- The Mets star Robinson Cano will be the third-oldest nonpitcher in MLB this season, at 39 years old.
- He was suspended from the 2021 season after testing positive for Stanozolol, a banned synthetic steroid.
- In his year off, Cano said he ramped up his wellness routine, by cutting added oil out of his diet.
Robinson Cano will be one of the oldest players in baseball this season, and he is counting on his revamped wellness routine to keep him at the top of his game.
The 39-year-old All-Star will be playing his 17th MLB season and wants to help lead the New York Mets back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Cano was suspended from the entire 2021 season after reportedly testing positive for Stanozolol, which is a synthetic steroid that is banned by MLB.
Cano and his chef, Yamel Guzmán, told Insider they changed the star's fitness and nutrition regimen over the past year to help give him a mental and physical "reset" for the 2022 season.
"I feel different because last year I had more chances to prepare myself," Cano told Insider. He added that he typically gets only three months after the end of the baseball season to start preparing for the next one, but this time he had an entire year.
Guzmán said Cano used his extra time off to dial up his nutrition, cutting out added oils and reducing salt in his diet in an effort to get leaner. He also added more functional workouts like yoga and cardio to his training routine, he said.
Cano cut added oil out of his diet and now mostly eats fish and vegetables
Guzman said she adjusted Cano's diet and water intake to account for his caloric needs and sweat loss based on his workouts and general physical activity each day.
She also said she didn't restrict any particular meal from Cano's diet but cuts out added oils and reduces the salt in each dish she prepares for him.
While Cano's nutritionist cuts oils from his meals, healthy fats are an essential part of a balanced diet, experts say. A 2016 study found that people who eat healthy unsaturated fat, in the form of olive oil, for example, were less likely to die from heart attacks, strokes, or illnesses like cardiovascular disease, heart disease, or cancer, Insider's Hilary Brueck previously reported.
Guzmán said she prioritizes fish as a healthy fat source. She also emphasizes green vegetables in Cano's meals.
"We took into account foods that were making him feel bloated and kept those out or in very small usage," Guzmán said.
Cano incorporated yoga and morning cardio circuits into his training routine
Cano said his training routine over the past year started at 5:15 a.m. every day with a two-hour cardio circuit at a local track.
Cano said he started off by running two laps on the track and then stretching for 20 minutes. After that, he would do a rotational circuit of 500-meter, 400-meter, and 300-meter sprints for the remaining 90 minutes.
When Cano was done at the track, he would go into the gym for a yoga session, which he did two days per week. Otherwise he did an upper-body or lower-body strength-training circuit on a rotational basis, depending on what he worked on the day before.
Cano said that his training ended at 1 p.m. every day, and he would usually take a nap after he was done.