It sounds like Aaron Rodgers is looking for the kind of career longevity enjoyed by his friend and fellow NFL quarterback Tom Brady.
In an interview with People, Rodgers talked about how clean living was a factor in his 13-year career as a star Green Bay Packers quarterback. The interview took place in advance of Wednesday nights ESPY Awards when the former Cal Golden Bears star competes against the San Mateo-born Brady as the best NFL player of 2017.
Rodgers, 33, opened the interview by dishing just a tiny bit about how hes worked to overcome regrets. He may be referring to his breakup this spring from his high-profile, three-year relationship with actress Olivia Munn, or his longtime estrangement from his Chico-based family, including his younger brother Jordan Rodgers, last years winner of The Bachelorette.
You figure it out as you go, you make mistakes, but being open to those older voices in your life, and those mentors, can help you avoid some of the mistakes that we all [likely] made at a young age, he said.
Thats about as specific as Rodgers would get on that score. He was more specific when he talked about the importance of mentorship and friendship in the sport. Thats where Brady comes in.
The New England Patriots quarterback has become the subject of lengthy profiles in recent years and not just because of his on-field accomplishments: as a four-time Super Bowl MVP who has won five Super Bowls as quarterback. Brady is also said to be playing better than ever, even though hes 39 years old in a rough sport that is notoriously hard on players bodies and brains.
As he enters his 19th season, Bradys fierce attention to his own version of clean living has come under scrutiny.
Brady is known to follow an extremely meticulous diet, fitness and overall life-style regimen that covers everything: what he eats, how he works out or spends his vacation days and even how he sleeps, according to a 2014 profile Sports Illustrated. He is known to follow a strict, mostly vegan diet in which he shuns sugar and alcohol most of the time and in a more extreme way eliminates nightshade veggies like potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant that are said to cause inflammation.
Brady also eats seasonally,meaning he eats certain foods in the winter including red meat and mostly raw food in the summer. Earlier this year Brady launched a plant-based meal kit plan,based on his program, with Purple Carrot.
Rodgers said hes taking some of his nutrition cues from Brady, especially as he contemplates how hell continue to play as he approaches his mid-30s, a time when many quarterbacks begin to contemplate retirement.
I dont have a cookbook out yet, Rodgers joked. And I still have to improve in some areas!
One thing he said he hasnt been able to give up are the nightshade veggies. But he says hes working to improve, mainly because he holds Brady in such high esteem.
I think Tom sets a good example, and we have been friends for a long time and talk about a number of things, Rodgers said. He has kind of set the standard for taking care of your body.
The interview didnt go into whether Rodgers is following some of Bradys other life-style choices, such as doing cognitive exercises before bedtime to destimulate his brain and to fall asleep by 9 p.m., as Sports Illustrated explained. Brady also rarely lifts weights and works out instead using resistance bands. Meanwhile, on vacation, his daily routine is still carefully scripted. He works out twice naps according to a schedule, surfs, avoids alcohol and still goes to bed early.
But Rodgers might have other ways of taking care of his most prized asset his body. In early April, shortly after he broke up with Munn, it was reported that he spends a lot time in Los Angeles, getting weekly facials. He had also been working out at the Unbreakable Performance Center, a gym known in West Hollywood for its celebrity clientele.
Original post:
Aaron Rodgers is getting diet tips from his good friend Tom Brady - The Mercury News
