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Summer might be over, but it doesn’t mean the heat isn’t. Yes, October baseball is upon us. The magic. The mystique. The aura. The moments. It’s all here. But, in some ways, I don’t want the regular season to end. It’s been such a crazy year. And part of me wants to keep living the craziness:

• I want to relieve CC Sabathia’s magical performance since being traded from the Indians.
• I want to relive the All-Star Game.
•  I want to relive Yankee Stadium.
•  I want to relive the Astros’ second half run.
•  I want to relive the Mets’ second half collapse.
•  I want to relieve Josh Hamilton’s rise to greatness.
•  I want to relive Andruw Jones’s fall from grace.
•  I want to relive the Rays ascent.
•  I want to relieve the Tiger’s descent.
•  I want to relieve Jon Lester’s no-hitter.
•  I want to relive Tim Lincecum.
•  I want to relive Cliff Lee.
•  I want to relive Joe Torre’s success.
•  I want to relive Willie Randolph’s struggle.

I was a doubter. I doubted how the league could recover from Steroid-gate. From Roger Clemens, being, well, an idiot. But it recovered. It provided memories that will last a lifetime. I want to be telling my grandkids about Josh Hamilton, about the Rays. I want to tell them about Yankee Stadium, about the All-Star Game. Because these are the moments, these are the things we will always hold on. Times are tough. But now, we can turn on the TV, watch baseball, and know, it’s going to be fine. Baseball is back. It’s better than it ever was. I don’t want it to end. I want to kiss the Billy Goat goodbye. I want to go back to 1982. I want to watch Manny being Manny. I want to watch the Angels dominate. I want to watch Ryan Howard hit one to the moon. I want to watch Josh Beckett’s playoff mastery. I want to see Tampa in October. I want to feel the Dome shake. I want to hear the buzz in Chicago. I want to see a new hero, a new goat. I don’t want baseball to end. You know why? I can’t live without it. Enjoy the playoffs.About the Author

Your favorite writer from The Blog of Champions, is also writing for Tastefully Driven. He brings his sports expertise and knowledge to Tastefully Driven, and will continue to provide the insight and opinions you’ve grown to know and love. Any questions, comments, suggestions? You can contact him here.

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Here are just 10 reasons why it is dangerous to be obese:

1. For every 11 to 18 pounds of fat gain, a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes is twice as high of individuals who are of normal weight and have not gained any weight.
2. Obesity during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of death in both the baby and the mother.
3. Individuals who are obese (BMI greater than 30) have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk of premature death from all causes, compared to individuals with a healthy weight.
4. High blood pressure is twice as common in adults who are obese than in those who are at a healthy weight.
5. Atherosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries, which may lead to the formation of an arterial blood clot, is an important pre-condition of many strokes and is associated with a high-fat diet, raised blood pressure and lack of exercise. Thus, obesity is now considered to be an important secondary risk factor for strokes.
6. Over 80 percent of people with diabetes are overweight or obese.
7. Women who have gained more than 20 pounds between the ages of 18 to midlife double their risk of developing post-menopausal breast cancer, compared to women whose weight remains stable.
8. Studies show that obesity is an important risk factor in liver disease, and show a strong correlation between body mass index (BMI) and the degree of liver damage.
9. The risk of gallstones is approximately 3 times greater for obese patients than in non-obese people.
10. Studies show that obesity is a strong predictor of symptoms of osteoarthritis, and show that the risk of developing osteoarthritis increases with every 2-pound gain in weight.

I’m hoping those are enough reasons for you to finally do something about your lifestyle and start losing some weight.

About the Author

Parth Shah is a Strength and Fitness Consultant specializing in developing practical, sustainable fitness solutions for his clients. He is currently going through his own personal physical transformation. His thoughts, ideas, and philosophy can be found on his website, ShahTraining.com. (Feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/shahtraining/UQuk)

References:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/consequences.htm
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_consequences.htm
http://www.annecollins.com/obesity/risks-of-obesity.htm

As athletic individuals, there is one word that strikes fear into all of us…The Rut!!! Even writing it makes me shiver. We’ve all been there and if I’m truthful with myself, I’d admit that I’m in a bit of one now. Let’s me start by telling you how I ended up in mine.

Rewind a few months ago. I was gaining weight and was much heavier than I am used to being. I was very inconsistent with the gym and just not motivated. It was when I was shopping for new a new suit and I was going to need a pants size that was bigger than I ever needed before that did it to me. Tipping in at 218 (18lbs heavier than I’m used to) I was ready for a change.

First thing I worked on was the diet. No more fast food Dunkin Doughnut or McDonalds breakfast. Instead I was eating fruit and had an All the Whey protein shake. Second, I cut my lunch from 2 slices of pizza to one on most days (I know pizza isn’t the best thing for me, but I love it and am not ready to give it up!) Lastly, dinner went from eating out on most days to another All The Whey shake and something sensible.

The second thing I changed was my routine at the gym. I had been getting to the gym twice a week, this changed to four to five times per week by doing one simple thing; packing a gym bag before heading off to work in the morning. It’s amazing what a difference it makes when you force yourself to go right to the gym, versus catching the end of PTI while getting ready to head to the gym. I jumped my cardio from 15 to 20 minutes to 30 to 40 minutes and then followed the cardio with 30-45 minutes of free weights. I usually would work on 2 muscle groups per day.

Before long, I was seeing some great results. In two months I was back down to 200lbs. Everything was fitting me again and I was feeling great. I was feeling really confident, felt like I was in great shape, and best of all, I met an amazing girl along the way. To sum it up, I met the goals I set for myself. Excellent!!! Now what?

Indeed, now what? What do you do once you’ve accomplished what you set out to achieve? At first, if you’re me, you try to maintain. Keep the routine in tact and just keep going like I was when I started. However I’ve noticed my motivation level decline a bit and I’m noticing that I’m doing some things that I was avoiding before (The egg and cheese sandwich from Dunkin was definitely not worth it).

Before I travel too far down the road and end up in the center of Rutville, I’m going to make some changes to my current program, routine and diet. I will also be setting some new goals because striving towards something is the key to staying motivated. I will be making and implementing these changes over the next couple weeks and I will let you all know how it goes.

About the Author

Gary Weinlein is the Director of Development at the Hall Agency of Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. He has worked around investments and financial services since graduating from RPI in 2003. Some of his hobbies include weight training, running, cross training, tennis, and racquetball, as well as watching the Mets and Redskins and spending too much time and money at Starbucks. View Gary’s posts