Von Miller's Secrets To MVP Success Is Great Advice For Anyone On A Health & Fitness Journey

Von Miller is the highest paid defenseman in the league and helped the Denver Broncos win the Superbowl 50. Miller was named MVP and he only got that far through changing his habits.

When you have such a superior athlete like Miller, we'd assume he's super fit and does everything perfectly from day one. It's clear Miller did not shy away from training during his off time, however; 17 weeks into the season, his body was hurting from the previous games.

Miller figured he'd have to change some things to see results and he did. By increasing his stamina and overall health, he felt better every week and danced his way to MVP.

What's really interesting is that most of his changes didn't involve training at all. In an interview with Men's Health, Von Miller talks his lifestyle overhaul.

His first piece of advice was sleep. Yeah, not get up earlier to lift heavier, just get some good sleep. Miller started getting 2 hours more sleep per night, for a total of 10 hours of bedtime. So, if anyone gives you guff about your 10-hour beauty sleep, just telling them you're following in the footsteps of a Superbowl MVP.

Focusing on cardio endurance was his second piece of advice. He knew if he could recover faster than his opponents, he'd have a great upper hand. So, he did cardio intervals in addition to weight training. Men's Health advises a way to do this in your own workout. Just do your typical routine then sprint, row, or spin for 10 minutes at the end. See how far you can go and see if you can push a little harder each time.

Eat real food. Von Miller swears he felt sharper and faster on the field when he cut out all the protein powders and bars and focused on eating simple, real food. Mostly focusing on meat and vegetables, Von now snacks on jerky and raw broccoli and green beans to keep his energy up.

Von went on to advise everyone to find their body's natural weight. Miller felt he bulked up a little too much in years past and could feel when he was around 236, he was more agile and quick on his feet. This is great advice for everyone. Instead of picking an arbitrary number for your weight loss or gain goals, let your body guide you. You may not get as small or big as you want, but you can feel when you're at a healthy weight that enables you to conquer the world.

Lastly, make it fun. Von would throw and catch a football 100 times in his routine, even though his position doesn't require a lot of ball handling skills. But Von has fun doing it and knowing something cool is coming up in your workout will keep you going through the hard parts. So, find something you like. If you can't think of any workout you enjoy, try something new. Do some kickboxing, yoga, or just take a jog in the park. Training does not have to be torture, so don't be afraid to just do whatever you like some times.

Von Miller is an amazing player, so his advice is well worth taking. What's great about it is that it doesn't just apply to professional athletes. It's great for everyone. 

Eating simple, regular foods does increase your energy and focus. Training for endurance often gets ignored but can aid all other aspects of your fitness progress. Knowing your personal healthy weight and only trying to maintain that will help keep you sane when you feel like you're never big or small enough. And sleep. Who doesn't want an excuse to sleep for 10 hours a night?

So, take it from an MVP. Take care of yourself in simple ways and it will effect every aspect of your life.