The Workout

Last summer, Mr. Thomas moved his family to Madison, Wis., and began swimming with his brother-in-law, an avid triathlete, in a high school pool. He hired a coach to improve his technique. Mr. Thomas primarily swims freestyle because wear and tear on his shoulders over the years makes other strokes difficult. A typical workout lasts 20 minutes and he tries to make it to the pool two to three times a week. “I love that swimming is something I can do late into life,” he said. “If I jogged or did CrossFit, I’d have pain and swelling for days after. That’s not what I need. Swimming is good for my heart and my joints.”

Much to the amusement of his wife, Annie Thomas, he also has become a dedicated yogi. “My third year in the NFL, Eric Mangini [then the Browns coach] made it mandatory for players to do yoga in the offseason,” he said. “It was really hard. After a year doing it with just the guys I got enough courage and confidence to do it with real yogis and not be humiliated.” He prefers hot vinyasa or power yoga. “The heat lubes up my joints and makes it easier for me to get into the poses,” he says. He practices twice a week at a studio in Madison and once a week on the road, either at a studio or in his hotel room.

He recently bought a road bike and plans to train on his Peloton bike through the winter. He still lifts weights but focuses on higher reps rather than a heavier load.

The Diet

“Unless you’re doing an Ironman every day, diet is 90% of the secret to weight loss,” he said. Mr. Thomas said pounds starting falling off when he cut back on carbs and moved his first meal of the day to noon and dinner to 6 p.m. “When I was playing, I’d be hangry if I went two hours without a meal,” he said. “But once I started cutting out carbs I wasn’t as hungry.”

Dinner, his biggest meal of the day, might be six to eight ounces of pork tenderloin with sauteed squash, asparagus or broccoli. He turns the leftovers into a salad for lunch, topping it with jalapeños and olive oil. He makes his own low-carb pizza but says it doesn’t compare to full-carb, New York-style pizza. “I occasionally fall off the wagon on holidays or with friends and have pizza and beer,” he said. “You want to still enjoy food.” A pint of ice cream used to be a typical bedtime snack, but he now considers a scoop a splurge.