Betting 101: Football is over. Now what?

College football: done and dusted. NFL: done and dusted. The 2021 football season was pretty spectacular. In both sports there wasn't a dominant force that clearly separated itself from the pack, making the season all that more interesting. But the betting grind is now over after six months of action. What should you do now?

Sure, there’s baseball and basketball to wager on, but if you don’t bet on either of those sports — or even if you do — there are still things you should consider doing now that football season is over.

Tip No. 1: Withdraw your profit

Hopefully you were able to make some profit this season. Now is the time to withdraw some of those winnings. A mistake bettors often make is keeping that money in your betting account. Why is this a mistake? You’ve worked six months for that profit. I’d like to believe that we all have self control and will display perfect behavior from now until the 2022 football season, but let’s be real: urges, mistakes and big oopsie moments are always a risk. Perhaps you go out with friends one night, enjoy some refreshments and bet way more than you normally would because "no way LeBron loses." Whatever the reason, by keeping those profits in your account for six months, you are at risk of losing it.

What you should do

Withdraw a portion of your profit. Let’s say your initial deposit was $300 and you ran it up to $600. Keep your initial deposit of $300 and either withdraw the $300 you made in profit or if you want more of a cushion, withdraw just $200 and now your account is $400. You have built your bankroll and protected your profits. If you are betting throughout the year, you should always be withdrawing a portion to keep those winnings in tact.

Tip No. 2: Improve your health to improve your mind

Football season is a grind for both content creators and bettors. If athletes can have an offseason to train and improve on their skillsets, why can’t we? Use this time to work on creating healthy eating habits by eating clean (less sugar, less processed foods). Perhaps start walking daily and hitting that 10,000 step count. Give yourself a goal of hitting 50 pushups in one setting. Working out gives you an escape from the betting space and gives you time to recalibrate. It does have a positive impact on your cognitive performance. Find what it is you like to do — swimming, rollerblading, boxing, lifting, yoga — and jump in. Really, just find any form of physical activity that you can stick with consistently.

Maintaining a healthy diet does benefit the brain because keeping a healthy weight is important for heart health and preventing things like heart disease and obesity, which are known to reduce the size of your brain. Just think, healthy life equals healthy mind. In six month’s time, you’ll be a healthier version of yourself and ready to conquer a new football season.

Tip No. 3: Live your life with friends and family

It may sound ludicrous but I basically live in isolation for six months during football season.

It’s my choice to devote my time to something that has now become my job, yes, but it's something I truly love doing — like … LOVE! Sunday brunches, weekend trips, Thursday night happy hours are not a thing for me during football season.

Well, football is over. Plan your vacation, go to every brunch, attend every family/friend gathering because six months from now that stops again. There was a movie I watched on Netflix called “Yes Day” with Jennifer Garner. The premise: Her and her husband gave the children a “Yes Day” to do whatever they wanted. That’s how we should live during these six months of freedom. Yes to happy hour, yes to that restaurant you always wanted to try, yes to that weekend trip with your partner — just say "yes" because you’ll be saying "no" a lot come September.