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    Lubricating Your Mind

    You can find glucosamine, and every other nutrient your body needs from the food you ingest. I’ve told you about my cozy little gym in Malibu, Malibu Fitness. We have quite the familial, neighborhood vibe. We all look out for each other and share fitness, health and well being tips. Generally as a group, we…

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  • Sweating It

    Our brains need a break, both from everyday routines and, in particular, our workouts. Over the course of time, doing the same thing day in and day out leaves us with a stale routine. Our workouts become drab and exhausting. There’s only one way to break out of that rut. We must experiment with something…

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  • Health – Page 3

    I’ve riffed on supplements before. This is not the first time you’re hearing my views. Given how much money our nation is spending on pills, powders and oils, it’s worth continuing the discussion. Supplements are akin to training wheels on a bicycle. They might provide the illusion of mastery, but the confidence is of the…

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  • Open Thread: Week 30

    Charlie: Kap in researching a previous post you said, My 5 x 5s take roughly 90 minutes, including warm ups, the sprint workouts are about 75 minutes”, what take so long? Could you please break this down, trying to emulate your workouts but not sure what I am missing. Thanks! Charlie, This is a solid question.…

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  • sample routines

    Every Thursday and Sunday for the last year, I’ve gone through the same sprint workout. This time, I find myself dreading following that routine. A warm-up followed by four 100s, four 60s and four 40s…I can’t do it today. I need something different. From business2community.com: Ask anyone who fell off the bandwagon with their New Year’s…

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  • Health – Page 9

    Something about being outdoors and in the indigenous glow of the sun makes me feel good. I resent the fact that I’m told to cover up or slather on sunscreen before I go sprint or swim or whatever. It doesn’t seem fair or natural to me. How could the sun or the wind or the…

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  • Out of the Training Room, into the Kitchen

    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…

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  • Indulgences

    It’s Friday. I’m assuming more than a few of you are sitting at work, dreaming of starting the weekend. Although this is a blog devoted to promoting and improving your health and well-being, you know I’m no stranger to indulgences. In fact, I preach it. Depriving yourself consistently is ineffective, so I encourage and support…

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  • General – Page 7

    If you have strong opinions and share them unapologetically, you should expect to be disliked by a large percentage of the population. Being a leader typically means taking a stand on a position, even in the face of opposition. The best leaders are unquestionably empathetic individuals, ones who seek collaboration and work as a team.…

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    Improving Focus and Attention

    I am constantly toying with ways to improve my focus and attention through nutrition, sleep and exercise. When I was a child, I was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. I didn’t like being labeled (I despise labels in general) but I wasn’t alone. I rubbed elbows with 13.5% of boys 3-17 years diagnosed with ADHD,…

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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