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Russell Wilson, swimming and recovery

Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson did not get where he is today by accident.

Despite taking far more than his fair share of sacks the last four years, Wilson has yet to miss a single game. How does he do it?

If you asked him, Russell Wilson would probably credit his swimming habit:

Just Keep Swimming…… Photo Cred: Dick W. Schulz for @west2eastinc

A photo posted by Russell Wilson (@dangerusswilson) on Jun 21, 2016 at 6:57pm PDT

In December Wilson told Sheil Kapadia of ESPN that he spends Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings swimming laps.

Wilson claims this keeps him durable. If he’s right, it will help serve the Seahawks a great deal in the long run. It’s also been a source of personal inspiration.


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The last time that I got truly personal on this blog was in January just after Seattle’s playoff loss to the Carolina Panthers. Long story short, I was a mess.

Related: The terrible, awful, no good year of the Seahawks (READ)

My sister had passed away in November. She was 35. It was cancer. Not sure what kind. It happened fast enough that the doctors never really even figured out where it started. She was diagnosed with stage four in August. Two months later, she was gone. I was already hurting over a breakup and the loss hit with the force of a hurricane. I drank every day. I could barely work. After the funeral I moved in to my parents’ basement in the middle of nowhere, Iowa and wondered if I had the will to put myself back together again.

One of the things that kept me going was my fandom for the Seahawks. Their will to win and overcome adversity is what attracted me in the first place, and in my darkest hour I looked back to them for inspiration.

Reading about Russell Wilson and his workout routine made me want a change. I started exercising six days a week, running on the treadmill, lifting weights, and playing basketball when the weather was kind enough. Trouble is, I was still depressed, still drinking too much, and not allowing my muscles to recover properly. After six weeks of intense workouts I had actually gained weight.

Things didn’t change until I started taking rest and recuperation seriously (as well as my diet.) Once I started swimming every fourth day the effect was noticeable almost immediately. The routine goes something like this: five minutes of sauna/hot tub, five minutes of swimming, five minutes of sauna/hot tub, five minutes of swimming for 30 minutes, twice a week. That’s it.

Fast forward four months and I’m back living in Seattle with a new girlfriend and I’ve lost 17 pounds. Even if I don’t feel great every day, I look a lot better. You can only control so much in this life, but taking charge of my fitness like this has done great things for my state of mind.

Sometimes all you can do is just keep swimming.

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