NJ Devils Star Taylor Hall Reveals How to Eat and Stay Fit like an MVP.Taylor Hall’s healthy eating habits started young. “I can remember being at tournaments with my parents. All the other kids would be having Slurpees and chocolate bars after the game, but my parents had oranges and granola bars ready for me,” the 26-year-old New Jersey Devils left wing recalled during a post-practice interview at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House in Newark.
“Eating well was instilled in me at an early age and it’s something I take pride in, for sure.” Those healthy habits—along with hard work and amazing talent—have paid off, for Hall’s career as well as for his team. Last year, he scored a career-high 93 points and led the Devils to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in five years. He also became the first-ever Devils player to win the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. What’s his secret for staying at peak fitness? It turns out that Hall’s regimen, while serious, is also simple, with principles that can be followed by athletes at any level.
EATING TO WIN
Ask Hall to name a favorite food, and you won’t hear anything about ice cream or cake. “I tend to avoid sugar,” he says. “I’m lucky that I don’t often have a craving for it. But with the calories we expend, it’s very important for me to digest healthy carbohydrates and lots of protein. “I keep my diet pretty simple. Protein, carbohydrates and then as much roughage as I can—a side dish like asparagus or sweet potatoes, and always a salad with dinner. Gluten-free pasta, rice and quinoa—those are really good for people like me who expend a lot of energy.”
Hall sticks to snacks that are low in carbohydrates and high in fat, like nuts, or high in protein, like Greek yogurt. “That kind of snack is not going to give you a big burst of energy before bedtime, so it will allow you to rest properly,” he says. Less nutritionally worthy foods are limited, but not eliminated. “My cheat foods are cheeseburgers and pizza,” Hall says. “Maybe once a week you have yourself a night where you have those things. Certainly, you’ve got to live your life.” Getting enough fluid takes on special urgency for professional athletes. “Staying as well-hydrated as possible is huge. You don’t want cramps during the game,” Hall says.
He starts each day with two 500-milliliter bottles of water as soon as he wakes up, to get his metabolism going. “All day, I drink a ton of water, and during games, as many fluids with electrolytes as possible.”
BODY AND MIND
During the 82-game season, players expend energy where it counts—on the ice. After the season, Hall takes up to a month off from any physical activity, to give his body a rest. From then on, he works out and skates three times a day, five days a week. His advice for other athletes is to focus their workouts on what their weaknesses are. “Some athletes might already have a very strong core, but need to work on their foot speed,” he says. “Overall, don’t worry about what you’re good at. Just try and correct stuff that might be hampering you a little bit.” To prepare mentally, Hall uses meditation and relaxation techniques. “When I have a calm brain and everything seems easy to me, I seem to play my best,” he says.
A WORD TO YOUNG ATHLETES
Perhaps surprisingly, Hall’s advice to aspiring young hockey stars is not necessarily to work harder, but to take a step back. “Some parents have their kids in hockey year-round,” he says. “You see these kids who are amazing hockey players, but they just don’t seem to have a passion for it. I would say that you have to try out different things and have some free time. “You have to really love whatever you do,” he says. “The thing that you have the most passion for in life is what you’re going to be successful at.”
HELPING KIDS GET HEALTHIER, TOGETHER
RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) and the New Jersey Devils have built a robust partnership focused on promoting health and good, clean hockey fun. RWJBH is the official health care provider for the Devils and their home base, the Prudential Center, where healthy snacks are available at all events. With the help of its specialty physicians and experts in nutrition and wellness, RWJBH collaborates with the Devils to benefit pro players, young athletes and children in need.
Some examples:
• A rink affiliate program brings youth hockey clinics and wellness and nutrition education to players and coaches at ice hockey rinks statewide.
• The two organizations partner each year on the Running With the Devils 5K Run and Walk, with proceeds benefiting RWJBH hospitals.
• Devils players visit RWJBH hospitals to participate in special events for children. “That’s a huge part of being a hockey player,” says Devils star Taylor Hall. “We have a platform to give back, whether with a smile or simple encouragement. And not only is it great for the patients, it’s also good for us.”
To learn more about the RWJBarnabas Health/New Jersey Devils partnership, visit www.rwjbh.org/devils.