If you’ve followed our ShaqFu Radio blog for any time, you know O’Neal has been on a mission to improve his personal health and fitness. He recently underwent hip replacement surgery, taking care of years-old troubles, probably dating back to his NBA playing days.
As part of the story, Yahoo Life talked to sports psychologist Riley Nickols, who founded a company called Mind Body Endurance. He says that as they get older, athletes often feel the pressure to “look the part” … the way they looked during playing days. “The pressure for male athletes to have well-defined muscles, minimal body fat and a physique that conveys strength, power and athleticism can lead to maladaptive (not-the-best) behaviors that put an athlete’s physical and psychological health at risk.”
Shaq says it’s been a long journey of figuring out what’s best for his body as he gets older. When he was young, Shaq says, “The only vegetable I knew was spinach [and carrots],” he says. “My parents used to say, ‘If you eat your carrots, you won’t go blind, and if you eat your spinach, you’ll be as strong as Popeye.’ But as I got older, I had to educate myself.”
Now, O’Neal says, more NBA stars are hiring professional trainers and chefs, allowing them an opportunity to level up when it comes to their health, fitness and performance on the court. Shaq says he didn’t have a professional chef until his eighth year in the league.
“I used to wake up, have McDonald’s for breakfast, have McDonald’s for lunch, play a game and then go to a restaurant,” he remembers. “But now, guys are really conscious of their bodies and have nutritionists. There’s more understanding. If I had this internet stuff growing up, I’d be a genius by now. Back then it was like, ‘A nutritionist? What’s that?’ I’d probably still be playing.”
Shaq continues to work on his physique and his own internal body image. That’s a great thing, and maybe an inspiration for the rest of us. So far, he’s dropped about 40 pounds, and says he’s getting close to his goal weight. For Shaq, he’s doing most of the work himself. “I like to position myself as the every day man…The every day man can’t afford a trainer. The every day man can get a gym membership and do cardio and some weights. I try to get cardio in all the time and I try to lift some weights. I don’t run and jump and do all that extra stuff. The average man has to work a 9 to 5, they have to carve out that hour.”
So far, so good for the big man! How about you? Are you taking good care of yourself? It’s never too late (or too soon) to get started in great self-care. Set a goal and get to work.. It doesn’t have to be Shaq’s goal, BTW: “Now, I want to do an underwear ad with [my sons],” he says.
