The ‘benjamin button’ of the NFL

Six Longevity Habits of the NFL Superstar

On Christmas day,  me and Amanda flipped on the Ravens/Texans game while sipping on homemade chicken noodle soup.

Even though the game was a blowout, it was a blast to watch – especially seeing the Raven’s quarterback, Lamar Jackson make history (most rushing yards in history).

But there was another eye-opening moment post-game when a reporter presented Jackson and star-running back, Derrick Henry with football-shaped chocolate cakes.

Rip it open and take a bite, the reporter said.

But the two athletes kept their distance and politely turned down the offer.

I gotta eat a real meal first, replied Jackson.

(Which I can’t blame him, cake after playing football sounds unpleasant…)

After seeing them turn down the cake, I thought to myself:

“I wonder if there’s another reason there...”

I didn’t look into Jackson’s training, but it turns out that “King Henry’s” training regimen sheds some light on his ‘no cake decision’:

• He invests roughly $240K per year on longevity and maintaining his body
  
• In-season he eats his first meal at 4-5pm (and his second meal at 8pm)
• He doesn’t eat fried food… dairy… gluten… and artificial sugars (which he says his body feels great and he’ll probably keep doing for the rest of his life)
• During the off-season he does two-a-day workouts (which includes 100-yard hill sprints… hammer curls with 80lb DBs… and Bulgarian split squats with 120lb DBs)
  
• Regularly uses infrared sauna, cold therapy, massage therapy, bodywork and hyperbaric oxygen for recovery.
• Three times per week he gets IV with CoQ10, vitamin E and other vitamins.

Maybe that’s why he’s on his 9th season as a high-performing running back (in a league where the average player lasts 3.3 years). And he is showing no signs of slowing down – in fact, he’s stronger… more mobile… and quicker than ever before (accelerating to 21 mph).

Even though, few of us require NFL-level athleticism and devotion to training – Henry has a champion mindset that we can all infuse into our fitness journey:

"I think the willingness to put the work in, no matter where you are in life, if you're at your lowest of the low or the highest of the high, continue to keep that same drive, continue to want to get better at your game, no matter where you are, and I think that's what makes greatness great. That's the one where the elite separate themselves from the average.” – Derrick Henry

Happy holidays,

Kelan Ern

P.S. For a much deeper dive into the mindset of the fittest people on the planet and how you can get your mind right about fitness and next level athleticism - check out a free issue of Mind-Body Breakthroughs.