Extraordinary Health Magazine EH Magazine VOl 34 | Page 43

“These kids have big dreams and what I hope they learn is this is a lifestyle you have to live every single day,” Coming from Wisconsin’s storied college football history to embodying one of the NFL’s most critical positions on offense, wide receiver Alex Erickson holds down one of the most competitive roles in the sport. Players like Erickson are part of an elite quiver of arrows a team has to launch into the end zone. Wide receivers need explosive steam, propelled by fast twitch, lengthy muscle fibers. Diet and nutrition pay a vital role. “In the NFL, you really start to realize the body is like a business and you have to be ready to compete,” said Erickson, who led the AFC in kickoff return average in 2016 which resulted in posting the second-highest number in Bengals history. “Nutrition is something I’ve focused on over the last five years and developing better habits—just being conscious of what you put in your body is directly related to what you get out of it.” Making good health decisions wasn’t always a cakewalk for the Darlington, Wisconsin native who graduated in 2015 from Wisconsin with a degree in agricultural business management. “It was always difficult for me early in my college career to focus on nutrition between pizza and other doughy foods, so I had to hone in on that part of my life and remain aware of it,” he said. Like so many striving for a healthy lifestyle, Erickson says diets can be going strong and then fall apart, so he makes small advances and keeps modifying his to keep it fresh. “We switch it up and my wife helps with that by cooking good food and then during the season, a lot of meals are provided for us,” said Erickson. “We eat a lot of staple veggies and I really like salads because you can have a lot of different toppings, so you’re not prone to get bored with what you’re eating.” As part of his diet, Erickson pairs good carbs with lean proteins—and admits to having a cheeseburger once in a while. “I’m a simple guy, so I enjoy different spices to flavor chicken, steak or turkey, mixed up with different types of rice or sweet potatoes, but I keep rotating those depending on what’s seasonal.” For Erickson, encouraging others is important. “I’ve participated in youth football camp for the second year in a row now, where we do little drills and the children do competitions to win prizes,” said Erickson. “Garden of Life® played a big role in the camp because every kid got a drawstring bag with nutrition bars and took a lot of stuff home with them. Trust is so important and with a company like Garden of Life—which takes so much pride in what they are giving consumers—these kids are getting the chance to try healthy products.” Good health is a never-ending goal for an athlete, which Erickson acknowledges as something only each individual can control. Beyond showing the kids good football drills, he hopes they’ll be inspired to eat right as they grow into whatever they become. “When I was young and go