Introducing: The Whole Athlete 6-lesson course

 

Over the past few years, I've worked with over 250 athletes from all over the world on nutrition. From daily to sport nutrition and everything in between, I've learned that many athletes struggle with food and body image. Often at the root of having a poor body image and unhealthy relationship with food is the belief that "the lighter or leaner I am, the better I'll perform." 

Many athletes come to me with good intentions when wanting to change the way that they eat or look. As a Board Certified Sport Dietitian, I can confidently tell you that there are healthy ways to improve eating habits to optimize sport performance by changing body composition. But the methods for changing body composition - especially for a performance boost -  should never require dieting, restrictive eating, underfueling and excessive exercise. Sadly, this isn't the case. Far too many athletes are not eating enough to fuel their body for sport performance. Influencing factors for intentional underfueling and overexercising include diet culture, a societal obsession with health and pressure to achieve an "idealized" body composition for sport. Underfueling to try to achieve a competitive advantage in sport or to meet appearance standards for sport or society is not a healthy or sustainable way to achieve success in sport. And when there is a strong desire to "eat clean" to improve health, this can turn into food restriction and rigid dieting, often increasing the risk for binging, disordered eating or a full blown eating disorder. 

Interestingly, body image issues don't always have to do with body fat. Sometimes they have to do with "I'm not good enough" or wanting to gain control. It's not uncommon for people to start a diet after a period of stress, struggling to deal with emotions or feeling out of control. Using food and exercise as a way to avoid uncomfortable feelings of imperfection, instability or inadequacy can lead to devastating consequences as it relates to mental well-being and physical health. 

While the performance pressures that athletes experience will likely never go away, athletes now have another stressor in our life.....the constant stress of living during a pandemic. As if you aren't experiencing enough mental and physical stress from the lack of control you feel in the face of COVID-19, adding extreme exercise and restrictive eating to your life will only make matters worse for your physical health and mental well-being The fact that we live in a culture that is constantly pushing restrictive practices of dieting and exercising to improve "health" may drive you toward "normalized" disordered eating behaviors and destructive exercise routines in order to gain control during such an unpredictable time. This is even more concerning for athletes who already have a long-standing history with disordered eating or an eating disorder. Moments of stress like this time in our life require effective coping skills - not dieting and punishing the body through exercise. 

The New Year is always the time when athletes feel compelled to get serious about training and healthy eating. For the high-achieving perfectionist, there's an added risk of concern. 

Whereas I've spent the last decade trying to spread messages to the athletic population about the importance of developing a healthy relationship with food and the body, I am now even more concerned about the mental and physical health effects that will occur from dieting, restrictive eating and extreme exercise in the New Year. Widespread worry about weight gain and distress of losing fitness during this pandemic will be exacerbated by diet culture - a system that equates thinness to health and moral virtue and reduces food to "good" or "bad" food. 

I see it year after year after year - with motivation high, an athlete will resort to restrictive eating and dieting to retain control of the bodies and the situation. Athletes will often boast how great they feel on social media (often with before and after pictures) but results are typically short-lived. A period of food restriction almost always leads to overeating - making you feel out of control with food. This can make you impose more restrictions to regain control due to blame, shame and frustration. Exercise may become punishment or compensation. This vicious cycle of restriction and binging is damaging to physical and mental well-being. For the athletes who obsess over leanness, restrictive eating practices may further result in relative energy deficiency - a condition that affects physical health and performance, further increasing the risk of mental health symptoms and disorders. 

As an athlete, you put your body through enough stress and hardship through training. You need a better approach with food and exercise to foster better outcomes for your physical health, mental well-being and training. 

Realizing that something needed to be done to protect the whole athlete (not just the athletic being), I took action. After a lot of research, time and work, I created the first ever 6-lesson educational course to help athletes of all fitness levels (in all sports) develop a healthier relationship with food and the body. 

Although it will require some effort on your part, you can unlearn food rules. You can learn to improve your body image. You can bring back the joy in training. You can learn how to eat without shame, guilt or judgement. You can achieve a performance ready body without dieting. And most of all, you can discover your true capabilities as an athlete. 

The better you care about your body, the better you can take care of your body. 

Through The Whole Athlete 6-lesson course, you will unlearn toxic dieting behaviors and the distorted views that you've developed with food and your body. And most importantly, you will replace negative beliefs with practical ways of thinking so you can elevate your performance, optimize your health and protect your mental well-being. 

To learn more about the course and to try out the free introductory course, click HERE.

The 6-lesson course will officially open on January 3rd, 2021.
However, if you want to be one of the first to access the program, you can pre-enroll now. 

(If you are unable to pay the full price for the course, you can split the total payment into 3 payments when the course opens to the public on the 3rd).

How to remove/install the cassette on a direct drive trainer

At Trimarni, we believe strongly that education should be a primary component of coaching. We want our athletes to ask questions and we want to provide our athletes with a lot of educational content. To help with this, we have a weekly "check in" newsletter that includes the past weekend race results of our team members, a question of the week (and answer) and a timely educational article - on topics such as daily nutrition, sport nutrition, race day tips, mental strength, swim/bike/run skills/training/form and so much more. We also hold a weekly FB live chat (every Wednesday at 6:30pm EST) for our team on our private team page on a specific topic. For example, tomorrow we will be discussing fatigue and how to train through fatigue and how to know when to back off. We also post several videos throughout the week/month on various topics. Some are fun like "our favorite training/recovery tools" whereas others are more educational - like how to set up your gadgets and how to use the Rouvy cycling platform. Our assistant coach Joe is very tech savvy (and enjoys 3D printing) so he also provides great educational content for our team. We have a google doc drive with all of our educational content and we continue to add to it. Seeing that it's only February, we plan to cover more important topics like race day nutrition, race venue specific details and the never ending discussions of bike stuff - gear, terrain management, equipment, bike fit, traveling with your bike, etc.

Because we don't want to limit our educational athlete to only our one on one coached athletes, anyone is able to become part of our team as an educational team member. Not only do you gain access to all of our educational content, but you can also ask questions anytime and receive our team sponsor discounts and first priority to our camps.

If you are interested in joining our educational team, it's only $35 a month.  Seeing that the sport of triathlon can get rather costly, we wanted to offer this service at an affordable price so that you can get more out of your triathlon journey.

Do you want to join our team as an educational team member? If so - click HERE.

The price of a direct drive smart bike trainer has drastically dropped over the years. For example, you can find this Cycleops Hammer trainer for only $499! Karel and I have been using our direct drive trainers for several years. I have the Tacx Neo and Karel has the Cycleops Hammer (which he also uses for his bike fits). If you were wondering - we don't do our bike workouts in the same room. I am upstairs in our workout room - where I like it warm and toasty and Karel trains in the bike fit studio/garage where he can make it nice and cool. Can you and your significant other relate?

With several of our team members recently upgrading their trainers, we had several questions about how to install a cassette on a direct drive smart trainer. In a recent team video, Karel shows how easy it is to remove and to install the cassette on a direct drive trainer (as well as on your bike if you need to change your cassette for hilly terrain). 

My educational journey - from passion to profession

Today is Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day.
I feel so lucky to be one of many qualified nutrition experts who are helping people improve their lives through food and nutrition.

My educational journey to today has been a long one so I thought I would share it with you today. 

2000-2001
After graduating from Paul Laurence Dumber High School in 2000, I went to IUP in Indiana, Pennsylvania for my freshman year. I continued competitive swimming at this Div II University, specializing in 100 butterfly, 200 IM and 200 butterfly.
I was swimming more yards than ever before and we had swim meets almost every weekend during peak season.
I started my educational journey focused on medicine, wanting to be some kind of doctor. I was having a hard time balancing school with swimming as swimming was taking a big toll on my life and I was struggling to obtain the education that I wanted. Plus, I missed my family and friends back in KY.

2001-2004
I transferred back home (Lexington, KY) and went to Transylvania University - just down the road from UK. Transy (as it's known) was perfect for me as it was a small liberal arts school with an emphasis on writing, with a great student to teacher ratio and just 20 minutes from my home. I swam competitively at Transy for the next 3 years. Transy was NAIA turning Div III.
For my first year at Transy (Sophomore year) I continued to focus on chemistry as my major. As much as I loved science, I didn't find myself truly passionate with this educational decision.
Sometime near the end of my Sophomore year, I transferred majors to Exercise Science. I had the most amazing mentor Dr. Brown (and one of my teachers) to help guide me in a new educational direction. I absolutely loved every class that I took as I found myself eager to learn more and more and more. In my Junior year, I minored in psychology as I loved learning about the mind and how it affects exercise performance. By the end of the Junior year, I was focused on being a strength and conditioning coach and I even interned with the UK basketball team and cheerleader team. I thought it was so cool to write strength programs for athletes who were almost double my height!
As my on and off back issues continued (swimmer problems) from so much butterfly, I switched to 100 breastroke to give my back a break. I found myself improving a lot with my swimming from 2001-2003 but by my senior year, I was a bit burnt out from swimming so I thought it would be fun to try something completely different - cross country running.
I joined the cross country team my senior year and trained and raced from the late summer until fall during my senior year. Well, I sure did miss the water so my burn out didn't last long as I was finishing my last year of competitive swimming my senior year of college.

2004-2005
During my senior year, I applied to several Master programs to continue my education in strength and conditioning. I figured if I was going to continue with higher education, I would go somewhere warm and sunny....so I choose FLORIDA!
I was accepted into FAU (Florida Atlantic University) on the Davie Campus and received a stipend to be a graduate assistance - collecting research, assisting in lab studies, teaching undergrad classes, etc.
Without knowing anyone in FL, my parents helped me move and I was starting a new life, in a new state.
I forgot to add that in the summer of my junior and senior year, I participated in two triathlons. A sprint and Olympic distance, respectively. I actually received my first bike (A Giant hybrid - with a kickstand) the week of the sprint triathlon. My dad went with me to the race (I can't remember where but I still have the t-shirt!) and I won my age-group...At the age of 21, I was the only one it it (18-24). Then in the Olympic distance, I think I won my age group again (not for sure). Needless to say, I had quite the advantage after swimming competitively for the past 10+ years.
Graduate school was extremely challenging. It was my entire life, all day, ever day. It was stressful and overwhelming but I learned a lot. Many of my teachers were involved with the International Society of Sport Nutrition and I was involved with a lot of research studies (the behind the scenes stuff like pricking fingers, underwater weighing, doing pulmonary functioning tests, taking or conducting other performance tests).
My professors focused their research on creatine and beta-alanine so I was learning a lot about supplements.
As a former water aerobics, personal trainer, spin instructor, core instructor - you name it, I also taught undergrad classes at FAU on the Boca Campus. (I actually fell in love with FAU as Transy would go there for winter training - "hell week").
Although I was extremely busy while in graduate school, something was missing in my life. I missed training. I was staying active exercising and taking aerobic and spin classes at 24 hour fitness and swimming several times a week but I really wanted to train for an event. I missed competition and the student athlete in me didn't feel balanced without sports.
I signed up for my first marathon (why not?) and created my own training plan.. I also participated in a few more sprint and Olympic triathlons. After the Miami marathon, I learned that I had qualified for the Boston Marathon (3:38) and discovered that my passion for exercise physiology extended to sport nutrition.
Nearing my last semester of graduate school, my desire to be a strength and conditioning coach was subsiding as I wanted to do something that included nutrition and physiology. 

2005-2006
After graduate school, I had no money because I spent it all on triathlons and running races. At the age of 23, I moved in with my parents (who had moved to New Port Richey, FL as my dad got a job as the chief optometrist of the VA clinic) and took an intern position at the WTC (formally owned by Dr. Gills). I came across the internship position and with a new love for endurance training and racing, I wasn't sure how to use my MS in Exercise Physiology so I decided to do something fun and intern with Ironman and IronGirl.
During my 6-month internship stating in Jan 2006, I was bite hard by the endurance bug - I was training for the Boston Marathon, my 2nd marathon (April), my first half ironman in Disney (May) and my first Ironman in FL (Nov).
After my internship I took a position as the Wellness Coordinator of the YMCA Suncoast. I had a wonderful boss Lesley (also a triathlete). I taught spin classes and was a personal trainer alongside my coordinator responsibilities.
In May 2006, I met Karel.
After winning the 18-24 age group at IMFL (my first IM) and qualifying for Boston after my first marathon, I felt my calling was in endurance sports.
I wanted to write articles and write a book, speak, coach and counsel and I felt that the only way I could gain the credibility of being a nutrition expert would be to obtain my RD credential. Little did I know how long, hard and expensive of a journey that would be, but I didn't consider any other options. It was the right thing to do.

2007-2010
A lot happened in these three years. Karel and I got engaged (2007), then married (2008), we moved to Jacksonville for Karel to become the GM of Trek Bicycles of Jacksonville, FL, I completed my first Kona (2007) after getting injured a month before the race (the start of 6 years of chronic on and off hip/back issues), I continued to race triathlons more competitively, I supported Karel racing bikes as a Cat 1 cyclist and we added to our furry family (welcome Campy and Madison).
Oh yes, and I went back to school to become a RD!
Seeing that I had my bachelors in exercise science, I discovered that I could obtain a verification statement to meet the requirements to apply for an internship. I took my dietetic classes online from UNCO (in Colorado) and took other pre-req classes locally (Clearwater, then Jacksonville).
During this time, I completed my 3rd Ironman (IMKY in 2009) and found myself improving as a self-coached triathlete. I did a lot of speaking, consulting and writing for free as I continued to build my knowledge (and reputation).
In 2007, I completed my level 1 coaching certification for USAT and become a triathlon coach.

2010-2011
If graduate school wasn't stressful enough, my dietetic internship really took over my life. I managed to squeeze in one Ironman at the beginning of my 10-month, 1200 hour internship (distance internship - from Marywood University) during my community rotation with Preferred Nutrition. I ended up qualifying for Kona again but thankfully it was for the following year. I ended up hurting my back/hips again so I didn't race a single run or triathlon race between IMWI (Sept 2010) until Kona (October 2011).
There were things that I liked and didn't like during my internship but I learned a lot regardless if I was passionate about what I was learning. I didn't want to become a RD to be a dietitian but instead to be a qualified nutrition expert - not sure if that makes sense. Oddly enough, when I was finishing my clinical rotation at St. Vincent's, I actually found myself enjoying the constant learning of the human body when working with patients in the hospital. I found this to be a great compliment to applying nutrition to "healthy" athletes.

2011-2014
After several months of studying, I passed my RD exam on the first try. What a relief!
After not wanting to be a dietitian, I found myself with the most amazing opportunity to be a PRN (as needed) clinical dietitian at Baptist Medical Center Beaches. I learned so much and I loved the constant challenge of having to make decisions for each patient. After completing my 2nd Ironman World Championship in October, it was time to turn my passion into a profession.
In Jan 2012, Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition, LLC was created. 

As I continued to develop my philosophy and voice, I started speaking and writing more on sport nutrition and found myself balancing being a clinical dietitian with being a sport dietitian. I loved every day of the constant learning. I started consulting with athletes and coaching more triathletes and runners.
By 2012, Karel found himself wanting a new challenge and after racing bikes all his life, he decided to train for a triathlon - and learn how to swim!
By the summer of 2013, Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition was growing and I found it critically important to keep myself learning to stay up with current research and practical applications. After qualifying for my 3rd IM World Championship at IM Lake Placid and sharing the course with Karel for his first Ironman, I realized that my knowledge of sport nutrition and endurance training and racing was not only benefiting me, but I could help other athletes. However, in order to continue to help athletes with triathlon nutrition, training and racing (all distances), running nutrition and fueling and endurance sport nutrition and training, I needed some help to be able to focus on my specialty areas. 

2014-2016
With some changes at the Trek store, Karel and I decided that it was time to grow Trimarni together. And in order to do so, we needed to live in a place that catered to our love for healthy eating and active living. We picked Greenville, SC and have never looked back since we moved in May 2014. Our job is coaching athletes and improving performances through the diet and sport nutrition and through RETUL bike fits (Karel). 
After holding my RD credential for 2 years, I met the minimum requirement to apply for my Board Certification in Sport Nutrition. This was a goal of mine since earning my RD credential and the first time since my Masters that I found myself 100% focused on exactly what I want to be doing with my career - sport nutrition, daily nutrition and training for athletes (specifically triathletes and runners). With several months of studying I was loving this chance to improve my knowledge in sport nutrition even more. I ordered several textbooks and materials to help with my studying for the 3 hour exam, I was reading more research studies than in graduate school and I was loving training in Greenville for my 4th Ironman World Championship (with Karel).
I passed my board certification (found out in October, took the exam in July) and since then, I have been writing and consulting more than ever - and loving every opportunity that I have to help athletes improve performance and health. 

As I look at these expensive pieces of paper on my office wall, I am constantly reminded of the steps that it took to be the nutrition expert that I am today.
Learning and communicating the "best" way to educate athletes can be challenging, especially with so much information available to the public.
But I have been determined to maintain a similar philosophy for my nutrition practices since the day I became a RD. While research and my recommendations may change, I still feel strongly that it is my responsibility to provide trustful, accurate and realistic information to each of my athletes based on my athletes needs and goals.
I am performance focused but not at the expense of sabotaging good health.

Now that my passion has turned into a profession and I have a specialty area of sport nutrition, I wake up excited every day to help athletes from all over the world improve health and performance by training smarter and learning how to nourish and fuel an active lifestyle. 

I realize that there are many nutrition experts out there.
Thank you for choosing Trimarni.

My road to becoming a dietitian.....Happy National RD Day!!!

When I was growing up, I always loved science.
As a student athlete through middle school until the end of college, I always loved being active with my body.
I suppose at a very young age, I was destined for a career that combined my love of science and the human body in motion. 

When I learned about biology in middle school, I thought a career as a marine biologist would be perfect for me because I loved animals.
When I learned about human anatomy in high school (1996-2000), I thought that medical school would be perfect for me because I loved the human body and helping people.
When I learned about human physiology during exercise in college at Transylvania University (2000-2004) while earning a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Science and a Minor in Psychology, I thought that strength and conditioning would be a perfect career for me because I loved helping a body get stronger in order to perform better.

When I learned about exercise physiology and sport nutrition in graduate school  at Florida Atlantic University (2004-2005) while earning a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life when I graduated. 

With negative money in my bank account and a spare room at my parents new home in New Port Richey Florida (after moving from my hometown of Lexington KY), I moved in with my parents to figure out what I would do with a few expensive pieces of paper that I could proudly hang on my wall in frames. 

Throughout graduate school, I inched my way into endurance sports. Well, more like jumped in feet first without any hesitation. I trained for my first marathon with my own designed marathon plan (coming from a history of running with my longest run being a 10K road race) over the course of 4 months and qualified for the Boston Marathon (3:38). I decided that the next step would be to do my first Half Ironman and Ironman within the same year as the Boston Marathon. 

I never considered a career as a professional triathlete but I really loved endurance sports.
I felt accomplished, disciplined, energetic and healthy despite the volume that I was putting out to prepare my body for so many endurance events within an 8-month time-span. 

Before completing the Boston Marathon, I applied for and received an internship at the World Triathlon Corporation which was (at that time) in Tarpon Springs, FL. I learned so much about the history of triathlons as well as what it takes to put-on an event and during my 6-month internship I was also introduced to Judy Molnar, VP of Iron Girl. 

I started writing for several sport-related websites, like Iron Girl and Beginner Triathlete and started to find my niche for being able to relate to triathletes and runners but also to understand the science behind training and fueling for endurance (or multi) sport events.
I can't believe it but one of my very first articles  (one of the very few that I was paid for starting out as I tried to get my words out) is still on the internet from 2007. - Eggs, Meat and Milk...whey too many proteins!

Through networking, credentials and certifications, I landed a spot in Triathlete Magazine, writing a column "Gatorade Athlete of the Month" where I would spotlight an athlete each month.
Throughout that time, I used my sport nutrition credential from the ISSN to start writing articles relating more toward sport nutrition, nutrient timing and fueling a body in motion. Fueling the engine was one of my first articles to write on this topic and not too much later, I had my first article in Triathlete Magazine on that same topic. I still have that article in a frame for it was my very first article in print (there's nothing like seeing your name in a magazine for the very first time). 

After accepting a position at a YMCA as the wellness coordinator, teaching spin classes, the occasional water aerobics class, personal training and training for my first Ironman, I met Karel who shared my first Ironman journey with me throughout the entire summer of 2006. 

As I was training for Ironman Florida, I found myself gravitating toward other like-minded individuals when it came to answering questions on training and sport nutrition but still continuing to enjoy my time at the YMCA, working with the average individual who is seeking health improvements through a more active lifestyle or weight loss (or both). 

After completing my first Ironman in 2006 and qualifying for the 2007 Ironman World Championships by winning the 18-24 age group by almost an hour (11:00:47), I was extremely excited by how my body performed as I coached myself through my first Ironman (training and fueling) so my immediate reaction was to start a new dream of becoming a professional triathlete.
After giving the thought some consideration, I realized that I needed to put my education to good use.
I started to give local talks to triathlon clubs on sport nutrition and on the side, I would also provide consultations with athletes on nutrition. As a personal trainer, I was always asked about nutrition so that part came naturally to help others as I worked in the YMCA. 

In Feb 2007, Trimarni.blogspot.com was born. Oddly, it was after the Miami Marathon (where I qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2005) and that was the only race I have never finished. 

2007 was a rough year. Not only did I begin my long-term history with hip issues (starting around 30 days before the 2007 IM World Championships but I felt like I was not living life to the fullest. There was too much focus on triathlon training and I was not helping enough people. It was too much "me-time" and I felt this burning desire that I needed to help others. 

So -it was back to school!

While I was in graduate school, I remember two specific things that I heard from others, when it came to figuring out what my life would bring in the next few years:
1) I would never be successful as a vegetarian in endurance sports (21 years later and 7x IM finishes - I think I proved a lot of people wrong)
2) I needed to have the R.D. credential behind my name in order to be successful with nutrition. 

I wasn't really sure what it would take to become a RD for I never had an interest in being a dietitian. I didn't want to work in food service or in a hospital. I only wanted to work with athletes, like myself, who wanted to fuel for sports in order to be fast in races. 

So, I applied for the University of Northern Colorado distance dietetic program in 2007 after recovering from Kona (which took months to be able to walk pain-free again after racing injured) as the first step and began pre-req courses locally in Clearwater/St. Pete since I had moved in with my boyfriend, Karel. 

I wasn't sure of a time frame as to when I would become a RD so I stayed as patient as possible for the next three years. And oh boy, was that extremely hard!

Becoming an RD was one of the most expensive, time-consuming and stressful experiences of my life. 

However, I would not have wanted it any other way. 

From 2008-2011, I blogged about various topics from Ironman racing, healthy eating, workouts and life. But in the midst of it all, I was overwhelmed with becoming a dietitian.

After receiving a verification statement from UNCO, my desire to become a RD shifted from "needing" the credential to be more successful as a writer/speaker to "earning" the credential to be more credible as a nutrition expert. 

As I was applying for internships, my passion grew in the field of nutrition and I finally felt like I was doing what I was meant to do in life.

Only one more step to go and I would become a RD!

 I realized that the dietetic internship process was a bit more complicated that I imagined. Not only complicated but extremely competitive. Realizing now that earning this RD credential is more than just paying for school to get a certificate. The RD credential does not get handed out like a nutrition certification after passing an exam.  

When I didn't get matched for my first round of dietetic internships I was extremely sad. So much of my life had been put on hold for the past few years as I worked so hard to get this last step crossed off the list in order to be eligible to sit for the RD national exam. 

On April 29th, 2011, my life had finally changed. 

After completing over 1200 hours of interning through the Marywood University distance dietetic internship program (thanks to second round matching the 2nd time I applied), I was finally eligible to take my RD exam. 

When I passed the RD exam in June, 2011, I was extremely happy and relieved but also still concerned as to how I would turn my passion of helping others with my background in nutrition, sport nutrition, dietetics and exercise physiology, into a career. 

The birth of my business, Trimarni coaching and nutrition, LLC, was not easy. I always wanted my own business for I felt like I wanted to provide services that I felt would best serve my population (not clients) of athletes and fitness enthusiasts.  

Logo designed by my friend and athlete (and AMAZING web designer) Doris S

It was a very long journey but I knew that becoming a RD would not only open doors to a fun career of writing and speaking on a national level but as a licensed dietitian who works part-time as a clinical RD, I would have never found myself feeling so fortunate to be so successful with a job that doesn't feel like work (don't get me wrong - we work hard and non-stop).

Since earning my RD credential, I have had the great honor to see my name in several national magazines which has been a dream come true:
Triathlete
Cosmo Girl
Shape
Runner's World
Women's Running
Bicycling
Men's Journal
Health
Women's Health

as well as reach out to my athlete-population in Ironman.com, LAVA online, Iron Girl and USA Triathlon.

I have also been able to Contribute to many articles online and speak at many local and out-of-state events. 

If you love nutrition and love helping people, consider making the time to earn your RD credential. Life is going to pass on by anyways, why not become a qualified and nationally recognized nutrition expert (meeting academic and professional requirements) who can "translate the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living". I would be happy to talk to any individual (or future RD/intern) about careers, the RD journey or anything else that I can do to encourage you to continue to pursue a RD credential. 

So, what's next for me?

Upcoming to-do's to advance my career:

-Earn my CSSD - Board certified specialist in sport dietetics - be eligible to work with Olympic athletes

-Write a book - focus on body image for athletes 

-Speak on a more national level - body image for athletes, healthy relationship with food/body, sport nutrition, nutrient timing, motivational talks on living a more balanced healthy and active lifestyle

-Enjoy the life that I worked so hard for as I continue to help others reach personal health, body composition fitness, nutrition and performance goals. 

-Continue to set goals for my active body 

-Speak and write more

-Travel more with Karel

-Expand my plant-strong culinary skills

To all my Trimarni followers and fans - THANK YOU for your continued support!!!