How to Recover from 10 Years in the NFL with Professional Athlete Jared Veldheer
Jared Veldheer is a former NFL offensive tackle with an impressive resume, having played for the Raiders, Cardinals, Broncos, and Packers over the course of his 10-year career. His experience as a professional athlete gave him considerable insight into good recovery and maintenance practices, and now he’s on a mission to share his knowledge about health and wellness with a wider audience through his YouTube channel and other platforms. The father of two children, Jared is dedicated to passing on his healthy habits and exposing his kids to the world around them through international travel.
Jared joins me virtually to offer a glimpse into what it’s really like to be an NFL player. He discusses the difference between playing hurt and playing injured (and how a hurt can turn into an injury if you’re not careful), his process of discovering recovery and maintenance tools and then sharing his strategies with his teammates, and just how many team meetings he was required to attend in a given week. We talk about our favorite biohacks, including red light therapy, box breathing, and ice baths, and Jared gives us some insight into linebacker nutrition and the changes he’s made in his diet since retiring. Even given his imposing stature, there’s a whole lot more to Jared Veldheer than meets the eye. This guy is definitely one to watch!
Jared’s decade in the NFL (1:30)
The wellness philosophy of professional sports (4:00)
Knowledge as a liability (7:00)
What’s the difference between playing hurt and playing injured? (8:30)
Jared’s off-season and during-season recovery and maintenance processes (12:30)
A day in the life of an NFL athlete (19:15)
How bad is the aftermath? (25:30)
Pseudo-retirement and “actual” retirement: What’s Jared up to now? (27:00)
It doesn’t have to be like that: HRV and breathing for energy (30:00)
Red light therapy for back pain and testosterone levels (34:00)
The body’s response to different wavelengths (38:30)
Jared’s diet strategy and eating habits (41:00)
The horizon-broadening benefits of travel (43:00)
Jared doesn’t have a podcast yet, but keep an eye out (46:00)
In This Episode
Joe’s favorite “Red Light Therapy” device
Where to Find Jared
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