When an athlete retires, oftentimes you will not see his or her name or hear the person’s voice aside from a card convention or team reunion.
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For Gabe Kapler, however, the three years since he last laced up have been filled with pursuing passions in a very public way. Kapler played in the major leagues from 1998-2011 and won a World Series in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox.
Kapler during his post-playing career has amassed a rising media persona through his work with Fox Sports, an active presence on Twitter and, most importantly, his writing on Kaplifestyle.com.
Through these mediums, Kapler brings an honest and positive look at baseball, life and feeling your best. Kapler’s initial interest in writing was born out of an appreciation for a daily activity familiar to most.
“I love to write; the place I found out I enjoyed it was through emails. I recognized, during back-and-forth conversations over email, that it was a place where I liked to flesh out my thoughts and use language highlights to illustrate my point. I found it to be a good way to express myself. It sort of naturally and authentically occurred,” Kapler said in an exclusive interview with Rare.
What Kapler has found along the way is a new sense of fulfillment in a medium he never imagined he would strive toward. In November 2013, Kapler put his talent on display by penning a thoughtful look at bullying in professional sports. In the piece for Fox Sports, Kapler opens up in a manner that is rarely seen from professional athletes, describing the ins and outs of professional hazing.
“I love it; its my favorite thing to do. It’s more fulfilling than the TV work I do. In some cases, it’s probably more fulfilling than some of the baseball work that I did as well; it feels artistic to me,” Kapler said of his writing.
The same honesty that can be found on Kapler’s Twitter or his Fox Sports posts can be found on kaplifestyle.com. While there are many sites that give daily updates about fitness and health, Kapler approaches his writing with a frank tone and mantra that feeling good is the most important thing.
“It’s a forum for me to connect to people who are trying to be healthier but also giving them a way to be entertained while also consuming some of the more mundane content. I use myself as a guinea pig as it relates to the food that I have eaten and the workouts I have tried. Kaplifestyle.com is a place for me to share experiences without making it super scientific, even though I try and back up everything I say with at least some data points,” he said.
Kapler believes that many readers have misconceptions about what makes a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle, and tries to change those attitudes on a day-to-day basis. For example, instead of taking Advil for a headache or soreness, Kapler writes about how a large glass of water and a high intake of berries will be better for the body than an over-the-counter pill. On his website and Twitter feed, Kapler openly engages with his fans, and makes himself available to answer questions.
One of the chief principles Kapler feels people are afraid of are healthy fats.
“People believe that fat makes you fat, like the fat content in food is something to be avoided. People have this dogmatic view that has been formed through the ages, of advertisers drilling into your head that fat is bad for you. In reality, it’s processed foods and high sugar contents and artificial sweeteners,” Kapler said.
“The biggest mistake that people make is they think that fat more than sugar is what’s responsible for body composition,” he said, adding that he still believes people shouldn’t deprive themselves of something they want. Chief to Kapler’s mantra is the idea of feeling good.
“It’s better to once and a while indulge in an activity than completely deprive yourself of something you really enjoy, as long as you can keep it under control. I don’t believe in deprivation.”
When I tell him that I have used some of his tips in my own workout plan, Kapler stresses to be wary of the numbers on the scale, and to feel as good as I can.
Ultimately, Kapler would one day like to get into managing, for now, while his kids are in school, he will focus his attention on writing and reporting about the things that he loves: fitness and baseball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB8CF6Bmi3I
You can follow Gabe on Twitter @gabekapler and keep up with his writing at Kaplifetstyle.com and Fox Sports.