When I loaded up my old white Jeep Cherokee and headed off to Hillsdale College in the fall of 2005, many things crossed my mind about my future, and health was not one of them. I arrived on campus as a 6’7”, 255-pound offensive tackle, setting out to earn a degree in Biology and, hopefully, one day become a doctor (or something like that).
As training camp began, I quickly learned I was much weaker than my teammates. I was in awe watching the upperclassmen be able to bench press 315+ and thought it would be awesome if one day I could do that. One of the things I learned quickly was that when I paired eating more and increasing my protein intake with the provided weight program, I started to get stronger and improve my weight and become much faster and quicker. This opened up Pandora’s box of nutrition, and I was hooked. If I could keep figuring out ways to strategize my inputs (food) and outputs (weights and conditioning), I could keep getting bigger, faster, and more robust. And guess what else? I got way better at football as well.
Fast forward to the end of my senior year. I now stood 6’8”, weighed 315 pounds, and was on the radar of all 32 NFL teams. I earned a spot on the All-American team, was a top 10 finisher of all events at the NFL scouting combine, and was set to earn my bio degree (and not to mention I met my bride-to-be). It was the journey of finding small percentages and seeking out ways to improve my health that helped me climb my way to the top of collegiate football.
In 2010, after Hearing my name selected by the Oakland Raiders with the 69th pick of the NFL draft, it was time to play big-boy football. I was in a similar situation to the first day I showed up at Hillsdale. This time, I had a good idea of how to attack things. I continued keeping a growth mindset that, at its core, centered around health and wellbeing. I wanted to solve the paradox of being a physically fit 330-pound human. I began to eat even cleaner, prioritize sleep, take a disciplined approach to soft tissue work, and relentlessly get after it in the weight room and on the field. When you reach the peak of athletics, finding the small percentages to gain becomes hard. Sometimes, it looks like changing out deodorants and body wash filled with aluminum, standing in a chamber that makes the artic look balmy, or immersing myself in red light, all in the quest to improve my game.
My fascination with health served me tremendously during my football career. I had no idea, however, that it would serve me even more as a dad and my transition to a post-career family man. Now, I can apply my passion for health and wellness to healthy aging to one day toss around my grandkids or, even better, great-grandkids. So I can hike with my wife at 80. So, I can solve the puzzle of maintaining and improving the physical condition of a body that has just gone through 12 years of NFL collisions. So I can help guide my children and prepare them for health challenges.
I will forever be thankful for whatever is inside me that loves the endless pursuit of optimizing health and well-being.
In Strength,
Jared Veldheer
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