Lifestyle: Catching up with Seahawk’s tight end Cooper Helfet

Catching up with Seahawk’s tight end Cooper Helfet.
For all of you that have already seen this interview, we are reposting it and wishing my buddy Cooper and the rest of the Seahawk’s the best of luck to go all the way! Get it boys!
If you are like us, and ever wondered how to eat right, keep a great attitude, work out, and stay ever so stylish like a top athlete. This will be your favorite post. With only a few weeks left in the 2013/2014 NFL football season, we decided what better time to repost this awesome interview with tight end Cooper Helfet from the Seahawks. On a side note, that Seahawks dark blue with neon green uniform was my favorite color scheme from the NFL season.
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So Coop, what are somethings you do on a daily to stay healthy?
Fortunately, being a professional athlete it is my job to be healthy on a daily basis and I get to train and eat well at my job instead of trying to squeeze it into my schedule after work. I have an amazing support cast of people who help me achieve my goals from a fitness, nutrition, and mental standpoint to make sure that my body is competing at its highest level. In the NFL we get about 4-5 months of off-season during which it is solely up to ourselves to stay in shape, eat well, and continue to do the things necessary, day in and day out, to accomplish our goals on the field. I think it is very important to get a good sweat in everyday; whether it be a light day such as a 30 minute jog or maybe a hike, all the way to a heavy day of 3-4 hours of different types of training. I find that the best hobbies people can have are the ones that include being outdoors and active such as hiking, golf, surfing, or snowboarding because they help keep people physically and mentally healthy at the same time. Nutrition is also paramount in feeling good about yourself. A very simple rule that I follow when it comes to my diet, is before I eat a meal I think about how I want to feel afterwards. Growing up in Marin County I was raised on eating healthy and organic fruits, vegetables, and proteins my entire life. I have been very fortunate that it was the case, because I now think that those types of food taste the best entirely. But all people’s personal taste preferences aside, any person, man or woman, will naturally feel better after eating a well cooked chicken breast with a side salad than they will after eating a couple of slices of pizza. If you listen to your body it will tell you the foods it wants you to eat or the food groups it needs by rewarding you with a good feeling for the next couple hours after you eat those things. On the other hand, if you eat unhealthy things that your body does not want, your body will punish you by making you lazy or uncomfortably full instead. That is an easy rule I go by, I stick to the meals that I feel very good after eating.
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Do you juice?
You know I hadn’t until this past spring. Some good friends of mine in San Francisco Bay Area, the Gulicks, opened up a few stores called “The Juice Shop.” They have really come up with the most hearty and delicious juices that all of San Francisco is falling in love with. I got the opportunity to grab a couple and try drinking just one a day for an entire week and I could notice a distinct difference in how my body felt throughout the hours of the day from the beginning to the end of the week. Juicing is a great way to get all the good nutrients from more vegetables than you could ever consume in one day from a single juice. I will definitely be implementing more juices in my diet and I suggest it to anyone. Also swing by one of the Juice Shops if you are ever in San Francisco.
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Any favorite places to eat?
There are too many to only mention a couple, but I do most of my grocery shopping at Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Actually, there is this kick-ass new market in Marin called Good Earth that I am obsessed with. When I go out, I love eating Sushi or Steak and a salad. My favorite restaurants from home would have to Sushi Ran in Sausalito, Marin Joes Steakhouse in Corte Madera, Sams Seafood Restaurant in San Francisco, and The Plant Organic Cafe in San Francisco. Also, if ever in Seattle I suggest Lecosho or Six Seven at the Edgewater Hotel.
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Do you cook?
I do cook. I am very competent at the basics, but nothing that would melt in your mouth. I cook the foods I like to eat. I’m always finding myself naturally surrounded by people who are better chefs than myself and if I buy the groceries they always up to cook. That way you don’t only eat the healthy foods you want, but they are prepared better than you could yourself, and you don’t ever eat alone.
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How do you keep your positive mental attitude?
I find that the more I can step out of the situation with problems that are weighing me down, and take a look at the bigger picture, the happier I am. I have been so blessed in my life, it makes me sick when I hear myself complain about something being too hard or not getting what I want. I also try to surround myself with the people I aspire to be more like for different reasons and the people who I am happier after spending time with. Lastly, I eat and do the things that make me happy as often as possible.
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Do you have places you like to go to clear your mind?
I have found that spending time in outdoors, in nature, is by far the best place to clear my mind. Whether it be enjoying all the smells, sights and sounds on a big hike around Mt. Tamalpais or taking a refreshing dip in the ocean, there is something about the sun and being outside and active that always seems to balance out my life again. I also am a huge fan of the movies and go almost once a week to just lose my mind into something completely different.
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Any cool bands we should know about?
I love house music especially Tiesto, Swedish house, and Avicii. Recently, I have been listening to a couple of bands a lot more out of the spotlight, Capital Cities and 2am Club. Both a little different, and they sample things from different genres, but I always get in a good mood when I listen to their music.
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What do you love most about playing for the SeaHawks?
What I love most about playing for the hawks is getting to do what I love most in the world for a profession and that my profession includes me living the healthiest lifestyle possible. I also couldn’t imagine being around a better group of guys. We are always joking and having a good time no matter what we are doing.
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What have you learned from your team mates?
Too many things, some great things, some naughty things, some important things, and a ton of inspirational things. The most critical thing though is probably just the importance of having friends. I learn so much more from the people around me everyday than I could ever learn from a book or computer. Spend time with the people you want to be like and you will learn what they do to improve themselves and try to emulate those things. If you do that, you have a chance to be exactly who you want to be.
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Who are some of your inspirations in life?
My father has an absurd life story that I could never live up to for one, and is way too long to type second, but is something that I think about from time to time when I thinking about if I am leading the life that I want to lead. He has overcome more than I ever could and I just always hope he is proud of me. I also have learned a ton from the veterans on my team that have led the life that I want to lead for years, because they are dedicated and passionate about their work. I am always inspired by people who are truly in love with and passionate about what they do.
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You have really good style, who do you get your style inspiration from?
I get my style from everything I see around me on a day-to-day basis. If I see a piece of clothing I like I have no problem asking a person where I could find something like that. I am also constantly looking at different blogs on the internet that I most closely associate myself with for new cool things that I could see myself wearing. Lastly, I think that my friends have always had their own pretty unique styles so I take bits and pieces of what I like from all my different friends and put together the items I like the most. Most importantly though, I wear clothes that I feel comfortable and good about myself in.
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On girls, what is some style advice you want to give to the women reading this post?
I don’t know much about ladies fashion, but I notice when a girl doesn’t feel comfortable in what she is wearing. She’s probably just doing so because her friend told her to and that she looked great in it. Make sure you are always wearing what you personally think that you look great in. Because a girls confidence in herself and her style is always much more appealing than the actual clothes they wear.
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Thanks Coop for the awesome interview! We wish you and the rest of the Seahawk’s all the best for a stellar season!
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Cooper in Action