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  • Clean Hands and Sanitizers

    You needn’t be scared of getting your hands dirty. Truthfully, our hands don’t have to be hospital clean all the time. I recall when Purell came out in the mid-nineties claiming to “kill ‘99.99%’ of most common germs that may cause illness in as little as 15 seconds.” Mostly, it gave us shortcut. No longer…

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  • Hip Mobility

    I love squats. I truly believe that they are the most important weight training move we can perform. If there was only one lift you could do, I wouldn’t hesitate to make it the squat. Far beyond simply improving your power, squats have a beneficial effect on your hormones. Testosterone levels are also influenced by…

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  • Vent-I Coffee

    I feel like venting, quickly. Luke warm coffee sucks. Sort of hot coffee sucks. That’s why “coffee labs” suck.  This morning, I ventured into Cartel Coffee Lab in Phoenix to work. I asked for a 20 ounce “Whana Rasuna,” a $6, black coffee featuring beans sourced from North Sumatra. The first few ounces were served…

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  • Two Weeks or a Lifetime?

    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…

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  • Savoring the Moment

    Sweet tooth? We can get candy flavors from our black coffee. We just have to be willing to slow down. I don’t eat caramel anymore, but I still love the taste. Yesterday, I waltzed into Trader Joe’s. It’s been a while, but I was grabbing a bottle of Monkey Shoulder for a friend (TJ’s carries…

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  • Stand Tall

    I get it. You’re too busy to meditate. I am too. You’ve got too much shit going on to train. Me too. Working on kickass posture, obtaining the highest quality animals and veggies to eat, it all sucks up bandwidth. It’s not that you don’t aspire to. You trust all the benefits. From NAU.edu, reporting…

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  • Terms of Service

    Disclaimer The views expressed on the Kaplifestyle blog (“Kaplifestyle” or “this website”) are the opinions those of us at Kaplifestyle LLC, which we have made available for educational, general informational, and/or entertainment purposes only, and not to provide medical, dietary, or other advice.  I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or medical professional, and the opinions…

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  • open thread

    We didn’t hit our Open Thread yesterday, so let’s do it today instead.Chester: What is your opinion of kids learning how to fight, not with a goal of fighting, but with a goal of Knowing How To Fight? Knowing how to fight is in my opinion a preventative to actually getting into fights. I’m certainly…

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  • calories

    If you’re interested in calorie burning value at the margins, stand more and sit less. We’ve discussed how to improve posture, but it’s time to advocate for standing while we work.There is actual science to support the fact that standing burns more calories than sitting. From Keith Barr, Ph.D, a renowned scientist in the emerging…

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  • walking

    If you’re interested in calorie burning value at the margins, stand more and sit less. We’ve discussed how to improve posture, but it’s time to advocate for standing while we work.There is actual science to support the fact that standing burns more calories than sitting. From Keith Barr, Ph.D, a renowned scientist in the emerging…

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I aim to plan and consciously choose all of my indulgences. I have the knowledge and willpower to do so, but occasionally, I will have a substantial misfire.

I was in Boston, my home away from home, for the 2004 World Series reunion. I splurged nutritionally as I had intended, but I didn’t map out my large nutritional stumble while watching the game.

I had it all pre-navigated. My two men (12 and 14) and I love to experience travel through food. We think it’s the most efficient and interesting way to explore the culture of a city. We discussed the trip ahead of time and decided on three restaurants where we would fully indulge and eat like kings. We’d start with the team dinner at a fine steak and seafood house, follow it up with breakfast the next morning at a bakery, and finish it out with lunch at a tapas joint in the South End.

The first night the three of us shared bone in filets, swordfish steaks, oysters, giant shrimp, crab cakes, lamb chops, chocolate cake, apple crisps and cold vanilla ice cream. I enjoyed a few glasses of whiskey, neat, and my boys drank Sprite. We left the restaurant 1 for 1. Remember, this indulgence was planned.

The next morning, we went to a bakery suggested by a Boston-based chef friend. The boys picked up scones and French toast; I scored big with a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a crusty roll with spinach and tomato. The bite came complete with a Dijon mustard finish that struck a chord with me, managing to last all day. 2 at bats, 2 knocks.

After mobbing around on the T train all morning, making our way to Harvard and back to Downtown Crossing, we landed at our destination for lunch, Toro. Theo Epstein made the recommendation after I mentioned that my boys and I were on a food adventure. This is the guy who went out to get the “washed up” 2002 version of David Ortiz, so he’s proven his scouting mettle. If he thinks it’s a worthwhile trip, I’ll take his advice.

Back to food.

Rather than turn this post into a restaurant review, I’ll keep it simple. I had an out of body experience. Every small plate that arrived was visually captivating and stunning on the palate. We sprinted the gamut. From spicy curry beef empanadas to cauliflower with golden raisins and pine nuts to the pièce de résistance, roasted bone marrow with radish citrus salad and oxtail marmalade. This dish, holy fuck. Our waiter described it exquisitely as “like rich, hot, beef flavored butter.” I was now 3 for 3 and ready for my final at bat.

A theme throughout this entire trip was advance planning. My first mistake was not preparing for this final meal. I figured my boys and I would just eat at the ballpark and didn’t put much thought into it. I knew that the options would be plentiful and come in large quantities. I wasn’t necessarily wrong, but I quickly got off course.

I was running around at Fenway from this place to that, answering questions and meeting folks. My boys were on their own and already up in the suite by the time I arrived around the start of the first inning. They had eaten pizza, snacks and fruit, totally what I expected for them. I walked in starving, my second mistake.  I reached for a plate and piled on decent looking veggies, a huge mound of guacamole, and the only available protein, stale fried chicken strips. I could have reached into my bag and opened a can of wild caught salmon. I didn’t. My defenses were down. I hadn’t snacked. I ingested that garbage and suffered strike one.

You know my stance on processed foods. Those frozen chunks of flour covered meat product provide little nutritional value. I had already experienced a whirlwind day filled with emotion and exertion, and the pizza under the heat lamp began to look lovely.

I advocate indulgence, but I advocate planned, quality indulgence. This was neither. I scarfed down a piece and the drugs hit my bloodstream. I couldn’t chew fast enough. Strike two.

The final pitch of the at bat came in and I chased it. I scarfed down a few more slices, knowing even as I did so that it wasn’t my finest hour.

3 for 4. In baseball that’s a hell of a day. Nutritionally, I expect 4 for 4s from myself almost always. I’m in control, so the high bar is appropriately set. Rather than dwell on it, I’ll do what Manny tells us to do after a rough at bat. “Turn the page, papi.”

I write this from the plane the following morning. I’ve turned the page. Today, I’ve ingested steel cut oats, fresh organic blueberries, a pile of kale, a chunk of a ham steak, a few fresh scrambled eggs and organic black coffee.

In my bag, I have a large salad with tons of fresh veggies, almonds, chicken, organic Hannah yams. I also still have that wild salmon I passed over for pizza in a box.

I’m back on track. I remember last night’s at bat and will make the adjustment without carrying the emotion of yesterday over into today’s game.

I hope you’ll share your stories of strikeouts or home runs in the comments section below.

Kap