It's baseball playoff season, the time of year every major leaguer hopes to get to, and one thing that strength & conditioning coaches talk about is how to help our athletes be more durable to play as many games as possible and to play their best games when it matters most, and in the case of baseball, to be playing in  October!

Baseball is a long grueling season of being physical.  Its different from football in that its not a full contact sport, but its similar in that its a long season of using your body.  Position players, stand around, waiting for action and then suddenly bursting into a full sprint.  They sit on the bench for long periods of time, cooling down, and then go out and get right to swinging and/or throwing aggressively.  They play 162 games from early April (it was March 29 in 2018) to late September.  That's 162 games in 186 days, or 24 days off over 6 months which is less than (<1) day off per week, of being physically active.  They sprint, throw, swing, stop, start, cut, turn, jump, fielding, dive and more, all while playing a game, that people pay to watch because they're the best at what they do.  They have car ride commutes to work like many of the rest of us when they're home.  However for 3-months of the year, or ~93 days a year, they're riding busses, flying on planes, sleeping in hotels in different cities with different time zones, all across the country and playing outdoors in many different temperature conditions.   They also have a month plus of preseason in which they play, practice and train nearly everyday and ride buses to and from all their different games.   

There's always a game to be played whether the players feel like it or not.  There's also, someone always waiting to take their spot if they're not up to it.  To make it the full season, keep their job and be available to play in the playoffs if they're lucky enough to get there, they can't only be good.  The pros are filled with good ball players.  They have to be healthy too and the healthiest athlete, is the one who will get the chance to play, contribute and have the chance to be the champion, hero, both or neither.  

The healthiest athlete, who is available to play and contribute the most, is the most durable athlete and being durable is the best ability to have.  If you can throw fast, run fast, hit the ball consistently and/or with power, or play with great defense, doesn't matter if you can't stay on the field because of injuries.  You have to be durable too.

We have to be durable too in our lives.  We can't make the bacon, take care of ourselves, take care of our homes, families and contribute to the world if we're always stuck on the sideline managing injuries.  We have to find a way to get out there in the world and keep showing up and doing the best we can with what we have on any given day, despite how we feel or how beat up we are.  

This doesn't mean we can't take days off or vacations or take personal days, but it does mean that we have to make good choices to take care of ourselves and avoid things most of the time that have costs on our future, especially our health.  We have to and we must make our health and self-care priorities, 7 days a week, 365.  It doesn't mean you have to train 7 days a week or even exercise 7 days a week, but you could.  It doesn't mean you have to eat health promoting foods at every meal, every day, all the time either, even though you could.  

It means that you have to find the right balance for you to make sure that you're prioritizing and taking action on the things that are going to help you become a stronger, healthier and better version of yourself AND the things that are going to help you recover, rest and heal, so you can be your best self again the next day and the days after that.  

It's a lot of work and it's not.  It is because it takes effort and thought and time and money and energy and patience and toughness.  It isn't because if you find the things you love to do and you find great pleasure in feeling, looking, performing and being your best, then it becomes a lifestyle and the process is way more pleasurable with all its sweat and burning and challenges and fatigue and uncomfortableness, that you find peace, joy and comfort with it. 

It is the way to becoming more durable and being more durable is the best ability to have because it means you show up consistently and if you show up consistently you can get the most out of your time here on Earth.  That makes it worth it.  That helps you live a well lived life.

Working my self-care, 

Coach Mike

p.s.  when you're ready to take your health, body transformation and/or performance to the next level, reply and let me know.