Beyond the Field: Recovery, Mental Health, and Protecting Your Body
Beyond the Field: Recovery, Mental Health, and Protecting Your Body As a college athlete, I’ve realized that football isn’t just about what happens under the lights on Saturday—it’s about how well you take care of yourself the other six days of the week. Between early lifts, long practices, and keeping up with school, recovery and mental health can easily get pushed aside. But the truth is, if you don’t take recovery seriously, your body and mind will eventually make that decision for you. When I first started playing in college, I thought “rest” meant I wasn’t working hard enough. Now I know recovery is part of the grind—it’s what allows you to stay healthy, play longer, and perform at your best. The Power of Recovery Recovery is more than just rest days. It’s a system of habits that helps your body rebuild after the stress of training and competition. Here’s what’s worked best for me: Sleep: I aim for 8–9 hours each night. If I get less, I notice it immediately—slower reactions, mo...