That’s a nice quote.

Optimizing life and optimizing my sport are both really important to me. I also take collagen, bone-support supplements, creatine for muscle recovery and for my brain. I do it all, but in the right way. Not overdoing it, not under-doing it.

How are you working with the company Fruitist in particular?

It’s been great for me. We measure everything and figure out what works best with my blood type and the rest of my diet, and from there, figure out the proportions I need so I feel my best. I don’t want to feel sluggish, but I don’t want to feel too light, either.

The thoroughness is impressive. You’ve got us rethinking what’s in our kitchen right now.

I’m still human, though, man. I still go get an ice cream or a Cinnabon every once in a while, and honestly I think that’s good for the mind and the body—being able to have stuff like that occasionally instead of being all purified all the time. I’m good with it as long as I stay consistent otherwise with my eating times and what I’m eating throughout the day.

So Cinnabon and ice cream are your guilty pleasures?

I also love candy.

You mentioned evaluating fruit in particular in relation to your physiology and blood type. Does that mean you’re drilling down to things like… acidity, or natural sugar content?

Yeah, we drill down. Fruit is one of the main things I use. I love it, I was always that kid who never complained about fruits and vegetables. Blueberries in particular are helpful. I get bruised up playing such a gladiator sport, so the antioxidants have been monumental for me. They’ve been a real power snack.

Let’s talk about fitness. As a quarterback, what’s your ideal workout for performance optimization?

It shifts day to day, but I’m consistently into lifting. I lift year-round. I think everybody should lift for health reasons; it’s important not just for sports, but for longevity and overall strength. I’m a little more into movement lifts right now. I’m big on making sure my movements match the body’s natural patterns—hips, knees, ankles—moving biomechanically the way the body is supposed to, and being conscious of that while I’m exercising. I also do some Olympic lifts, squatting, explosive work, and I put a lot of emphasis on preparing the tendons. Deceleration and acceleration work.

With a movement lift, does that mean mimicking the motions you’d make on the field?

Yeah, rotational stuff and things like that. And it’s about moving the whole body instead of being static. Bench lifting, for example, is pretty static.

From a mental health perspective—in a tense moment in a game, or even a down moment in general life—do you have a go-to way to level-set?

I talk to myself all the time. It’s really big for me. I play such a pressure-cooker sport, so being able to be, in a way, arrogant about myself when it comes to football is important. Outside of it you can be as nice, humble, and sweet as you want, but between the lines and in the locker room, it’s about being arrogant and believing in yourself. I tell myself all the time how great I am, and how great I’ll be. I believe in speaking things into existence, and consistently saying and seeing my goals.