I remember the time in my life I was most obsessed with exercise. At 20 years old, home in Los Angeles for the baseball off season, I was at the peak of my training. It was January, and I always started to feel like I wasn’t prepared for the upcoming season at precisely this time. I lifted weights in the morning, then headed to the field to throw, take swings and run in the … [Read more…]
Every January, folks around the world commit to better health. Unfortunately, many gravitate towards fad diets and cleanses as their jumping off point. These diets make trendy claims about quick weight loss and detoxification. Those enticing promises are just enough bait to entice people to swallow the hook. For this new year, I suggest a different, fresh tactic. Start … [Read more…]
The post-workout meal is an essential part of improving fitness and building strength. The body needs to repair and replenish itself after breaking down muscles during a workout. Thirty minutes to an hour after training, your body needs proteins and carbohydrates to grow. Healthy fats encourage vitamin absorption and restore energy levels. In doing my research for the best … [Read more…]
In 1999, I was a rookie with the Detroit Tigers. After a game, I strode confidently into the Kansas City Royals’ weight room, rested the weight bar on my shoulders and settled in for some heavy squats. I rocked my hips back and dropped into my form, feeling totally in control. On the way back up, I got stuck. I leaned forward and the bar spilled over my neck. More than 500 … [Read more…]
Making smart choices in the grocery store isn’t always easy. Everyone is busy; grabbing the prepared and processed food seems like the most convenient option. Manufacturers are adept at satisfying any savory or sweet craving in one easy package. Increasing and maintaining strength requires a steady stream of protein; you can’t build muscle without it. Unfortunately, the … [Read more…]
Low blood sugar, or glucose levels, can induce a craving for alcohol.
You’ve followed this blog for a while, so you know I’m only an occasional drinker. Sure, I’ll partake in a glass of whiskey or two, a near freezing beer with a burger or a nice red from time to time as an indulgence, but I rarely crave alcohol.
No matter how much or little we consume a food or beverage, it’s reasonable to understand how our bodies respond to it. Our bodies actually identify alcohol as a toxin and immediately want to rid our bloodstream of it. From lifehacker.com:
To fight back, and sober you up, humans produce an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase.
That enzyme gets its shot at your alcohol when it attempts to pass through the stomach lining, and when it reaches your liver, primarily. On contact, it snatches a hydrogen atom off the ethanol molecules in your drink, rendering it into non-intoxicating acetaldehyde. Humans can then use aldehyde dehydrogenase as a kind of clean-up crew, breaking down the acetaldehyde that’s sometimes considered a cause of hangovers, along with dehydration.
Though I drink infrequently, I adore the sensory experience. Similar to my appreciation for coffee, I like to fully appreciate the tastes and smells of my alcoholic drinks. It requires some degree of willpower to ensure that I am only consuming small doses at any given time. As with refined sugar, which we have identified in previous posts as a powerfully addictive drug, we simply want to be better informed about how to ingest it and be equipped to make solid personal decisions. We don’t necessarily have to create unreasonable laws for ourselves regarding never consuming the stuff. Rather, we aim to be in tune with our body’s systems and recognize why we’re craving a particular food or drink.
When the bottles of Scotch on my shelf look particularly appetizing, I know I need to ask myself a few questions. Am I exhausted? Am I stressed? Is my blood sugar low and ultimately, what do I need to do about it? From brighteyecounseling.co.uk:
One of the things that can easily induce a craving for alcohol is low blood sugar. This can occur after a ‘rush’ of simple carbohydrates (sugar, processed wheat etc.), blood sugar levels quickly increase, then decrease again just as sharply.
It can also occur if you haven’t eaten anything for a long time – so don’t let yourself get too hungry!
The craving comes about because your body associates drinking alcohol with lots of quickly available carbohydrates, and that’s what it asks you for. So the one thing you need to do when you’re cutting down your alcohol intake, is keep your blood sugar levels fairly balanced.
If you long to drink less frequently and are fiending for a martini, try crushing an apple, a handful of almonds and a tall glass of water. You might just be hungry and dehydrated. When you finally get around to having it as part of a planned indulgence, you’ll be in a much better state to fully appreciate the pleasures.
Traveling can cause even the most dedicated, disciplined eater to stray off course.
Here’s a pretty natural unfolding of events. You arrive in a foreign city, and your body’s clock is off. You’ve been stuck on an airplane and taken the strong, bold step of avoiding snacks at the airport, assuming you’ll grab a meal first thing upon arrival. But you ate breakfast at 6:00 am and the flight was delayed ninety minutes. By the time your bags arrive and you’ve groggily thrown your gear into the rental car, it’s been seven hours since you received an injection of nutrition. You’re officially starving. You drive out of the airport and begin to pass the fast food. You’re strong enough to press on the gas pedal as you near the golden arches, keep going past Burger King, and then…fuck it. In a moment of weak crankiness, you’re in the Taco Bell drive through ordering 3 Cheesy Gorditas, a bean burrito and a Diet Pepsi. At least you were economical.
Here’s how I avoid this situation.
The night before travel, grab a paper shopping bag and fill it with a piece of fruit, a bottle of water, organic beef jerky (I get mine at Trader Joe’s) or another easy protein source like a pre made chicken breast or hard boiled eggs, and some leafy greens like kale or spinach.
The day you travel, wake up and drink tons of water. Make an effort throughout the day to stay hydrated.
Arrive at the airport 30 minutes earlier than you would normally. Spend the extra time “Yelping” natural food store choices in your destination cities. Find the most convenient option, and commit to making it your first stop from the airport. Buy food for your whole trip. I suggest convenient foods like bottled water, berries, prepared proteins like salmon, chicken, tuna etc., organic almond or peanut butter and avocado for healthy fats. With a variety of those foods, you can piece snacks and meals together. It is also more cost effective than eating out. Call your hotel ahead of time and have them put a small fridge in your room. Most budget hotels have them in the rooms already; more expensive hotels will likely accommodate your request.
If you’re traveling by bus or taxi, you’ll need to be more efficient and pack that paper shopping bag with larger portions.
This takes a little dedication on the front end, but will make your life easier and healthier on the back end. Like anything else, these lifestyle choices take practice. I believe in you like you believe in me.
I’m not big on receiving presents. There is one type that I do like, however. My favorite gift to give and receive is food.
Warning: brutal honesty coming.
Receiving gifts can sometimes be a struggle. First, I’m not interested in many physical things. Second, I’m quite particular about the physical items I do keep. Frankly, there is little chance that the well-intentioned giver will execute on their desire to please me, leaving me in a position to bullshit and them in a position to receive said BS.
I suspect that I’m not alone. As we head towards the prime gift giving season, how many times are you obligated to accept gifts of things that you won’t use? There is a solution to this seemingly universal problem. Give whole foods as gifts. I don’t mean prepared foods like pie, which seem exceptionally personal (unless you know the person’s tastes intimately). I mean staples; the things that most stock in their refrigerators or pantries on a regular basis.
My neighbor has chickens that produce the most sensational eggs. She calls me occasionally and surprises me with a voicemail.
“Gabe, I left you a carton of eggs in my wagon in front of my house.”
What is the market value of this dozen? Probably only a few bucks. Still, I can’t wipe the smile off my face when I get that call.
She provided me with mornings of blissful runny yolks. This was a gift of health, particularly as an athlete in need of high quality protein. From whfoods.com:
Eggs have long been recognized as a source of high-quality protein. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other public health authorities actually use eggs as their reference standard for evaluating the protein quality in all other foods. Egg protein is usually referred to as “HBV” protein, meaning protein with High Biological Value. Since eggs are used as the reference standard for food protein, they score 100% on the HBV chart. The high quality of egg protein is based on the mixture of amino acids it contains. (Amino acids are the building blocks for making proteins.) Eggs provide a complete range of amino acids, including branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine), sulfur-containing amino acids (methionine, cysteine), lysine, tryptophan, and all other essential amino acids. Their protein is sometimes referred to as a “complete protein” for this reason.
I have a friend, Angelina, who brought me a bowl of fruit from her backyard trees on Monday. Tiny, crisp apples, perfectly ripe persimmons and fragrant lemons and limes blessed my soul all week. They decorate my kitchen table with a pop of color, and I think of her kindness and generosity every time I take a bite.
Angelina gave me the gift of flavor, vitamins and minerals. Persimmons, in particular, are high in vitamin A. From livestrong.com:
Vitamin A promotes good vision, according to MedlinePlus. Vitamin A is especially important for seeing in the dark or in poorly lit areas. Without vitamin A, you wouldn’t be able to establish a wide array of colors because it helps your eyes distinguish colors such as bright orange or dark purple.
I have stunning tomatoes growing in my garden and ½ of a cow in my freezer out back. My mom and dad are on their way over to the house to celebrate mom’s birthday. I plan on a gift of grass-fed bone-in ribeye steaks and a few just-picked tomatoes.
My folks will enjoy the benefits of grass-fed beef, like higher levels of Omega-3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. From chriskresser.com:
The two fatty acids you’re probably most familiar with are our old friends omega-3 and omega-6, both of which are PUFAs. This might come as a surprise, but the most current research indicates that beef contains consistent levels of omega-6 regardless of diet. (2) This is good news if you can’t afford grass-fed beef, because at least grain-fed beef won’t slam you with more omega-6 than you can compensate for. What you’ll be missing out on are the significantly higher levels of omega-3s found in grass-fed beef. (3) Depending on the breed of cow, grass-fed beef contains between 2 and 5 times more omega-3s than grain-fed beef, and the average ratio of n-6:n-3 in grass fed beef is 1.53:1. In grain fed beef, this ratio jumps all the way up to 7.65:1.
I started by telling you that I had to bullshit when I receive a gift that I’ll end up chucking. Is it silly to give gifts based on my preferences instead of guessing at the recipient’s? Probably. I figure I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t. If I give a dude a tie, he may not dig it anyhow. Logically then, I lean on health. I’ve never met a human who doesn’t want to feel well.
That’s my deductive reasoning and I’m sticking to it,
My son and I start our afternoon grabbing lunch at a restaurant in Malibu; one we’ve never tried. I decide on the salmon over quinoa with a mango salsa. The waiter delivers the dish to our table; it looks fantastic. It tastes as delicious as it looks, and I wipe it out in four bites. In my mind, I feel like it wasn’t enough food, even though there was plenty of nutritious density.
Getting home, I head into my office to resume my work day. I’m immediately hungry. I know I won’t be eating again until mid-afternoon, so I attempt to focus. The hunger signals make it increasingly difficult.
Finally, after what seems like forever, 3:30 finally rolls around. Snack time! I waltz into the kitchen, down a glass of water, and I head outside to hydrate my plants prior to eating.
Back inside, barely five minutes later, a tenth of my hunger remains. I realize what I interpreted as a hunger signal was actually my body letting me know it was thirsty. Thinking back, I walked quite a bit over the course of the day and didn’t pay attention to my water intake. I had some irritability throughout the morning, but hadn’t put the puzzle pieces together.
To avoid these types of moments (most of the time, at least) I drink a huge glass of water with lemon first thing in the morning. I wait a few minutes and drink another tall glass to continue to flush my system. My water intake comes before I eat anything. I try to wait at least a few minutes to let the water hydrate my cells without my body doing any work breaking down foods.
Maintaining proper hydration helps to rid your body of toxins, carries nutrients to the cells, increasing absorption and ensures a proper environment for ear, nose, and throat tissues which helps in preventing infections like the cold and flu.
Mild dehydration is linked to headaches, moodiness and fatigue. If folks would simply do the research, they would avoid the expense of Advil and energy drinks.
The first thing I do when I get a headache is reach for water. Cranky? Water. Tired? Water. More times than not, I feel better quickly.
If you’re trying to achieve your fitness goals, water is even more important for you. Even 1% dehydration (by body weight) begins to decrease physical and athletic performance. Drinking a big glass of cold water can increase your metabolic rate by as much as 30%. Studies have also shown that drinking more water helps maximize weight loss.
Skincare? H2Ochecks that box, too. Dehydration causes the skin to look dry and wrinkled.
For all of these reasons, when teammates and loved ones ask me to help them achieve their goals, I ask them to take the very simple step of drinking more water. I don’t waste my time or theirs with step two until they’ve completed that task.
Peer into the locker of most professional athletes, and you’ll find a plethora of legal powders and pills promising larger muscles, speedier recovery and increased energy. Some of these magic elixirs even claim to improve reaction time and memory. Supplement companies make equally empty suggestions to the general public that may be even more egregious. The supplement … [Read more…]
One of the best catalysts to jump start your 2014 healthy living program is removing soda from your daily eating plan. Whether your goal is to lower body fat, improve vitality or just generally be healthier, replacing the sugary, carbonated artificially flavored beverages with water will drastically increase your chance for success. Everyone knows that soda has a lot of … [Read more…]
Major league baseball training rooms are a popular spot for guys looking to get their daily drug fix. The drug of choice? Advil. Over the course of 162 games, plus spring training, plus the post season, an inflamed muscle here and there is impossible to avoid. I have clear recollections of taking 12 Advil a day for weeks at a time. Hundreds of throws, swings of the bat, face … [Read more…]
Last year, I began weight training with my two sons. My family often makes friendly wagers on football games. In this case, I had a bet with my older son, Chase, about Peyton Manning’s performance with the Denver Broncos when he returned from neck surgery. My terms were simple. For two months, Chase would accompany me to my weight lifting sessions. I won the bet. Three … [Read more…]
I’m asked often about the health benefits and effectiveness of energy drinks. I can gracefully answer the first part of the question. The nutrition label on a Rockstar or Monster can tells me all I need to know – stay far, far away. The effectiveness part is a little trickier because once I read how unhealthy these beverages are, I chose not to drink them. Because I have … [Read more…]
Did you ever regret anything you did during a “bench clearing brawl” as its called (but not accurately worded in most cases). It’s easy to get carried away in the heat of the moment, but do you believe that in those instances in your career you were truly backing up your teammates?
Interesting question for this blog, Chris. As you alluded to, a “bench clearing brawl” is usually nothing but a bunch of dudes who don’t really want to fight acting like they do. Quite often, punches are not even thrown. Think about it, how often do you see a sea of bodies, jawing and pushing, but no real action being taken? That’s the clearest possible indication that the men in both uniforms want to appear angry and tough, but really would like to get back to their respective dugouts and discuss what just happened with no blood on their shirts.
Every so often, the desire for violence becomes genuine and you get a real fight on the diamond. That inherent need to scrap may be rooted in evolution. From the Huffington Post:
Charles Darwin noted “the greater size, strength, courage, and pugnacity of the males in most species.” He attributed this to males “having been successful in conquering other males, and thus having left a larger number of offspring to inherit their superiority.”
In other words, if you are a man living on this planet today, it’s only because, for millions of generations, your genetic forebears successfully beat the crap out of their rivals. You are the descendant of champions.
Don’t get mad at me, it’s Darwin’s take.
I’ve taken part in a few of the ugly ones between the lines. For the most part, they’re akin to the neighborhood fracas (I replied to this question just so I could use this word) you may have been in as a teenager or that bar brawl you remember when there were bodies were flying everywhere. They’re chaos, and to that end, I don’t regret my actions at all. In fact, I do feel like I backed up my teammates, and I do feel like they backed me up. Finally, in many ways we were defending ourselves and each other. There was never a sucker punch that I can remember and engagement was mutual for guys wearing grey and white.
The floor is open to your questions or comments. No rules.
Attacking areas where you’re most vulnerable to failure and rejection is an exercise in confidence building. Who gives a damn if you lose a few battles en route to winning the war? Fear of embarrassment can be debilitating. It causes folks to live a passive, risk free life with little upside of richness and diversity of experience. At it’s extreme and in scientific circles, … [Read more…]
I have no patience for risk aversion. Allow me say that in a less abrasive way. Taking calculated risks and behaving in a brave, bold manner gives puts us in an optimal position to have success in every compartment of our lives. When interacting with our fellow human beings, we must be strong with our opinions and assertive with our actions. It’s how we earn respect. From … [Read more…]
Hey there, KL readers. As you may have heard, I’m headed back to work in baseball. I’m genuinely ecstatic. You’ve been following for some time, so you’ve likely heard me throw out the JFK quote, “Do not pray for easier lives, pray for stronger men.” I believe through building stronger men and women, we make the world a safer, more negotiable place. I’ll have a chance to … [Read more…]
Abraham Lincoln: Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition. Abe had the right idea, but someone always recognizes superior work. You will be better served in the long run by letting someone else acknowledge your contributions. In the working world and in relationships, pointing out your own value does more harm than good. If you … [Read more…]
If you’re a leader of men and women looking for an easy way to improve your skills, examine your non-verbal communication. Elevating your body language can change the way your group responds to you and positively impact team performance. My 9th grader just completed his first start as his JV high school football team’s QB. His team was trounced to the tune of 40-0. Chase was … [Read more…]
Good wine doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s like art, totally subjective.
I’m no wine connoisseur, though I’m interested in learning. I know that I appreciate the occasional glass with a steak or some cheese. But wine doesn’t have to be reserved for special events and treated with reverence. Tonight, I had a glass of Pinot Noir that I genuinely appreciated. It was 9 bucks a glass and 36 bucks for the bottle. If you’re a wine snob, you may be rolling your eyes, particularly after you’ve factored in the bar’s markup. Even if you’re a sommelier, you know better than to select your glass based on cost. From businessinsider.com:
In fact, a professional sommelier recently outlined the characteristics that make a wine high-quality, and “price tag” wasn’t one of them.
Not surprising. Wine, like anything else, is not always priced according to quality. Often, you’re paying for the name on the label or splashy marketing. Because wine is made from grapes that were once alive and affected by weather, temperature, soil, and many other variables, wine from the same vineyard will change from year to year. Rarely do they drop the price during a bad year, however.
That’s not to say that you can’t find decadent, expensive wine, obviously. However, identifying that decadent wine may be more difficult than most people let on.
In a blind taste test conducted by Hertfordshire University psychologist Richard Wiseman in Scotland, it was found that identifying a wine as cheap or expensive has about the same odds as flipping a coin: 50/50.
Trained experts are generally better about being able to identify wine. It’s not usually about what’s in the bottle, however, but what’s in their mind. From The Atlantic:
In 2001, Frederic Brochet conducted two experiments at the University of Bordeaux.
In one experiment, he got 54 oenology (the study of wine tasting and wine making) undergraduates together and had them taste one glass of red wine and one glass of white wine. He had them describe each wine in as much detail as their expertise would allow. What he didn’t tell them was both were the same wine. He just dyed the white one red…The tasters in the first experiment, the one with the dyed wine, described the sorts of berries and grapes and tannins they could detect in the red wine just as if it really was red. Every single one, all 54, could not tell it was white.
This isn’t because they were bad at tasting wine. Instead, it simply proves what we’ve always known – our brain is subject to influence from our expectations. If we think that expensive wine means that it’s good, we’ll rate the pricier glass as tasting better, even if it’s a worse (or the exact same) wine. If we alter our expectations, we can actually alter our preferences.
Appreciation of wine for me is about new flavor and sensory experiences. The way the wine rolls in the glass is part of the experience. I enjoy the color and watching the light refracting off the liquid. I’m not alone. A good portion of the wine drinking population is in the process of exploring.
The second level of appreciation involves learning and experience. As we think about the flavours we are encountering, there emerges a new way of appreciating these flavours, and we realize that we have the capacity to learn to like things. Thus even flavours that we fail to appreciate at a hedonic level (those we are unsure about, or don’t like) can grow on us. Interestingly, it is these acquired tastes that are often the more enduring ones. We rarely go crazy about flavours that are easy to like, but those which we’ve grown to like are frequently compelling.
Ahhhh, this reminds me of how I fell in love with coffee. While we’re on the topic of new experiences, the bartender was helpful. She recommended a delicious Zinfandel that hit me immediately with notes of licorice. Fully balanced, my inexperienced palate (for wine) detected some cherry flavor. Exquisite experience. I immediately found the bottle online for about 30 bucks.
You know we challenge assumptions at every turn. Just like Scotch (Monkey Shoulder?), tasty wine needn’t come with a monster price tag.
Next time you’re at the store choosing a peanut butter, please grab a natural, organic jar. Your PB should have only one or two ingredients, either peanuts alone or peanuts and salt. Remember those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from your childhood? The ones with the creamy Skippy on Wonder Bread with the Smucker’s jelly that tasted more like fruit punch than fruit? … [Read more…]
Life gets crazy. When you’re out and about tackling daily activities, sometimes you need to make a pit stop and grab easy nutrition. Ideally, this should just be to tide you over until your next meal. You know that the big fast food chains are loaded down with artificial ingredients and no redeeming nutritional value, but you spy a smoothie chain up ahead. Jamba Juice, … [Read more…]
All sugars are not created equal. The sugar in an apple pie from McDonald’s is not even a distant cousin of the sugar in a crisp, organic apple. I’ve preached time and time again on this blog – fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar does. You may have noticed, however, that I advocate apples, blueberries, and Japanese yams. All of these items contain sugars. I even use them to curb … [Read more…]
If you’ve been reading my blog for a bit, you know my mantra: fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar makes you fat. However, the health benefits of dark chocolate make it a worthwhile indulgence. Valentine’s Day is my least favorite holiday. Do we really need an appointment on the calendar to express love to another human being? C’mon, that should be our daily practice. Now, there … [Read more…]
Are you up for the almond challenge? My man Joe from New York spends a portion of every day at Penn Station. Penn Station is the nation’s largest candy vending machine (oddly, folks also get on and off trains here). Joe loves Skittles, so every day is a temptation. You can’t really blame the guy for his sweet tooth. He’s overworked and has difficulty finding time to get … [Read more…]
color and watching the light refracting off the liquid. I’m not alone. A good portion of the wine drinking population is in the process of exploring.
