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  • Protein Powder Alternatives

  • Flat stomachs and 6-pack abs (with sample workout)

    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.…

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  • Homemade Sriracha Recipe

    You’ve been following along, so you know I can’t get enough spice in my food. Eggs, Japanese yams, they all get the same warmth from a splash of hot sauce. I love the chili-garlic flavor that explodes out of the Sriracha bottle, but I must admit I cringe a little every time I reluctantly glance…

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  • As with all serious issues, if we don’t talk about concussions openly, we lessen our ability to learn how to avoid and respond to them. We listen when doctors talk about them. We listen more intently when a very recently concussed MLB player tells his personal stories. When that man speaks eloquently and without filter, and…

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  • metabolism

    If you’ve been following this blog, you know I throw hot sauce on almost everything. From jalapeños to habaneros, I love me some spiciness. I recently started a garden. While I’ve done pretty well at killing off my other plants, my ghost peppers have made it. Survival of the fittest! I eat spicy foods for…

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  • Carrots

    Don’t die young; munch on carrots. We’ve touched on some exotic vegetables here at Kaplifestyle, things like water chestnuts and jicama. Those are the role players. That’s not an insult; every great team needs role players, and these guys may make an All Star team here and there. But they’re not the perennial MVP candidate.…

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  • I awoke this morning with a sore throat. It’s been forever since my last one, but I started to feel it percolating last night. I refuse to give in though; I don’t have time to be sick (how many times have you uttered this exact phrase?). I figure I can outsmart this. I invite you…

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  • heart disease

     In Little League, everyone’s a winner. In the battle of almond versus peanut butter, we’re not teaching sportsmanship, but we don’t really need to crown a champion, either.In order to have an intelligent discussion on this topic, let’s state the obvious – this discussion is about the virtues of almonds and peanuts; their form as…

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  • Open Thread: Week 14

    Welcome back to our open thread. Let’s get started. Professor Twain: Kap, thanks for the open forum. I’m 60 years old, have been lifting weights for 20 years. I’ve had a knee surgery, doc wants me to avoid too much strain on the knees. For the last 10 years my goal has been maintenance. I…

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  • Jicama

    I don’t always desire crunch, but when I do, I prefer jicama. First, I need to get something off my chest. I hate the word underrated. Brace yourself for a quick and random vent session. This player is underrated, that food is underrated. Ughh. Who’s rating these items? Judging yes, rating, not really. Instead, let’s…

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  • Fred Update – 8 Weeks

    Quick reminder, my friend Fred is an NBA executive who, 8 weeks ago, began the 5 X 5 lifting program and recently added sprints. For further context, check this out then rejoin us. Fred reached out excitedly to me today. Just completed my 8th week of the Kap 5×5 training system. Few items of note.…

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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