There are two situations I will remember long past October 2008. The first is appreciating the amazing triumph of the Tampa Bay Rays. They went from the baseball’s worst record one year to making it to the World Series the next.  This has only happened once in the history of MLB history, and that was when there were fewer teams, clinging on the bottom level.   It was reported that one of the goals of the season was’ not being intimidated by anyone and to be confident’.  Being prepared to ‘keep fighting all the way until the end’ is one a lesson that all of us can use, especially during stressful times like theses. Congratulations to both the Rays and the Phillies, as they show us why, October is baseballs finest hour.

Being in the health and fitness profession has a direct connection to another feat, I will remember about this year MLB season. It was when, arguable the most famous team in all of sports, made a stand again junk food. After watching all of the sportscasters joke about Yankees manager Joe Girardi and his decision to cut out candy in the clubhouse, I started to give the idea some thought. Many of you have heard the story, but here’s the quick recap.

Girardi decided to eliminate sweets from the Yankee clubhouse. He replaced all

the candy in their clubhouse with nuts, dried fruit and granola. The Yankees

also contacted the visiting clubhouse manager of every stadium where they play

and asked that the candy and ice cream be removed before the team comes to town.

And remember — the Yankees’ manager didn’t try to forbid his players to eat

candy. He just declared the clubhouse a candy-free zone. He set one limit in his

player’s day to make a difference in their health and well-being.

Candy in moderation isn’t a bad thing, but sometimes it’s too readily available

– so it ends up being what we reach for when we our bodies need real fuel. And

candy isn’t fuel –  nope, it’s not — no matter how many times its manufacturers try to convince you that it is.  So now it is time to take a stand, be determined and confident like the Tampa Bay Rays. And know that you can make a change in your snaking habits.

So where do you keep your sweet stash? Your office? Your car? Your purse? Your

dresser drawer? All of the above? To make a small difference, just choose one of

those places and replace the candy with a healthier choice. Bit by bit (or bite

by bite) we’ll make our bodies healthier.

Your health doesn’t have an end of the season, but it has a bigger prize than the Commissioner’s Trophy. Having the ability to have an active lifestyle is priceless and a happy and healthy life is the best prize of all.

Health and Fitness lessons from MLB is a post from: Sports Health Exercise