The Unexpected Practice That Helped This Retired Football Player Lose Over 40 Pounds

While playing professional football, Amir Madison felt off in his body. He was holding onto extra weight as he fueled up with heavy meals to power his intense training schedule. He was in peak football shape, but he didn’t feel like himself. After retirement, he took up yoga—a practice completely opposite of his norm. He embodied yoga’s practices, became an instructor himself, and even founded his own yoga training company and nonprofit focused on making health and wellness accessible. He’s lost just over 40 pounds, and found himself healthier not only physically, but mentally. In his own words, here’s how he did it.

IN THE EARLY years of my life, I was deeply entrenched in professional football. Despite being in good athletic condition for the sport I was playing, I carried excess weight and felt uncomfortable in my body. I weighed just over 220 pounds around that time. My focus was primarily on performance, fueling myself with heavy meals to get calories in, and crushing my body with intense training sessions. Though I was working out extensively, the extra weight felt like a burden on my body, and that really brought me down mentally.

After multiple football-related injuries, I really wanted to change the way my body performed, and be more flexible and balanced than football training allowed. I also wanted to just focus on my overall health. So I sought out alternative wellness modalities, and found yoga. I really resonated with yoga’s holistic approach, focusing on not only making the body healthy, but the mind, too.

When I finally retired from professional football in 2014, I was able to fully shift my focus towards that whole body well-being. I embraced yoga even further, practicing it daily and encompassing its teachings on mindfulness. I learned all I could about breath work and mediation, and incorporated both of those during my yoga practice, and in my daily life.

Before embracing yoga, my diet consisted of heavy, meat-centric meals. However, as I dived deeper into my yoga practice, my body naturally wanted lighter, plant-based fare. I shifted towards a predominantly plant-based diet, focusing on whole, nutrient-dense foods that nourished my body from the inside out.

Weight loss wasn’t my main goal, I just wanted to feel better in my body again. I knew that yoga’s holistic focus would help me get there, so I didn’t have to focus on the scale. Now, my weight sits just around 185 pounds, and I feel better then ever.

Currently, my training regimen includes a balanced combination of yoga, strength training, biking, and hiking, all of which support my overall well-being. Weight loss naturally occurred from my commitment to holistic wellness.

These three tips have made my transformation journey a success.

Focus on the Whole You

I REALLY TOOK to heart the yoga-centered practice of taking care of the whole body—not just the physical. It allowed me to step away from weight loss as my primary goal, and focus more on feeling better all around. This provided a deeper sense of purpose in my practice, and the peace it brought me mentally and physically is more important than any weight loss I achieved along the way.

Think about doing more for yourself than just working out and eating less. Practice mindfulness, perhaps through yoga or mediation, and it will teach you to listen to your body. I became more in tune with what my body needed, whether it was a rest day, a new challenge in my workouts, or a different eating style. Plus, focusing on the whole body rather than the number on the scale takes the pressure off losing weight, and averts your attention to health instead.

Switch It Up

WHILE CONSISTENCY IS essential in any workout regimen, incorporating variety into my training routine helped keep things exciting. Instead of sticking to one workout style, I’d mix things up and toss in some running, cycling, swimming, or hiking. I never got bored, and was able to easily move past plateaus in my fitness when I would hit them. It helped prevent overuse injuries for me, and my mind was always stimulated.

Embracing variety adds fun and excitement to your workouts and allows you to discover new passions and strengths you never knew you had. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and explore new activities to keep your fitness journey fresh and enjoyable.

Shift the Focus

ONE KEY ASPECT of my weight loss journey has actually been about not focusing on the weight loss at all. By focusing more on my overall health, I was able to achieve sustainable weight loss without the stress of stepping on the scale every day.

I’ve realized that true transformation occurs when we prioritize self-care and holistic well-being over external goals. I want others to understand that weight loss can happen naturally as a byproduct of nurturing the body, mind, and spirit through practices like yoga.