Terrell Owens: ‘Fitness is more than physical’

Football star Terrell Owens treats his body — 6-foot 3 inches, 224 pounds of muscle — like a fine-tuned Ferrari. The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver fills up on high-performance foods through four to six meals a day and revs up the engine every day with at least 45 minutes of exercise.

In his first fitness book, “T.O.’s Finding Fitness” (Simon & Schuster, $26), he provides a play-by-play of his formula for fitness and performance success: 60 percent diet, 30 percent exercise and 10 percent rest. His exercise routine includes resistance bands (he markets a line at www.tobands.com), weights and a variety of techniques that help maintain his quick and agile physique.

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BENJAMIN FINK / Simon & Schuster

Wide receiver Terrell Owens occasionally rewards himself with M&M’s.

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Owens says that if you can’t have a body like his, you can still build a better body if you put your mind to it.

“Fitness is more than physical,” he writes. “It is the melding of the mind, body and soul.” Find a routine that works best for you, and use the book as a guide to help achieve your overall fitness goals, he said.

“Finding Fitness” also includes detailed accounts of moments that shaped Owens’ life, such as his first locker room meeting with NFL legend Jerry Rice and the infamous September weekend two years ago when he reportedly tried to commit suicide.

Owens, who owns a house in Atlanta, spoke recently with the AJC:

Q: What prompted you to write a book?

A: Over the years, people have always asked me what I do to stay in shape and what I eat. Staying in shape is a part of what I do; remaining fit and maintaining my fitness is part of my commitment to being the best I can be. I have to maintain a level of fitness to be able to compete at a high level. This book is like my secrets to success.

Q: Why did you include the personal testimonies in the book?

A: “Finding Fitness” is about making the mind, body and spirit connection. I wanted to include real-life situations that allow my readers to understand how I’ve connected those three factors to have wholeness in my life. The testimonies were essential in letting readers know that I’ve been there [through the worst and the best] and with proper determination, drive and discipline, you can always come out on top.

Q: How does the mind, body and spirit connection relate to fitness?

A: Anytime you’re playing a professional sport, you try to play out in your mind how you want to perform. It’s no different when you’re working out or maintaining a diet; it all starts in the mind. … Mentally you need to picture how you want to look and start from there.

A lot of people look for overnight success, but you have to get yourself mentally prepared to know it’s not going to happen in a couple of weeks. Everybody’s body is different and it’s going to respond to different workouts. You have to do things that you are comfortable with.

Q: When you’re not working out in the gym, what other exercise do you get?

A: I run so much during practice and on game days. I run after the game, too. This summer I tried to get more involved with tai chi and yoga. It helps with the mental aspect and helps with flexibility. Once you start to build muscle, you start getting tighter and feeling compact. I have a lot of muscle mass, but I have to maintain flexibility. I also play a lot of basketball to help with agility and trying to keep my feet quick. If I can get on the basketball court and run around, that’s a good workout.