Train Smarter: Zach Thomas, Bam Adebayo & Top Doctors

Weekend warriors may love the competition, but going all out without the right preparation can lead to injuries, heart health concerns and setbacks that keep men from staying active long term.

In this episode of Baptist Health Talk, host Steve Goldstein leads a special men’s health panel featuring Pro Football Hall of Famer Zach Thomas, Miami Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo, Baptist Health Orthopedic Care sports medicine physician Dr. Luis Rodriguez and Baptist Health Heart & Vascular Care cardiologist Dr. Sergiu Darbant.

Together, they discuss how men can train smarter, recover better and build healthier habits that last.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Why weekend warriors should avoid jumping straight into intense activity
• Common injuries men experience as they age
• How to tell the difference between soreness, pain and a warning sign
• Why warmups, hydration, sleep and recovery matter
• What athletes like Zach Thomas and Bam Adebayo still prioritize today
• How walking, strength training and consistency can support heart health
• Why mental health is part of overall wellness for men

Whether you are getting back into fitness, staying active after 40 or trying to avoid injury while still competing, this conversation offers practical advice for building a healthier routine.

Host:
Steve "Goldie" Goldstein
NHL Panthers TV Play by Play

Guests:
Bam Adebayo
Miami HEAT All-Star & two-time Olympic gold medalist

Luis Rodriguez, M.D.
Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician
Baptist Health Primary Care

Sergiu Darabant, M.D.
Cardiologist
Baptist Health Heart & Vascular Care

Zach Thomas
Miami Dolphins Alumni & Pro Football Hall of Famer

If you found this episode helpful, you may also enjoy:

Real Talk for Weekend Warriors: How to Stay in the Game

How Elite Hockey Players Recover: Matthew Tkachuk on Sleep, Health & Performance

Men's Health Matters: Do It For Your Family

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

That's what when people see you and you're in shape, and it's a choice you make. You choose it. You know, don't make excuses that it's bad genetic stuff like that. No, you put the time and you make the time because it's a choice that you make on what you put in your mouth and then how you work out.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

Welcome to Baptist Health Talk, a podcast on all things healthcare, powered by Baptist Health South Florida, your trusted source for healthcare prevention and wellness.

SPEAKER_04 0:26

Well, listen, really appreciate you coming out. Uh, it's a great initiative by Baptist Health, um, as we know, and we'll talk about it as guys. You know, sometimes we give the uh we're fine, we're okay. So um, but you got to take care of yourself, certainly. Um, I want to introduce our panel. We start with Dr. Luis Rodriguez, who's primary care sports medicine physician, Baptist Health Orthopedic Care. He's also team physician for Intermiami FC, and now the venue medical officer for the World Cup here in uh in Miami. So, Dr. Rodriguez, Dr. Sergio Derabon, cardiologist, Baptist Health Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Dr. Darabon. Great to see you. Pleasure, the heart and soul of South Florida football for a long time, number 54, Miami Dolphins linebacker. And Pro Football Hall of Famer, Zach Thomas, ladies and gentlemen. And we got the big fella, we got the big man, Miami Heat, All-Star, Olympic gold medalist, bam on a bio, ladies and gentlemen. Well, let's get right into it, Zach. We'll uh we'll start with you. When you watch, you know, everyday athletes go all out on weekends, as you know, many many guys do. Um, what kind of stands out to you? What worries you in some ways?

SPEAKER_02 2:03

I don't know about worries, but I'll say this is just how competitive everybody is. Nobody likes to lose, everybody likes to win. And, you know, it doesn't matter what profession. This guy over here looks like he's ready to win. You know, it's just about being competitive, but but you can't let those competitive juices, especially when you get up there in an age like myself, and have it cloud your judgment when you're trying to get in these pickup games, you know, because uh you can't act like you're 28 like this guy. You know, you go out there in these games and you let your ego get in the play, and then the next thing you know, you're trying to play like Rambo, and it's gonna be a recipe for disaster. But I have three kids and they all uh have club sports. And so I go to practice fields all the time in parks, and so I'm constantly um jumping and pick up basketball games and football, well, not football, but real soccer football games. And the one thing that surprises me, Steve, is uh how guys will come straight from the parking lot and just jump into a game. When you get up there in age, especially if you're a weekend warrior, you gotta do your warmups. You know, you can't just train for that Saturday or whatever day it is that day. You gotta train all week long. And I'm not saying you need 45 minutes, 60 minutes. You just gotta do like 10 minutes. I did a 10-minute workout today. It was a salt bike, but just the move always brutal. And uh that's the key because our goal isn't to try to be like you're 25. Your goal at our age is about lasting 10, 15, 20 years. And and and hey, none of us are getting paid except bam. There's no trophies, you know, and you're not gonna remember the game from last week. So drop the ego, stay healthy, and it's about being consistent.

SPEAKER_04 3:59

Great perspective, Zach. Um, bam, from a from a current athlete's perspective, what do you see people you know getting right or maybe even getting wrong when they try to you know push themselves when they're working out?

SPEAKER_06 4:12

Uh I would say it's a they don't know the pace. Uh and it takes time to get your body in shape. Uh my cameraman, where is he? He used to play football. I don't think it's smart for him tomorrow to just be like, I'm gonna run a 10K. You know, I just I just think people have to think about that before they really put their minds to it. Because it's easy to go out there and get yourself hurt. Uh as crazy as it sounds.

SPEAKER_04 4:40

Dr. Darabon, from a heart health uh standpoint, what do you see as the risks in that kind of mentality of Zach and Bam just said when you just jump right in and go all out?

SPEAKER_03 4:53

Jumping right in is never a good idea, but you do want to maintain some sort of consistency. And um when you think of starting exercise and uh how you want to pursue exercise for the rest of your life, you'd like to first um think of where you can put in at least uh 150 minutes of moderate to high intensity cardiovascular and um lifting activities over the course of a week. How you do that is um is difficult because we're all very busy and sometimes it's hard to spread it out, so we use the weekends to just jump in and and pick up the pace and do as much as we can um in that regard because we are health conscious uh when we try to do that. But doing that off the bat without having a good plan is not a good idea from a cardiovascular standpoint because going from being sedentary to very active over an immediate period of time can start um bringing up some cardiovascular symptoms that you were never exposed to before.

SPEAKER_04 5:54

So a lot of us have, you know, back, shoulder, knee, whatever the case is. Dr. Rodriguez, uh well uh what are the most common injuries that uh that you see as time goes on?

SPEAKER_01 6:05

Well, all of the above. But uh so some things that have been coming to clinic uh lately, the so-called tennis leg, which is an injury to the to the calf muscle. Uh, I like to call it the father versus son one-on-one game where the dad doesn't want to lose, right? So uh, and you know, Sach was speaking to this before. I think it's important to know our limits when it comes to exercising and working out. Uh, and yeah, though those limits can evolve, can change. It's important to try to stay in tune with them. Uh, because I do see those injuries usually in people who are a bit deconditioned, that haven't been working out for a while or exercising for a while. Uh, we do get some hamstring injuries, uh, quadriceps injuries, yes, sometimes shoulder pain, especially for uh tennis, which there's a lot of that in Miami. Uh, and yeah, of course, sometimes you get the more serious injuries like the Achilles tendon ruptors, which, you know, not ones that you want to see.

SPEAKER_04 6:57

What do you see people doing maybe wrong in their training, warm-ups, or recovery? Do you see a lot of errors that that guys are making?

SPEAKER_01 7:06

I mean, I think Zach put it beautifully. I think he's been watching me and my bodies go out there on Mondays to play soccer. You would just show up to the parking lot and we're running late because we're coming from clinic or you know, taking care of the kiddos, and we just like jump on the field, right? Um, and it does make a difference. It does make a difference. Uh, even me as a sports medicine doc has I've I've had those bad habits. Uh, but when you show up on time, maybe 10 minutes before, 15 minutes before, do a good warm-up, the game goes a lot better. So, so I think it's important to know our limits as I was mentioning before, but also warm up properly, take time to cool down, hydrate after you work out, and and also rest. Resting is really important.

SPEAKER_04 7:45

I'm curious to get the perspective because Zach, I know where you played and who you played for. Recovery wasn't, it was just get back out there and do the job with Jimmy Johnson as coach. Um, you know, when you look back at the emphasis that's put on recovery, how can everyday athletes apply that?

SPEAKER_02 8:05

Well, I think most the misconception is like that athletes all they do is train. But the older you get, the more you put more time in recovery than you do the training part. Because if you don't recover right, and you the following day you want to train just as hard, you're gonna pull a muscle or go hurt yourself. So that's very important. In my day, you know, I tried everything, especially later in my career with the hyperbaric chambers, the stretch therapist, the massage therapist, different things. But I think the number one recovery tool for me was just sleep, as you had mentioned, rest. And I, you know, it didn't make me all pro, but I was like getting nine to ten hours of sleep. This is back then. Now that maybe the golden rule is maybe seven for my age, but but it, you know, it was a boring lifestyle, but it wasn't boring kicking ass on Sundays, you know. Yeah. But, you know, it's one of those that if you think about it, if you get good rest, you're more focused, you're more energized, and then it can keep lower your risk of getting hurt. And so take care of that. Same with hydration. You're gonna come here on a Friday night and expect to play on Saturday, follow up a beer with a water or something. Uh, and then uh let's say uh body awareness. You got to know your body. If you're in super pain, because you got to know the difference between pain and injury, and you'll figure that out. And you can figure it out in the weight room through working through the variables. But if you just they say your body whispers before it screams, so listen to those whispers because if you get hurt, you're out months. So the key is staying healthy enough and maybe skipping one weekend just so you can follow up in the following week.

SPEAKER_04 9:47

Now, now he's not lying. Back then, there was well, maybe a couple hours on the field, 10 hours of sleeping, 10 hours of watching film. Is that 20? That's 22 hours. So you had two hours to eat. That was your life all those years, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_02 9:58

That that was my life. You know, I loved it because it's a short window. I mean, now, I mean, I played 13 years in the NFL, 28 years overall, and I think the average is two and a half. So I'm very grateful for that. But I definitely you have to sacrifice uh for those goals.

SPEAKER_04 10:18

Bam, you got, you know, you you're playing games every other day. You guys are traveling, there's late nights, uh, it's a physical game where you play particularly on the court. What does the recovery look like for you day to day during a season?

SPEAKER_06 10:32

Uh sleep, like uh like Zach said. How many hours have you got? I push seven to eight. Yeah. Uh but that also I do massages. I get in the cold tub. I know a lot of people don't like doing that, but that's really great for your body. Uh it's just getting past the mental part of getting in the cold tub. People can't get past, but I I I like to really listen to my body. And also that's asking questions. You know, most people don't ask questions about what's wrong in their body because they're scared of the result. Um do yourself and do yourself a favor and really ask.

SPEAKER_04 11:11

Great, great, great thoughts there. Um Dr. Deraban, how can someone tell the difference between you know pushing yourself in a healthy way? You know, it's hard, you're maybe you're you're feeling it, you're out of breath, and then overdoing it. Where's that line?

SPEAKER_03 11:26

There's a very fine line there, and uh, we talked about it briefly that you just have to listen to your body. You gotta but in order to listen to your body, you have to practice to understand that relationship between exercise and how your body responds to it. So be consistent, exercise routinely when you can. If we're talking about it on the weekends and you're only getting those exercises then, start off slow, but then you it's okay to ramp up. If you're doing it on the weekends, you still want to get those 150 minutes of moderate to high intensity workouts. But if you're hitting high intensity and you're getting chest tightness or severe shortness of breath out of proportion to what you're doing, you just gotta stop and think. What is going on? Is this my body telling me to stop? Is this something I've never felt before? And should I pursue a workup after this? So having a good relationship between your workouts and understanding your body plays a vital role there.

SPEAKER_04 12:24

Man, you you you now these days, I mean, they're tracking everything. They they know exactly what you're doing when you're doing it, how you recover from it. Um, how or where are you during uh during your intense training of your body's limits?

SPEAKER_06 12:39

Uh say you say that last part, I didn't hear you.

SPEAKER_04 12:42

When when your training of your body's limits, like how do you kind of walk that line? Obviously, they're giving you all that information. You have all the numbers and the stats.

SPEAKER_06 12:49

You gotta listen. And most people don't want to listen. Uh, like I said, it's a pace, it's a progress. And once you achieve something, then you go to the next. Most people want to just jump straight to the front. That's how you get yourself hurt. Uh, but you know, just being able to listen to my body and uh understand what's at hand.

SPEAKER_04 13:10

Zach, did you have uh some teammates and some situations where you know guys overdid it and you kind of learned something from that?

SPEAKER_02 13:18

Oh, I said pushing the limits.

SPEAKER_04 13:20

Were you the one overdoing it?

SPEAKER_02 13:22

I was I was definitely one. I mean, football is a contact sport, as is basketball. And if you're gonna try to play anytime you're completely pain-free, you're never gonna play. You got to push through the limits. And and where we were really pushed is being the games, because you knew all week you're like hurting, and then you get in the game with adrenaline and emotion, you could override, you know, the mental part of it, your brain or your body telling your brain that you're in pain. But I'm not saying for anybody here to do that. I'm I'm just saying that I did that when I was getting paid for it, and and I paid the price a lot of times. Um, and it's kind of like when you're in a fight. I don't know. Um I don't know if anybody here has been in a fight. You don't really feel the pain when you're in a fight. I mean, I've had my ass whooped a few times, but and I feel the pain. But it just your mind tunes it out, and you can override it when it's just only pain. But if it's swelling and things like that, it's a different story. But I can one example I uh probably convinced myself to play was we were playing a Monday night football game. And of all teams, it was the New York Jets, and I had a high ankle sprain. And I said, I'm gonna play. And then the fourth quarter comes around, we're up by 23 points. Coach Weinstead told me to take a seat. So I watched from the sidelines the Monday night miracle, uh, and it's a bad memory. So after the game, my my ankle blew up, and so I just told myself I could have missed this week and not missed the next four if I was smart enough. I let emotions cloud my judgment, and you do the same.

SPEAKER_04 14:57

That's a tough one that he brought up. Some of you probably remember that game, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_02 15:01

Uh bad memory.

SPEAKER_04 15:03

Yeah, that was tough. Dr. Rodriguez, how how does training evolve? You know, as you get older, you get to the 30s, the 40s, the 50s. What should people know as you get older?

SPEAKER_01 15:13

Well, we we should definitely know that the years don't come alone. They they come with with some things that we maybe were not expecting or do not want. Uh however, I think it is important to maintain that active lifestyle. Uh, the the all belief, in a way, I think, was um I'm too old to work out. Uh this is uh too much for my age. I don't think it should be like that. I think we uh and and the data shows people who stay active uh into their 50s and even older, 60s, 70s will have better quality of life. Now, like Zach said, pain will be a part of that. Definitely. Uh, you know, play soccer when you're 18, maybe you have some muscle soreness, that's it. You wake up after a soccer game at 48, and now it's your back and your shoulder and your and your knee as well. Um, so pain will will be part of that. But I think understanding, you know, soreness from exercise, something that doesn't limit your daily activities, then yeah, we should try to push through that, like Zach was saying. But if there is uh, say a specific joint like a knee that is swollen and now you're limping from it, then we need to learn to listen to that as well and stop and seek help. Uh, I think the goal should be to find what works for you and keep doing that, keep doing that program, keep doing those exercises. Anything that doesn't agree with your body, and then try to remove it. And those are things that will change over time as well.

SPEAKER_04 16:33

Well, in sports, we know they say the best ability is availability. So, so, bam, as you get into the teeth of, you know, an NBA season season where the game's obviously the most important part, but you have practice and things like that. Uh, how much of your training is is performance and what percentage of that is just injury prevention so you can be on the court?

SPEAKER_06 16:54

Uh it's a mix of both. Uh I train higher intensities so I don't get hurt, if that makes sense. Uh so it's pushing your body to a limit where when you get in those games and your body gets tired, it kind of understands where you are. So it's easy for your body to get through it rather than me never going to that limit. And then I push my body in the game, and then I get hurt. So uh it's a mixture of both.

SPEAKER_04 17:20

Uh, Zach, any habits from your playing days that you still uh you still apply today to your to your fitness and your health?

SPEAKER_02 17:27

Man, working out's like brushing teeth, you know. It's just uh that's the truth because I've I've been lifting since I was eight years old and I loved it. You ever remember the solo flex with the rubber weights? You're not gonna know that band, but yeah, too. But uh I got addicted, and I was from a small town, man, country town, and there was nothing better to do but be in the gym. And when I started to get in shape, it was just something, it was just boosted my confidence. And I know this, I wasn't born a Hall of Famer, but I know it was built in the weight room. And once I got in shape, man, I just walked and talked differently, man. People treated me differently, man. It's serious, it's a respect thing. You know, I could take my shirt off, feel good about it, you know. And uh, but that's what that's what when people see you and you're in shape, and it's a choice you make. You you you choose it, you know. Don't make excuses that it's bad genetics, stuff like that. No, you put the time in, you make the time because it's a choice that you make on what you put in your mouth and then how you work out. And so to this day, I I enjoy working out. I it's just something about the gym, the psychological of the sounds of the plates colliding, the intensity of the music. Man, I there's nothing like the gym. I get so fired up when I think about it. And I used to listen to the 80s and 90s uh rock and hip-hop. Yeah, but now the intensity is a little different now. I'm in 80s rock love songs, but uh but hey, that's just breaking news, folks.

SPEAKER_04 18:58

Zach Thomas listens to air supply. See, we we we busted them. That's right. Bam, you you're still in your prime. You're putting together just an incredible career, and everybody here in South Florida gets to watch it up close. It's been amazing. Do you think about longevity at this point?

SPEAKER_06 19:17

Yeah, you got to. Uh and it starts from the beginning. You know, you want to keep playing. Uh and you know, most guys' careers end short because they don't do the right things. You know, they don't want to get sleep, they don't want to do recovery, they don't want to do massages. And a lot of people are like, well, what happened to them? And it had nothing to do with basketball. Uh so for me it's staying in shape, making sure I'm right, and just pushing myself to that limit every time and obviously obviously getting the help I need along the way.

SPEAKER_04 19:50

Um, Dr. Darabound, from a cardiovascular standpoint, what does a safe but effective workout routine look like? What would you recommend to just to people?

SPEAKER_03 20:00

Certainly. So I would recommend a mix of both uh cardiovascular exercise, but as well as some sort of um resistance training like weightlifting or high-intensity training. Both have been proven to reduce all-cause mortality by about 25%. So just getting out there, getting active, and truthfully, in any form that you enjoy doing in the beginning, while you form that mindset, reduces your mortality risk and cardiovascular mortality overall by 25%. That's an incredible number. So it all depends on everybody's time. The time that you're able to allocate on that day. Being active and moving for 20 minutes is better than being on the couch for 20 minutes. So put on your favorite show and do something active. It can be uh a cardiovascular training, a fit uh a HIIT training, you can have some a kettlebell lying around your house and you learn how to um in engage in movement with some sort of um equipment like that. It doesn't have to be complex. Most of us get intimidated. Oh, we have to have a gym membership, oh, we have to drive to that gym. Um a gym membership's expensive these days. I can't commit unless I go to a gym. But commitment is in the mind and it has to become a force of habit. In the beginning, we talked about it. It's like brushing your teeth. It's it's not something that intuitively comes to us because it takes effort, energy, time. But once we do it, we I think there's a feedback loop communication. We start enjoying it. We feed on it. I listen to my podcast when I'm working out. I get some time to to just think and take the time away from my busy day. Once you get into that vibe, it's it's very powerful and it becomes part of your life, and you can't get rid of it.

SPEAKER_04 21:52

What would you say is the best heart health activity you can do? Put put put into your routine.

SPEAKER_03 21:58

Walking along If you haven't done anything at all, go for a walk and get 10,000 steps a day. And that reduces your cardiovascular health right there. And then build up. You have to try to build up to moderate to high intensity training. That improves your heart's cardiovascular function. It improves your heart's ability to carry oxygen to your brain and your vital organs, your muscles. And then your body feeds on that energy and your cardiovascular health improves. Exercise lowers blood pressure, it lowers your weight, improves mental stability. All of that for 30 minutes five times a week. What else can do that?

SPEAKER_04 22:40

Good advice, certainly. Dr. Rodriguez, if you can give one piece of advice, one thing that you look at to avoid injury, what would it be?

SPEAKER_01 22:49

Well, unfortunately, you can be doing everything right and still get hurt. Right. So I think I think avoidance uh perhaps it's not the word. I I want to use more prevention, right? Um uh it's just because it's I think it frames it a bit better, right? Um Sach said it, and and you know, Dr. Daravan as well, if being fit and and and looking good feels great, but there's a process to it, right? So if you're not doing anything, uh I don't suggest that you go and start walking and go walk for an hour, right? If you're someone who's not active right now, I'll probably start with five and ten minutes. And then you develop your own process, like like Bam was saying, there's a process to this. You develop your own process and then you follow it. Because in the end, the relationship between activity and the intensity of that activity and the risk of injury is always going to be an ascending curve. The more active, the more you do, the closer you get to that threshold. But if you develop a fitness program, then you actually push that threshold a little further, a little further. And now you're more active and you can actually work in that green zone that we call, stay active with a lower risk of injury. So know that process, know what that process looks for you, develop it and just be true to it.

SPEAKER_04 24:03

Zach, you have one thing for weekend warriors they should start doing immediately? Any advice?

SPEAKER_02 24:09

Um just take your health more seriously. You know, I mean, we take our health for granted, and I'd say prioritize it. And uh there is a saying, I'm gonna probably mess this up, but uh that you could have a whole laundry list of problems, but then once you have a serious health problem, you only have one problem, right? I love that saying. And and the key too is set the standard for your family, man. Everybody, you're an example for uh for everybody around you. Even if you you only have to say anything, your kids will see it, your your even your parents will see it. You know, it's a it's a great example for your your family to follow your lead. And you know, my dad, he he was always lifting, and I just thought that was normal. But I thank him to this day because it got me into work working out too.

SPEAKER_04 25:01

So man, you have one thing that you do on a regular basis that could translate that you would recommend you know for for everyday, everyday people to do?

SPEAKER_06 25:10

Uh I would say meditate. It takes two to three minutes. Um but I do it on a day-to-day basis. It's just it just clears the mind, it makes you feel better. Uh and you know, it gives you uh a clear mind to go to go do your job.

SPEAKER_04 25:30

That's a great thought. Interesting. I thought you'd say something physical, so it's interesting you went to the mental part of it. Uh in one sentence, as we wrap it up, guys, we'll start with you, Dr. Darabout. What what's the key to staying active and just staying healthy long term? If you could put it into one sentence, one one summary.

SPEAKER_03 25:49

A change in your mindset to pursue consistency from this time moving forward for your entire life. Consistency is key, and that means an activity routine that you can follow for the rest of your life that you can see yourself enjoying forever. But the moment is now to put that at the top of your list. Dr. Rodriguez, same same question for you.

SPEAKER_01 26:14

Well, since this panel's name uh was weekend warriors, I'll I'll start by saying don't be a weekend warrior. Right? Care greatly about maintaining an active lifestyle and care greatly about nutrition, hydration, and rest. That's my sentence.

SPEAKER_04 26:29

Jack, do you have a final thought on that for everybody here?

SPEAKER_02 26:32

Sure. Uh this might be deeper, but uh I'd say if you if you would take a bullet for your kids, then why don't you get in shape for them? How about that?

SPEAKER_04 26:41

Great one. And bam, we're gonna beat the Knicks next year. How's that sound?

SPEAKER_02 26:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 26:49

All right, guys. Well, listen, thanks so much, everybody. I'm you know, I'm I'm thrilled to be here and listen to these guys uh speak about it. I hope you got a lot out of it, uh a lot of knowledge here on the stage. So big round of applause for our panelists. And thanks for coming out today. We appreciate it very much. Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 27:08

Appreciate you guys coming out again. Uh, quick question for all of you guys if you can. Um, I know mental health for men is a very big thing in the United States and across the world. Could you guys just briefly talk about how important it is to be able to maintain your mental health? Regardless if you're an NFL superstar, if you're a doctor, or if you're an NBA All-Star, um, could you just talk about how important that is to maintain your mental health as a man?

SPEAKER_04 27:34

Mental health.

SPEAKER_02 27:37

I mean, I guess I'll start. Uh I know this is if you don't got it right between the ears, it don't matter how in shape you are, how talented you are, and being in a competitive game, like even with basketball, bam, if you don't have it right there, if you're distracted, or even if you're affected with anything outside of there, because to be great, you just got to be focused on one thing. And uh you got to be obsessed with it. But if you're you gotta get it right between the ears first, that's what you got to prioritize. It's not about all the rest of them, because I had a lot of guys that were very talented playing beside me that weren't the players. They were way more talented, way faster, way bigger, stronger, but they didn't have it right between the ears. And uh it affects you. That's number one.

SPEAKER_01 28:26

Yeah, thankfully, uh, there's a lot more awareness about mental health these days. Um, and and uh I think it's a really critical subject. Um, as Zach was saying, you can have someone with uh all the talent in the world and and who wants to succeed, but if if they have mental health problems or if they are unable to maintain the discipline long term, then you know they they will unfortunately uh sometimes fail. And I and I think the same applies to to our weak and warrior concept. You know, it it is tough to to find the time to work out, to maintain that discipline, to do it consistently. But hopefully, uh what we can all see is that reward, and then use that as a motivation uh to be active and to stay active.

SPEAKER_03 29:12

Great question. Um if you can't take care of yourself, you can't take care of others. So I use that airplane mentality. When the masks fall fall, you have to put on your mask first because you're before you're able to help your family. So getting into that mindset is is crucial and vital. So it's a good question.

SPEAKER_06 29:32

Um I would say to piggyback off what Zach said, you know, if you want to do anything in life, be successful, you have to be able to think. Uh in critical moments, and like I said before, being able to, you know, have that moment of clarity. Uh doing two to three minutes of meditation, uh, I feel like that'll help.

SPEAKER_04 29:53

Okay, well, I'm gonna go meditate in the parking lot. Zach, you're gonna go tackle some people. And once again, guys, thanks. Uh thanks so much, and thank you all for being here. We really appreciate it. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 30:05

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