Don't be afraid to share your struggles

In our social media obsessed world, it's very easy to scroll through Facebook or Instagram and feel like everyone but you is succeeding in life - diet, training, family, relationship, career......

Living a failure-free life is not possible nor is it worth striving for. We all struggle at times. Furthermore, setbacks bring value to life as they give life greater meaning when things go well. A failure makes you appreciate the successful moments and forces you to learn how to react to unfavorable situations.

Although it's normal to use social media to post/share your highlighted moments in life, it's important to acknowledge your setbacks and not hide your feelings when you are in a tough place. Instead of avoiding your feelings or pretending that you are ok, accept sadness, embarrassment, guilt, frustration, depression and fear in your grieving process.

For almost every athlete, a setback is bound to occur at some point in your athletic career, if not at least once per season. Sickness, injury, a life transition or a pivot from structured training can be difficult to accept, not to mention the disruption to your normal flow of life. But don't let it get you down - take action and stay strong.

As an athlete, important part of self-discovery is embracing the setbacks and struggles that you encounter and learning from the past. Accept that your road to athletic excellence will not be smooth sailing and struggling is a normal part of your journey. Fighting through obstacles and not giving up is an awesome way to write your comeback story.

In an effort to normalize setbacks as an important part of the triathlon (or any athletic) journey, I am excited to announce my new "Case Study" column in Triathlete Magazine, where I will share an athlete that I worked with on nutrition and discuss the "problem" and "treatment" plan. I am excited to share these athletes and their authentic, real, raw life- failures and all.  I am not sure how many articles I will write and for how long but I can share that my first article is out in the March/April issue of Triathlete Magazine.

I am very honored to share Heather's incredible story as my first case study column as I feel many athletes can identify with her past struggle with race day nutrition and feel inspired and motivated by her incredible comeback story. She was one incredible athlete to work with and her determination to overcome her setback was incredible. 

You must not let a setback define you or convince you that giving up is the best option. 

Sharing your struggles makes you stronger. Be real, be raw, be authentic, be you. 

No person should feel shame or guilt from failure. Instead, embrace your setbacks and don't forget to celebrate the good moments in life. 

If you can't figure out the answer to your problem on your own, reach out to a professional for help.