Page 36 - Fully Equipped Playbook

NUTRITION/LIFESTYLE
Different people have different ideas as to what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. I’ll share my thoughts now.
1. A healthy lifestyle means you eat a clean “diet.” I always put quotations around “diet” because to me if you are focused on eating clean foods consistently, it’s more a lifestyle than a “diet.”
2. A healthy lifestyle means you get good sleep. 7-10 hours a night depending on what you feel your body needs for optimal recovery, and power naps as needed. It’s just so crucial not only for recovery but to keep your mind sharp as well.
3. A healthy lifestyle means you learn to manage stress. Everyone has stress in their lives, and everyone handles it in their own way. I’ve found that what works best for me is to manage it through meditation, reading, naps, or listening to a podcast. Without a doubt meditation is number one, and even when there isn’t much stress in my life, I still do it. More on meditation, and how I learned to do it, later in the book.
4. A healthy lifestyle means you build good relationships and can connect with people. Feeling lonely is the worst, and I had that feeling for much of my first year in the bigs. I didn’t know anybody well, I was in awe of everyone, and just didn’t feel like I belonged. There were countless times I just sat at my locker, unhappy. REAL TALK, HERE I WAS LIVING THE DREAM I HAD ALWAYS WORKED FOR AND AT TIMES DURING THAT ROOKIE SEASON I SECRETLY WISHED TO BE SENT DOWN TO TRIPLE- A BECAUSE I FELT SO UNCOMFORTABLE.
At some point I decided enough was enough and I had to do something about it, so I worked with a sports psychologist. Even though I could talk with my wife, and my dad, friends etc, having someone who was a neutral party to talk about my feelings with, made a huge difference. I had someone on speed dial for several years in the majors. I could call to discuss a slump, my approach, review how a game went, anything really. I always felt better after those talks, and I’m thankful I felt comfortable enough to know I needed those chats, they helped me through some tough times, in this tough game.
I am not a sports psychologist, but I have experienced many highs and lows in my journey, and have built Fully Equipped Athlete in order to help athletes reach their full potential. If you're hesitant to talk about some of these things to your friends, family, or coaches, then I am happy to help. As you can see, I've been
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