What’s good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander.
“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”- Edith Wharton
Growing up I loved playing basketball. My first favorite player during my middle school years was Julius Irving, better known as “Dr. J” of the Philadelphia 76ers. When I made the middle school team, I had to get a pair of Dr. J-style Converses. I had no expectations that they would help me play better or be able to glide through the air like Dr. J. By my junior year, Michael Jordan had become my favorite player. By this time, Nike was doing a full-court marketing press with Michael Jordan and his Air Jordan brand of basketball shoes. Michael Jordan was doing things on the basketball court that no one had ever seen before. Once again, I had to get myself these sneakers. I should note, I didn’t actually buy any of these sneakers, I asked my parents to get them and they were kind enough to buy them for me.
I wanted the Air Jordans because Michael Jordan was awesome and the sneakers were really cool looking. Prior to the Air Jordans, which were red, black, and white, all my basketball sneakers had always been plain white. You read that correctly, just white, the whole sneaker was white, no other colors.
Did I expect the Air Jordans to allow me to “Be Like Mike,” no, not really. I would certainly try to do some of his signature moves, but I also tried to do moves I had seen other players do as well.
All of this brings us to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dwight Howard and why what’s good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander. Dwayne Johnson is a former WWE wrestler and currently a movie star, having most recently starred in Black Adam. Dwight Howard is a former NBA player and currently plays professionally overseas.
Dwayne Johnson is 6'5 and 260 lbs. The best way I could describe him is that he is a big jacked dude. According to an article about his diet and workout regimens, he eats between five and seven meals a day, filled with protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. Altogether, he eats almost 5,000 calories a day.
Dwight Howard is 6’10 and 265 lbs., he’s also a pretty big dude. Dwight Howard’s pregame meal when he was younger, consisted of 2 double cheeseburgers, a large fry, a small fry, a chocolate shake, and a large Coke, all from McDonald’s. He said he had a lot of success having that as his pre-game meal. He also said after a while and as he matured, he realized that it wasn’t the best pre-game meal for him.
If I tried to eat as much as Dwayne Johnson does for a week and tried some of his workouts, it would probably have some adverse effects on me. I am by no means anywhere near the size of Dwayne Johnson.
The same holds true for Dwight Howard’s pregame meal. If I ate that and gone to play basketball, I do not think I would have had very much success.
Here’s the scary thing, I recently walked out of a basketball gym where I overheard two guys talking. The one guy told the other that he had heard about Dwight Howard’s McDonald’s pre-game meal. He said that if it worked for Dwight that he thought it would work for him. It should come as no surprise that the player said he didn’t really play well at all after eating all that food.
There’s no harm in being inspired by people, athletes, or even celebrities. If you try to replicate their diets and exercise regimens when they might not be the best option. Be inspired, be curious, but make sure to be you. Forward, always!