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  • Protein Powder Alternatives

  • Early Morning Lifting

    My sons and I have been optimizing to do three things. Spend more time together. Consistently get our weight training sessions in. Get better sleep. We have created a process to dominate all three in an hour. Three days a week, my young men and I leave the house for the gym at 5:45 am.…

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  • Train Your Cravings

    Don’t like broccoli, kale or spinach? Fear not. You can train your brain to crave vegetables. One of my best friends as I was growing up ate nothing unless came in a bag wrapped in paper from a drive through. He’s an unhealthy adult now. While I was never that extreme as a 17 year…

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  • Enjoy the Rain

    It rarely rains in Southern California, but when it does, it may bring with it health benefits. I’m generally inclined to enjoy all weather, but rainy, chilly days feel especially healthy to me. I’d dig the drizzle regardless, but the studies help crystalize my visceral feeling. From redlandsdailyfacts.com: Negative ions are tasteless, odorless and invisible…

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  • Hot and Sour Soup (with sample recipe)

    When most normal folks crave comforting soup, they head to their local deli and grab a pint of chicken noodle. Our know-it-all editor and my partner at Kaplifestyle, Stephanie, isn’t normal, folks. She takes a typical family’s winter situation and makes an otherwise easy solution difficult. She rehydrates (whatever the hell that means) dried mushrooms…

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  • My Journey and Next Step – Peter Summerville [Guest Post]

    Peter was bold and brave. He must have, at some point, heard the words of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Tell your story, brother. In mid-May, I was in the library at Santa Clara University, studying for midterms. I paused to check…

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  • Epsom Salts

    Epsom salt baths will make you smell good. They may have a placebo effect in soothing and calming sore muscles, but the science behind the practice is questionable. Every day, I walk by the bag of Epsom salt in my boys’ bathroom and giggle when reading the label statements. Lisa (my amazing ex-wife) buys it…

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  • Healthy Restaurant Choices

    Ordering food from a restaurant when optimizing for health and well-being shouldn’t be complicated, and it’s not. Choose the animal flesh of your choice, and a vegetable side or two, and you’ll be fine. By now, you know my stance on indulgences. Going out to a nice dinner is a great time to relax the…

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  • social media

    Social media can be a powerful tool in baseball player’s arsenal or a drag on his public image.We’re all aware of the dramatized horror stories surrounding social media and celebrities. They are not indicative of the norm. We all make poor decisions, and social media certainly provides a stage where they can be spotlighted. Instead of adversely reacting to…

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  • Risk Taking, Confidence, and Connection

    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…

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  • Social Media Benefits for Athletes

    Social media can be a powerful tool in baseball player’s arsenal or a drag on his public image. We’re all aware of the dramatized horror stories surrounding social media and celebrities. They are not indicative of the norm. We all make poor decisions, and social media certainly provides a stage where they can be spotlighted. Instead of adversely reacting…

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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