Rams Veteran OL Unpacks How He's Been Able to Lengthen Career

The key to this Ram's longevity.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Rob Havenstein is entering year 10 of his NFL career, and he certainly knows there's a difference in how he and many other players take care of themselves now versus how they did earlier in their careers.

For Havenstein, the food he consumes is a huge part of keeping his body in good shape to keep playing now in his 30s.

"What I've learned is that food and the way you fuel your body is probably the No. 1 [way], other than ice tubs and actual recovery stuff," Havenstein said, via ESPN's Sarah Bishop.

"You just realize you want to do everything you can to play as long as you can," Havenstein said. "When you're young, you've got a little bit of the never-going-to-die type thing, and all of a sudden things just don't turn over as easy. So you're doing everything you can to go ahead and make sure that you're in alignment with turning your body over, with recovering."

Havenstein is far from the only one prioritizing his diet. Many of the NFL greats who have held long careers did so in large part due to their nutrition. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady's strict dietary regiment was famous and well-known as the TB12 method, helping him play at a high level until he was 45 years old.

Former All-Pro defensive end Cameron Wake also took on a healthy diet, avoiding processed and fast food, which allowed him to play into his late 30s.

Havenstein's former teammate, OT Andrew Whitworth, avoided alcohol in his dietary plan to help him play the same position as Havenstein at the age of 40. If Havenstein wants to keep playing for several more seasons, he's following the right path to do so successfully.

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