"What you walk by is the behaviour you accept." Adam Goodes on the changes he's making in his forties.

When I told my family I would be chatting with Adam Goodes, there was an audible gasp. 

My four boys had just watched The Final Quarter the week before and kept workshopping their awe-struck compliments. They landed on: "Tell him we say hi". Even my husband wanted to let him know how much he loved watching him play footy. 

If just mentioning Adam Goodes’ name is enough to turn my house into a frenzy, what’s it like to be Adam Goodes and know that you’re a role model for so many?

"I think you have to be true to who you are and to your own personal values," Goodes tells me. 

"It doesn’t matter if I’m being a role model to my daughter and son versus being a role model to your 12-year-old, or your husband who used to watch me play footy. To me it’s all about your own values. What you walk by is the behaviour you accept."

Goodes was recently announced as a Wellness Ambassador for supplements brand, Wanderlust. "When I look to partner with a brand, I always look long-term. What value can I add to this brand and what can I learn?" he explains. 

One of the things he has learned recently is meditation and carving out time for self-care in his hectic schedule.   

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A post shared by Adam Goodes (@adamroy37)

As a parent, activist, and passionate ambassador, how does Goodes juggle everything? 

"Any time you’re involved in something that you’re passionate about, you find any bit of energy you have. It doesn’t mean it’s not draining. You have to have the routine and the lifestyle to counterbalance that. For me, that’s jumping in the ocean and going on a daily walk." 

Goodes says that he ‘locks in’ self-care rituals to build himself back up physically and mentally. 

"I had a crazy week last week, and I knew it was coming. So, this week there are blocks in my week where I actually have time blocked out for a massage, for self-care, for meditation, so I’m not just overloading my mind and body from a really intense week with lots of travel, lots of meetings, lots of events."

The word routine comes up a lot in our conversation, because for Goodes, that’s what is key to his mental and physical health. 

"There are times that we all feel rubbish. And there’s nothing wrong with feeling rubbish for a day, but it becomes an issue when it goes from one day into two, into four, into seven, into two weeks. And that’s when, if you're feeling down, there’s something else going on. And for me, that’s where I learned asking for help was important. We do feel rubbish, we do feel crap, but it’s about how to pick that up quickly by getting the basics of routine in place." 

Goodes is clear that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to health. 

"Wanderlust have just come out with an incredible range that is naturopathically formulated, including the Daily Detox tonic and Wanderlust Turmeric – a liquid supplement," he says. 

Image: Instagram/@adamroy37.

What does Adam's typical day look like? He usually gets up at about 6am with his 9-month-old son and "pounds the pavement with him" for about an hour, walking about 6kms. "Sometimes when I get back, my wife and 3-year-old are still asleep, which is great. Then I try to jump in the ocean. Sometimes I do have to sacrifice that, with my little Otis. Then I eat a good breakfast and then it’s off to work in the office. I don’t get much opportunity to walk much when I'm at work, just to grab lunch."

When he gets home, it’s all about the kids. "There’s that two-and-a-half-hour period to get them ready for dinner and bed and bath and stories. And then when we get an hour or so before bed, I try to reconnect with my wife, before starting all over again the next day."

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A post shared by Adam Goodes (@adamroy37)

It’s hard to stay motivated, but the biggest thing for Goodes is knowing what he feels like at his best. "We feel fresh, we feel good, our mind feels clear. We all have hard days. Work, children, family can wear us down. But we can pick that back up. And it’s about how do we pick that back up? For me, it’s about self-care. 

"It’s about jumping in the ocean. It’s about getting my daily walks in. It’s about eating well. But I’m also a sugar fiend," he adds. 

"But it’s different for every person out there. You might focus on your walking, you might focus on food, you might focus on yoga or Pilates or meditation. All those things are totally personal, and it comes down to the individual. My best advice is: Do what works for you."

As an ex-professional athlete, how has his relationship with his body changed over the years? 

"My body loves me a lot more now than when I was playing football, that’s for sure," he says. 

"I really made every decision I had to for my body. I knew how much my body was an asset to me when I was playing and it’s the reason I was able to play for 18 years. But my body really enjoys the lifestyle that I'm living now. I exercise 85 per cent less than what I used to, and my body and my joints love that. 

"I’m comfortable with my fitness and wellbeing, and I'm comfortable with how I look and feel and that’s just great. I’m 42 years old. If I keep reflecting on what I used to be like in my 30s as a professional athlete, I could get down on myself. But I don't need to do that. I’m not out here trying to win any more medals or trying to be the fittest person at my daycare centre, it’s all about healthy choices for me and what’s really helped me mentally is being comfortable with that. 

"Comfortable that this is okay, and that the lifestyle I’m living right now is perfect."

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. 

Adam Goodes is a Wanderlust paid ambassador, with comments supplied on behalf of Wanderlust.

Feature Image: Instagram/@adamroy37

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