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No such thing as a natural athlete

October 27, 2009 on 10:55 am | In Main Category | No Comments

If you’re a fan of professional sports, it can be easy to look at the athletes on the field and assume that it all comes too easily for them. Sure, all of the pros running around on our TV screens were born with physical gifts that distinguish them from the great, unwashed Us. On the other hand, genetics only gets you so far, take the example of formerly portly Phillies slugger, Ryan Howard:

Howard was getting fat. Not just a wee plump, either. Between the long 2008 season and the celebrations for Philadelphia’s championship, Howard was carrying around 275 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame. He knew the history of fat hitters, too. Mo Vaughn and Cecil Fielder and countless others faded in their early 30s, waistlines expanding and hitting zones contracting. Howard turns 30 in November. He refused to peter out like the others. So Ryan Howard, the one legitimate threat to the single-season home run record, the man who hit 200 faster than anyone in history, did something drastic.

The drastic step that Howard took was to take control of his eating habits.

He ate organic for the first time. He cut out fat. He feasted on lean meats and whole grains. He ate chicken covered with an almond crust instead of bread.

You can read the whole story @ Yahoo Sports. And then go check out this video of Ryan Howard getting a tour of the White House garden from Chef Sam Kass.

Posted by: Dan