

Being on television every day adds a layer of exhaustion to the job of a broadcast journalist. On top of keeping up with the news and preparing hours of content, they have to dress for the screen and sit through hair and makeup.

NewsNation's is one anchor who admits to getting ready a little differently than most of her peers after setting out to streamline the process. To avoid the time-consuming hassle of deciding on a new and interesting outfit each day, she settled on an easy Banfield "uniform," of sorts: For every show, she simply wears a white shirt.

Banfield also decided to slim down on the makeup routine by forgoing professional help, saying, “When I realized during COVID that it only takes me 12 minutes to do my own make-up, while it takes an artist about 30, I decided to stick with what worked!”

Some broadcasts are team efforts, and often those efforts go intentionally unseen.

For example, you'll never find Fox News' and , who co-host America's Newsroom, having a hot mic moment during the show thanks to a simple but effective system they've worked out — only the hawk-eyed viewers might spot that the two pass notes to each other throughout the show.

Other hosting partners have learned that they're each other's last line of defense for catching spots, smudges and wardrobe issues before the cameras begin to roll. That's why CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown commit to making The Situation Room a "No Schmutz Zone," by doing a "schmutz check" once they sit down at the desk.