Eric Decker speaks about game day rituals and parenting

At a recent Listerine event, wide receiver Eric Decker spoke about game day rituals, habits for parenting the right way, and yes, why he uses Listerine even before practice.

Wide receiver Eric Decker recently attended a Listerine event last week in which he broke down some unique game day rituals, solid habits/tips for parenting the right way, and how to challenge yourself towards greatness.

As Decker continues to rehab, all signs point that he should be good to go for organized team activities and eventually training camp. Below you’ll find a transcript of everything Decker said at Listerine’s Unlock Your Bold event that was recently held right here in New York.

Decker was joined by Chicago PD actress Sophia Bush, and Dancer & The Ellen Show DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss in a panel discussion exploring how small moments in your everyday life – such as swishing with Listerine, meditating, and other everyday rituals – can inspire bold action. We here at The Jet Press would like to thank Listerine for sending us the transcript below of Decker’s comments. Enjoy everyone!

Game Day Ritual

“Like most athletes, I’m a creature of habit, so everything’s pretty routine throughout the whole week. But before games, I like to get there about 3.5 hours before to sit in the hot tub, warm up, stretch, just kind of get physically ready for the game, and go out, run on the field and catch some footballs. But the most important thing for me is when I come back after we do a team warm up outside and I get about 10 minutes to lay down by myself in a dark corner, whether it’s going to be in a room that’s off our locker room, or a bathroom, wherever I can find that quiet space.”

“I just throw a towel over my eyes and kind of visualize the game and kind of meditate and get myself back to my center and to my core, because football like a lot of [the other panel members], like being a CEO, dancer – it’s one of those things where your emotions can take a rollercoaster ride and the biggest thing for me is if you can keep yourself kind of even-keeled, or at that okay level, that’s where you’re consistent for a longer period of time. So that gives me a chance to find myself, visualize what the game is going to look like and that gives me confidence.”

Habits for Parenting

“Like tWitch said, it’s trying to find the moments, if you can beat your kids [and wake] up [before them] in the morning, or whether it’s when you’re alone in bed, or even at night when you put them to bed, just kind of sit back and take time, instead of getting on Instagram, or you know [see] what’s going on in the world. Just take your time, for me it’s time to catch up with my wife since she has a demanding schedule as well.”

“We got two kids under three and the day goes by and we’re like what happened, we got nothing accomplished, I could imagine not having the kids and getting stuff accomplished since having kids they add so much to your plate. But I’ve read so many books and you always try to find what’s the right balance in your life – how do you balance work, how do you balance family, me-time, friends, and it’s hard. There’s no answer. It’s finding the small moments throughout your day where you could take a deep breath, think about what good has happened throughout that day and what do you want to accomplish and just enjoy the moment.”

“Because a lot of times we get caught up in this world of what’s next – I need to accomplish this next, I need to do this, you know – and you forget to appreciate what you have in that moment and just enjoy the moment because they go by so fast. With two little kids, it’s helped me do that, it’s helped me slow down since they grow up so fast, it’s helped me enjoy every stage of this baby and enjoy every stage in my career and where I’m at in life.”

Your Definition of Bold

“I think it’s stepping outside your comfort zone. You know we all have our routine, what we’re comfortable with, where we grew up or what we do, we associate with. But doing something that maybe creates better habits and is going to be better long-term for your health, mentally, physically – and there are so many correct resources out there, so if you’re not comfortable, maybe reaching out to a life coach, or becoming a meditator, you know those things are life changing.”

“They’re game-changing. I think that’s something that a lot of us get stuck in, is well we’re so busy and we’re doing so much about what I’m comfortable with, it’s like there’s so much out there and there are so many things that can change your life for the better. That’s why I think stepping outside yourself, challenging yourself [is valuable]. Because you’re going to grow one way or the other, whether you fail or if it helps you. So for me being bold is finding something that you can enjoy outside your comfort zone that you can do.”

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Listerine Use

“I take it before practice and before games, I always gargle some LISTERINE. Just because for me, it’s that jolt that makes me feel ready to go. I’m ready to go out and get 2.5 hours of pounding, beating yourself up. But my teammates are always like what are you brushing your teeth for, who cares if you smell. It’s to stay classy. I say my ABC’s while I gargle.”

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