Tom Brady’s diet and wellness routine: the NFL athlete’s 8 rules to staying healthy, from a vegan 80/20 diet and sleeping at 8.30pm, to loading up on protein and water

Mar 18 , 2022

Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady. Photo: @bradybrand/Twitter

Brady recently announced that he’s coming out of retirement after a 40 day break; he credits a strict bedtime, lots of water and more for his NFL longevity

The seven-time Super Bowl champion follows an 80 per cent vegan, 20 per cent organic meat diet, with a square of 100 per cent cacao plain chocolate for the occasional dessert

Tom Brady follows one of the most intense wellness routines of anyone in professional sports. Following his announcement on March 14, he’s coming out of retirement after a 40-day break – and it seems his regime will continue to be as important than ever. So just how does the 44-year-old NFL star do it?

1. He gets his beauty sleep

Tom Brady posed as if he was sleeping in an advertisement for Under Armour pyjamas. Photo: Under Armour

Brady goes to bed at 8.30pm every night to ensure he gets nine hours of sleep. His day usually starts before the sun is even up, especially during football season when he played in New England.

According to Business Insider, the quarterback wakes up at 5.30am every day to make sure he gets all of his meals and morning exercise done before having to get into the meat of the day.

Tom Brady makes sure he gets nine hours of sleep every night. Photo: @tombrady/Instagram

But sleep is still very important to Brady’s rhythm, he detailed in the 2017 book, The TB12 Method. He aims to get at least nine hours of sleep per night, so he goes to bed at 8.30pm to make sure he can wake up on time and well rested.

2. He gets his protein

Tom Brady sells protein power under his brand TB12. Photos: Getty Images, @tb12sports/Instagram