Winston Justice: Setting a winning tone for the season starts at Lehigh

Eagles right tackle Winston Justice begins his second season of writing a column for the Daily News. During the season, his column will appear Wednesdays.

I cannot believe the season is already upon us. The offseason went by extremely fast. It seems like we just left Dallas. I am grateful for the many opportunities I had the past few months. I had a wonderful chance to serve in Haiti at the Mission of Hope orphanage helping the men, women, and children rebuild after the devastating earthquake. I also attended an amazing youth camp, as an honorary counselor in Branson, Mo., at Kids Across America. The camp runs programs for inner-city youths by teaching sports and providing Christian outreach. In both of these experiences, I was reminded how much a gift playing football is and how athletes can inspire so many people just by playing a sport.

The offseason also brings extra time to spend with my wife, my son and, as of July 23, 2010, we have been blessed with a new addition, a daughter, Calais Shalom Justice.

Ultimately, during the time off, I dedicate the summer to training for the next season. In March, workouts begin with the team. In addition, most players are always looking to accelerate their game with outside mental and physical preparations. By immersing myself in various workouts to improve different attributes of my game, I am always trying to become a more complete football player. All the hard work and preparation leads to Lehigh, where much of the season is determined in a short period of time.

This summer, I took up mixed martial arts and added this to my regimen of strength and cardio training. The benefit of MMA, as a football player, is that I am always trying to move my hands as quickly as possible. The speed of a punch in the ring correlates to the speed of a punch as an offensive lineman. A typical routine from March until July 29 includes workouts with the Eagles in the morning at NovaCare, then onto Cherry Hill, where a bunch of guys work out with our own personal trainer, and MMA workouts in the evening. During this training phase, it is also important to stick with a strict high protein diet.