Age Is Just a Number and Here’s Why
Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady during the Capitol Ones “The Match”. (via USA TODAY Sports)
It’s been about two weeks since Phil Mickelson became the oldest PGA championship winner at the age of 50, and it is still as relevant as it was when it happened. The championships have been around for 161 years and the oldest winner since Mickelson was Julius Boros, who won the 1968 PGA Championship at 48 years of age. What is arguably more impressive is that Mickelson turns 51 in three and a half weeks.
With yet another “elder” dominating their craft, this leads us to turn our heads to the other prolific athletes who are making a fool of the youths they are competing against. In just a span of one year, 43-year-old Tom Brady won a seventh Super Bowl and 36-year-old LeBron James won the Lakers’ 17th banner. Mickelson added to this year of ageless wonders, but what’s the secret?
Like any wellness regimen and road to a healthier lifestyle, dieting and fitness is the crucial ingredient toward stability. However, what these three tests is the extremity of guidelines needed to be followed within each of their plans. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Tom Brady
Tom Brady wins his seventh Lombardi Trophy in his first year with the Buccaneers. (Kevin Dietsch/UPI)
Brady is notorious for his strict diet, consisting of plenty of all-natural and whole foods and eating what his teammates call “bird seeds” when fueling pre and post-workout. The real testament is through the studying of the foods he avoids. According to his personal chef Allen Campbell, Brady doesn’t have white sugar or white flower and only has food cooked with coconut oil. Campbell also explains how he “doesn't eat nightshades, because they're not anti-inflammatory.” So no tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms or eggplants. What else? No coffee. No caffeine. No dairy. Just drinking a ton of water.
Before you question why Tom doesn’t need coffee in the morning, here’s why. To add onto the spectacular blueprints to being Tom Brady, a Sports Illustrated article by Greg Bishop went in-depth about how every detail in his life is so planned out, regardless of being awake or asleep. Meaning, he does brain exercises before bed, clocking out at 9 p.m. at the latest. According to Bishop, Brady’s TB12 team “added cognitive exercises at night to destimulate his brain.” This allows him to get to sleep by 9 p.m. and wake up without even needing an alarm.
LeBron James
LeBron James wins his fourth NBA Championship with his third different team. (via NBA Images)
36-years-old may seem young especially compared to Mickelson and Brady, however it is well past the peak age for basketball players. Unlike Brady, LeBron owes his success and longevity largely to an incredible commitment to physical training and recovery. He doesn’t necessarily have the same specific diet that Brady’s plan entails but he instead dedicates his attention to giving care to his body.
A 2016 report estimated that James spends $1.5 million per year on his body, making James' annual body care costs in the seven figures. His house is essentially a laboratory with a team of scientists that help him stay in tip-top shape, including a former Navy SEAL who serves as his biomechanist, a recovery coach, the team of Lakers’ personnel, a chef and masseuses. James has a full gym, ice tub and hot tub, and hyperbaric chamber in his home. Apologies to the LeBron haters because long story short, I don’t think he’s going anywhere except maybe another NBA Finals anytime soon.
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson wins the 2021 PGA Championship and becomes the oldest winner in championship history on May 23, 2021. (via The Athletic)
Now back with who we started with, Lefty. Looking at Mickelson, you don’t see the bulging muscles and physical prowess as you do in LeBron, yet they are both equally commanding in what they continue to accomplish. So what’s Mickelson’s quirk? It’s simple: coffee and fasting.
He does three-day fasts every few months as a way of resetting his immune system. In the off-season, he would do a fast as long as six days. Shorter fasts are done more often, doing what he says “resets his body and gives it a chance to recover.” After his final round, Mickelson said that he fasts for 36 hours straight once a week. Usually, if he’s playing, it’s at the start of the week.
The coffee to compliment the fasting exercise isn’t your average Dunkin-to-go order. Mickelson has crafted what an article by golf.com deems as LEFTY’S BLEND. Here are the ingredients to winning a Major:
12-16 oz. coffee (Ethiopian beans) — “cuz they are stronger”
Two to three tbsp. MCT or XCT oil — “curbs appetite. Helps promote fat burning”
Large scoop flavorless collagen protein powder — “repairs muscles, ligaments, tendons”
Dash of Himalayan pink sea salt — “keeps water in your cells”
Small glass of almond milk — “Califia Farms unsweetened vanilla is my favorite”
200 mg L-Theanine — “will create a mental calm without caffeine jitters”
One tbsp. Manuka honey — “stops allergies”
One tsp. cinnamon — “strong anti-inflammatory”
Sports are often considered a young person’s game. However, after analyzing the strategic makeup of each athletes’ wellness plans, I think it’s safe to say it won’t be the end of seeing each of them excel anytime soon. Just like the corny saying goes, “like fine wine, they get better with age”. Whether you're a fan of them or not, appreciate what you're seeing — because they will all go down as some of the best in the history of their sports.
