Find and KEEP your training motivation

It’s normal to experience waves of high and low motivation throughout the year and the early months of training (in the cold, dark winter months) can often be a rough time for many athletes to stay focused with training and to remain present for workouts.

 Although there is no need to be hard-core with your training right now, it is extremely important that you do the work when it needs to get done because in a few months, you can't go back in time.

You don't want to look back, wishing that you would have built a better base/foundation, wishing you got yourself stronger so you could adapt better to more intense training or wishing you would have taken the time to focus on weaknesses like skills, form, diet and/or sleep/stress management so you could stay as balanced as possible with training. 

We all know that being a triathlete (especially long distance) really doesn't allow for 100% balance in life as some sacrifices have to be made in order to properly mentally, physically and nutritionally prepare for an upcoming event.

BUT, as an athlete, only once per season do you have the unique opportunity to actually create a solid foundation and to get your body into exceptional health. 

Every day, remind yourself that dreams don’t work unless you do. 

If a workout doesn’t go as planned or doesn’t get accomplished, ask yourself if this was because of something within your control (diet, hydration, lifestyle habit) or a very good reason (ex. exhausting day at work, pool closed, traffic, family obligations, etc.). 

There's no need to be hard on yourself when you miss a workout (it happens to us all!) but it is a responsibility to your body to put in the work to train AND to develop/maintain great lifestyle habits that will make it easier for your body to stay motivated to train.

Here are a few of my tips to help you find motivation to build your foundation: 

•   Don’t aim for perfect as you may set yourself up for failure. Focus on giving your best effort for the best possible outcome, every day and be sure to be practical with your available time and use it wisely for training. Always manage your time wisely.
  
•   You don't have to be an athlete to be "healthy" but you can actually damage your health by not training properly for an upcoming event. Give yourself the time you need to get in a quality workout, including a proper warm-up, pre-set, main set and short cool down (this is also your "ME" time, which every person needs). Also, be patient with your fitness. It takes a long time to get the body into "race" day shape as there are many necessary physiological adaptions that need to take place to ensure that you can peak appropriately for race day. This advice is especially true if you are injured. Do you find yourself constantly jumping from race day race, feeling like you are spending more time in rehab than training? Sometimes the best strategy is to pass on your next race when you are recovering from an injury so you can properly rehab yourself to 100% great health so you can then train properly for your next upcoming event. 

• Remember when you sleep and eat well, your body trains better. Review your week of training before it starts so that you can make the necessary investments with your lifestyle habits to set yourself up for great workouts.
  
  Always plan your meals and snacks in advice. You'll find healthy eating much easier this way.
• Change-up your training environment or simplify your training environment when you feel stale or need a mood booster. Training should be fun (even when you are suffering through a workout) and many times, we just need a new scenery or training partner to give us a different perspective. When you find yourself seeing your working out time as a hassle, something needs to change.
   
• Use social media and your friends/family for accountability. Tell others what workout you will do tomorrow so they can hold you to it. Of course, if something serious comes up, you must make the smart call to pass on a workout so that health is not compromised.

• Stay processed driven, not outcome focused. This is the time in your season at you should stay more focused on the process than on the end goal.  You shouldn't be working out just to burn fat, get leaner/reach race weight or to be fast right now. Be patient with your fitness as you build your foundation. Appreciate the journey and train with a beginner's mind. 
  
  
• Remind yourself why you wanted to register and train for your event. Never lose sight of the hard work that you were once willing to put forth to prepare your body and mind for your upcoming event. Yes, training is not always easy or exciting but in order to see what you are truly capable of achieving with your body, you can't skip steps, rush the process or follow another athlete's training plan.
  Don't overlook your progress because you are constantly comparing your journey to another athlete's journey or successes. 

You must have motivation to build your foundation

(Source)

I love the first few months of working out as it relates to my periodized training plan. The intensity is fairy low which makes it easy to function well in life, socialize and partake in other non-sport activities, no workout seems to short or long, frequency training provides many opportunity to work on skills without sacrificing poor form and there is a heavy emphasis on strength. 

As I tell our athletes over and over, when a new season starts after the off-season, it's time to start building your foundation. And it turns out that the analogy "training is like building a house" could not be more true for athletes who seek consistency, great health and great performances within a season. 

If you were to start construction on a house, what would be the first thing that you would do? 

Would you hire an interior decorator to help you pick out window treatments and wall paint?

Even if designing the interior of a house is fun, if you spend most of your time and money on something that is not needed for 3, 6 or 8 months down the road, it would all be a waste of time as there are more important things to focus on.

It's easy to understand why athletes do not appreciate the foundation phase of training and often rush through phases or neglect the little things that make a huge difference later in the season. Building a proper foundation takes work and time. 

With a key race so far in the future and many workouts not providing the rush of endorphins that one would feel 6-8 weeks out from race day, many athletes actually skip this phase of training all together and advance into more intense training or haphazard high volume workouts or just exercise for a few months and then start an 8, 12 or 20 week race-specific training plan. 

 The foundation phase can be challenging for some athletes as they don't like addressing weaknesses or limiters and would rather train in a way that gives instant gratification, often repeatedly doing workouts that come easy and natural (and neglecting workouts that are difficult, uncomfortable or not fun).

And for any athlete who seeks quick results, it's likely that the foundation phase isn't even considered. 

How would you feel if the builders and contractors responsible for laying the foundation of your new home wanted quick results too?


(source)

The problem that many athletes face is that they don't realize that what they are doing is a problem....until it actually becomes a problem.

As a coach, I see it all too often that the athletes who skip steps in their athletic development eventually pay the price with burnout, overtraining, injuries, sickness and/or peaking too soon (or not being properly prepared) in the 4-12 weeks leading up to a key race.

 It's actually quite easy to train the body to get fast and fit very quickly but with (most) triathletes racing from spring to fall (at least twice over 4-6 months), there is a specific type of training that is needed in the beginning of a training season to ensure proper development and physiological preparation for peaking adequately for key races. 

A great way to appreciate this phase of training is to recognize that you are actually building the foundation from which you will work from as the training progresses. 

A strong, well hydrated, nourished and healthy body has a great opportunity to tolerate upcoming training stress as the season progresses.

Sadly, a weak, injured, nutrient-deficient, calorie-restricted, dehydrated or exhausted body can not tolerate intentional intense or high volume training stress very well, even if the training that is given is designed to properly prepare the body for race day. 

Athletes, recognize that your ability to improve fitness throughout the year is constantly dependent on your ability to tolerate, absorb and consistently train with variable training stressors.

If a foundation is not properly built with consistent, smart training in early season, there is a great risk for inconsistency in training as injuries and sickness are likely to occur and ultimately, you may find yourself taking risks and guessing your way through how to train for your upcoming races solely on how you feel each day.

 Because most athletes can not rush physical development and expect to maintain that fitness level and/or stay in good health throughout the entire season, in my next blog I will share some of my tips to help you maintain motivation for your foundation phase of training.

Remember, the longer your race distance and/or the more races on your schedule, it is critically important to develop your body in a very smart way, starting with a solid foundation and sport-specific training. 

If you need some guidance with building your foundation, let us help. 
Consider our 8-week Transition plan specifically designed to help you improve your skills, strength (with specific strength exercises and videos), form and fitness before advancing with a more specific training plan.

Also, all of our 20-week endurance training plans (Half and Full Ironman distance) include 8-weeks of transition phase training to help you properly build a solid foundation before you master more specific endurance training).

And for the month of January, you can join our Performance Team and receive 4 FREE detailed handouts on nutrition, sport nutrition, swim training and run training. And, with the purchase of any endurance Trimarni training plan, you will be eligible to win a FREE entry into a Rev3 Triathlon race. 

Forbidden Rice

I am really excited to have recently discovered black rice.
I love all types of grains and not shy to try them out in my plant-strong diet.

Rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients, protein, fiber and iron and gluten free (for those sensitive/intolerant to gluten), this popular Asian rice has been known for being great for the kidneys, stomach and liver.

I cooked a big batch of rice on Sunday so I could combine it with any meal.

Earlier this week, I added it to a stir fry veggie dish with edamame and tossed with pesto sauce and yummed until the last bite

And for your further reading, you are probably familiar with one of the grains on this list but have your taste buds become familiar with the other four grains mentioned in this article?

5 must-try grains

Did/Will your "healthy" diet turn unhealthy?

If you have been trying to train your way to great fitness with a dieting mentality, you better believe that in your attempt to improve performance, you may actually be becoming less healthy.

Don’t assume that just because you are an athlete, that health and fitness are interrelated because for many athletes, they are not.

Just because you can run for 2 hours, swim 4000 yards or bike 100 miles, perhaps all in a weekend, this doesn’t mean that you are healthy, especially if you are not fueling and eating adequately and making smart lifestyle habits (like good sleep, good stress management, etc.).  

I have witnessed many athletes who are extremely active, look fit or are dedicated to training, yet when it comes to making smart choices with their diet, they are either too extreme and restricted or too careless and negligent.    

Have you or someone you know, experienced one or more of the following while training for an event? 

Hormonal dysfunction, poor bone health, stress fractures, decreased thyroid output, increased cortisol, impaired mood and cognitive functioning, suppressed immune function, muscle catabolism, anemia, inadequate hydration, hypoglycemia, constipation, diarrhea, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, interrupted sleep, inflammation, sudden/chronic loss of motivation, trouble sleeping/restless sleep, preoccupation with food, eating disorder, nutrient deficiencies, unintentional weight gain or loss, chronic muscle cramps/weakness, kidney issues, adrenal fatigue, cardiovascular stress, respiratory issues, gastrointestinal disturbances, nausea, intense headaches, skeletal, tendon and ligament injuries, thinning hair, decline in performance. 

Whereas we all know that injuries and sickness are typical health issues that affect athletes (especially endurance and high intensity athletes and new athletes), the above list features some of the health issues that are becoming more and more common among athletes, especially new or endurance athletes, due to not fueling properly around and during workouts, training too intensely or too long or due to food or calorie restrictive diets.

The physical demands of training and racing, especially in endurance events can be so extreme that it is no surprise that many athletes are unable to maximize performance and keep their body in good health at the same time. 

But, when an athlete intentionally restricts food, sport nutrition or calories in an effort to lose weight or to get leaner, you can see why health issues, beyond sickness and injuries, can occur. 

And the above list does is not a list that should be brushed off as "well, I'm training for an event and this feeling/issue is "normal".

If you do want a change in muscle or body fat for performance or health and want to ensure that your season is not derailed due to a nutrient deficiency, low energy availability or a complicated health issue, you must have an appropriate, safe plan to ensure that health is not compromised in the process of improving performance.  

If a body composition modification is a desired goal to enhance performance, the methods should not be strict, limited or extreme. You should allow for gradual weight loss (not a quick fix), without extreme food restrictions, excessive exercising, unsafe behaviors (starving, purging, laxatives) or use of weight loss supplements.   

If there is too much focus on what not to eat in an effort to be thin, rather than what to eat in order to win, an obsession and hyperawareness with food may intensify disordered eating patterns, which could turn into a clinical eating disorder and severely affect your health and quality of life. 

If you are constantly focused on the outcome, like being a great fat burner and/or getting leaner, you will find a constant struggle as to how you can actually improve your performance to be fit enough to race well on race day while intentionally trying to lose weight.

Ironically, when you put emphasis into how to train and eat in order to optimize performance, thus becoming "performance adapted", favorable body composition changes occur naturally because you are trained, fit and strong for your upcoming event.

Athletes, it is time to forget the diet mentality. Let’s make peace with food. Stop associating all of your health, performance and body issues with carbohydrates. 

Instead of trying to manipulate your diet or training regime to become better fat adapted, how about train and eat in a way that helps you become more performance adapted. 

Please love your body in motion. 

Respect it with food and exercise. 

Stop the body bashing, food restriction and overexercising.

YOU are an athlete.

Train smart, fuel smart and don’t forget to thank your awesome body.

A positive experience while dining out

For Karel and myself, eating out is typically reserved for special occasions and traveling.

This pic (above) was taken a few years ago when we were in Athens, GA for the Athens Twilight Crit. Campy looks so young!

Of course, we love dining out at pet-friendly restaurants. 

I have ordered a few meals in my time that did not meet my nutritional needs and I was hungry after I ate (not a good experience especially when paying for food outside the home). I have also ordered meals outside the home that did not give me a memorable experience. 

I don't stress about eating out or try to change everything on the menu so that I can order a "healthy" meal but what I don't like is when the flavors of my meal do not meet my expectations, the presentation lets me down and I am not inspired.

And I still have to pay for it. 

No chef or menu item knows what I need as a vegetarian endurance athlete and health conscious individual, on any given day or meal. 

But this doesn't mean that Karel and I don't eat out on planned occasions and really, really enjoy our meals.

If we are going to eat out, we want to enjoy a meal that leaves a positive impression in our mind and tummy. 

I do feel strongly that eating at home (or preparing meals at home) should not be a typical daily/weekly occurrence but if you have the opportunity to eat out, make it one to remember and enjoy it!

Rather than repeating from the internet and giving you a dozen tips on how to order/eat healthy meals, here are three factors that are important to me while eating out. 

Perhaps you can carry these tips with you at your next dining out experience. 

1) The flavors - 

I'm no trained chef so my creativity in the kitchen is simply based on my learned culinary skills. I love it when I have a bite of something for the first time and it's a flavor explosion in my mouth. I read a menu option and it sounds delicious but I have no idea what it will taste like when it reaches my mouth. I just love the experience of tasting new flavors. 

2) The presentation - 

It's no surprise that I love to take pictures of my food/meals. I love to capture the meal before it meets my mouth. When eating out, I have no idea how a meal will taste yet I take a picture of it before I even have the opportunity to yum over the first bite. There's something to be said about a beautiful food presentation. 

3) Inspiration - 

Karel once told me that it is rude to tell someone that a home-cooked meal tastes like restaurant quality. Of course, I think he was speaking about someone who lives outside of the US (perhaps in Europe where he grew up with 99% home-cooking for all of his life while living in Czech). When I eat out, I love trying something that I can attempt to re-create at home. Having a trained chef at a restaurant, inspire me, is exactly what I seek when eating out. There's no need to order a plain salad when I can eat/make that anytime. Instead, I order something that sounds amazing but challenges me to find a way to prepare it at home.

4) Healthy relationship with food - 

I'm not going to enjoy my eating out experience if I go into the meal starving and I am not going to enjoy my meal if I fill my belly with appetizers before a meal. And I am not going to remember my positive eating experience if I leave a restaurant stuffed and uncomfortable. I find it extremely valuable to bring a healthy relationship with food to dining out experiences because I always want food to make me feel great when I eat it and feel better after I eat it - always. Because eating out is not typical for us, I do enjoy eating foods that I don't typically eat. But this doesn't mean that I bring guilt and anxiety with these meals. I actually order with good intentions and eat with great intentions so that when I finish my meal, I can go home and continue on with my life and not feel pressure to adjust my diet the next day. 

The dieting athlete?

It seems like every day there is a new diet telling us what not to eat and a scientific article for reference, a nutrition expert, doctor or personal trainer touting a diet plan, a book, blog or website telling us what foods are destroying out heal and a food company excited to grab the market share by introducing a new “healthy” re-engineered processed food alternative which has the opportunity to be highly profitable.  Whether it’s lack of confidence, common sense, passion or effort for healthy eating, much of our society relies on diet plans as the best way to lose weight or to improve health.

We all know why people struggle with food and body weight. It's not so much because people are eating too many vegetables, eating healthy fats and quality proteins, consuming grains like buckwheat, quinoa and wild rice and eating lentils and beans.

In defense of carbs, we know very plain and clear that added sugar, soda's, processed and fast food are to blame. 

In America, eating habits are not steady and when it comes to the mention of food, people are still confused how to eat. Without the use of labels, numbers, grams, apps, spreadsheets and journals, many people experience great anxiety, fear and stress regarding what and how much food they should put into their body. 

It’s quite the paradox but America is obsessed with eating healthy yet we are one very unhealthy nation.
We are obsessed with food yet the “off-limit” food list keeps growing every year. 

It’s quite counterproductive for athletes to diet and train for an event at the same time, but many athletes believe that weight is a metric of progress - if weight is dropping, performance is improving.  However, weight loss is not always correlated with performance and health improvements, especially when an extreme calorie reduction starves the body for available energy, slows the metabolism, does not preserve lean tissue, is restrictive of essential nutrients and suppresses the immune system. 

Unlike the normal population, you use your body differently when it comes to working out. As an athlete, you workout to experience physiological improvements so that you can prepare yourself for the demands of your race day. Therefore, your eating style will need to change throughout the season in order to supply sufficient energy and nutrients to support your variable training load, especially when intensity and volume increase. 

However, the same dietary rules apply to you - you have to have healthy lifestyle habits, you can't overeat on carbohydrates (or calories for that matter), you need to eat mindfully, you need to meal plan ahead and on top of it all, you have to learn how to meet your metabolic needs before, during and after long workouts. 

Ironically, when you put emphasis into how to train and eat in order to optimize performance, favorable body composition changes occur naturally. This has to do with making sure you eat enough calories to support metabolism but not too much that energy is stored and not used efficiently. You want to eat a variety of foods to provide your body with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and consume adequate macronutrients to keep your body in good health and well-fueled and various phases of training and to support the immune system. Lastly, it is important to use sport nutrition properly to train your gut, stay hydrated, meet electrolyte and energy needs.

I can put many athletes into two categories - athletes who eat too much and athletes who don't eat enough. How do you know which category you fit in? 

If you have or are experiencing any one of the following, there is a good chance your eating and fueling habits are not supporting your athletic lifestyle: 

Hormonal dysfunction, poor bone health, stress fractures, decreased thyroid output, increased cortisol, impaired mood and cognitive functioning, suppressed immune function, muscle catabolism, anemia, dehydration, hypoglycemia, anxiety, chronic fatigue, interrupted sleep, inflammation, sudden loss of training motivation, preoccupation with food, eating disorder, nutrient deficiencies, unintentional weight gain or loss, hypoglycemia, chronic muscle cramps/weakness, kidney issues, adrenal fatigue, cardiovascular stress, respiratory issues, gastrointestinal disturbances, nausea, headaches, skeletal, tendon and ligament injuries, thinning hair and a decline in performance.

These issues do not happen because you are eating gluten, eating carbs or eating fat. These issues happen because you are putting too much training stress on your body and because of what you are or are not eating, your body lacks the necessary nutrients and efficient use of energy to support training demands. 

A well-fueled and nourished body is more likely to get stronger, faster and more powerful in the training process compared to a depleted and nutrient deficient body hoping to make “race weight” by a certain date.

If you don't know how to fuel and eat smart as an athlete, reach out to a sport RD to help you out in your journey. 

Fit AND healthy

Great performances are built on great health. If you are carelessly eating whatever you want or intentionally restricting energy and fluids before/during and after your workouts, in an your attempt to improve performance, you could actually find yourself becoming less healthy.

You can't expect to train your way to great fitness and live an unhealthy lifestyle.

Sure, you may not smoke, eat fast food all day or drink excessively but how are your dietary choices enhancing your health?

Great health is the foundation to great performances. 

As it relates to healthy living and healthy eating, how much time you devote to getting fit compared to how much time you devote to improving your health? 

Don’t assume that both are correlated as many times, they are not.

You can be very fit but also very unhealthy. 

 

In the February 2016 issue of Triathlete Magazine, you can check out two pages (Pg. 68-69) of my nutrition tips relating to fueling your body for short distance triathlons. 

You will read in the article that I am not suggesting complicated sport nutrition tips nor am I suggesting to be overly restrictive with your eating.

Hopefully with my tips you will better understand how to fuel your body in motion so that you can be more consistent with training as you keep your body in good health. 

Just because you signed up for a race and you have a training plan, this doesn't mean that you are guaranteed good health.

You have to make the effort to be healthy when you are NOT training so that when you train, your body can adapt better to training stress. 

It is important to focus on healthy living as an athlete so that you don't compromise your health as you are trying to improve your fitness. 

Here are a few focus areas for healthy living:

Good sleep
Healthy relationships
Healthy work/life/family balance
Stress management
                                   Train smart - train enough but not too much                             

Strength train
Reduce sedentary time
Nutrient timing
Prioritize real food, variety
Meal plan
Healthy relationship with food and the body

Happy meal.....salad

With so many food options available to consumers, there's really no reason why meal time should be an unhappy time. 

If we ever eat together, you'll notice that I yum a lot. Food makes me happy, especially when it is real food.
I love the taste when ingredients come together and I love exciting my taste buds with new or recently introduced ingredients end up on my plate. 

Almost every day, I make myself a salad for lunch.

Occasionally it is a warm salad (stir-fry) but I typically make a raw salad loaded with vitamins and minerals combined with a grain and vegetarian protein. I find that lunch is the best time for me to load up on veggies as I typically work out in the morning and evening and I don't prefer a lot of roughage after an evening workout and I recover best with a nice mix of carbohydrates (fresh bread, oats, homemade granola, raisins, fruits) and protein (eggs, yogurt or whey protein and milk) for my post workout morning meal.
(I always eat before a workout, no matter the length of the workout - always!). 

 Plus, I find myself enjoying a veggie-filled meal at lunch more so than in the early morning or late evening. I am a firm believer that you have to get to know your appetite and food preferences as knowing when I you will most enjoy and eat your veggies is an important component of meal planning.

 As you can tell from most of my Facebook  pics, I do a lot of stir-fry's for dinner with a mix of grains/starch/potato, veggies, oil/cheese and plant-based protein. There is no shortage of plants (fruits and veggies) in my diet but my lunch meal is often my most plant-dense meal of the day.

I made this salad yesterday and it made me smile. I think it was the starfruit. If you haven't had a starfruit before, it's like a very tart and sour kiwi.

Maybe it's just me but I can't help but smile when seeing stars on my plate...and I get to eat them too!

Here are the ingredients to my happy meal salad:
Thanks to batch cooking on Sunday, most of these ingredients were ready for me so all I had to do was assemble the salad in my bowl. 

Roasted chickpeas with cumin - about 1/4 cup
Tri-colored quinoa (about 1/2 cup)
Park skim mozzarella (more of it went into my mouth while making the salad than on the salad) - about an ounce
Starfruit - about 1/2
Hardboiled egg - 1
Sweet peppers - 3 (1 each; red, orange, yellow)
Onions - chopped to my liking
Avocado - about 1/3
Arugula - big handful
Mixed greens - big handful, then chopped
Lemon juice and olive oil - quirt of lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil

Upcoming speaking event: Which diet should you follow?

Are you wanting to lose 15+ lbs before your key race this season?

Are you looking to change your diet/fueling in order to maximize your short distance or long distance racing performance?

Do you struggle with your body image or relationship with food?

Do you struggle to maintain a healthy body composition while training for long distance events?

Do you experience GI issues, fatigue, headaches or low blood sugar symptoms while training/racing?

Are you confused as to how to eat and fuel to stay healthy as an athlete?

Are you overwhelmed with all of the diet, nutrition, fueling and eating advice you hear/read and want to understand what will work best for you as an athlete?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, I invite you to come to my FREE talk at Run In in Greenville, SC on Monday January 11th, 2016 at 6:15pm. 

If you are able to attend this talk, my goal is to help you better understand how to eat and fuel smarter as an athlete in order to maximize performance but also to do so in a way that will help keep your body in great health.

I will also discuss some of the common reasons as to why your dietary choices affect your training, gut, health and performance and how you can make dietary adjustments in order to move closer to your health, performance and weight goals. 

Are you training for a triathlon in 2016?

Do you have a triathlon goal for 2016? 

Are you registered for your first Olympic, Half or Full Ironman distance triathlon in 2016? 

Are you looking to improve your skills, endurance, strength and overall fitness throughout your racing season to see what you are capable of achieving at your key race in 2016?

Are you serious about your training and want a smart training plan to follow to see what your body is capable of achieving in 2016?

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If so, we created our (NEW) 20-week Trimarni training plans with YOU in mind. 

As accomplished endurance triathletes and devoted coaches, we understand the physiological and nutritional needs of endurance triathlon training and racing.

We love coaching athletes of all fitness levels.
All we ask is that you have a goal and a race in mind, you enjoy the developmental process of training, you want to excel on race day and you are committed to training smart, working hard and keeping your body in good health.

No matter what level athlete you are or what event distance you are training for, we put a lot of thought and effort into our plans to ensure that you would feel physically, mentally, nutritionally and emotionally ready for your upcoming races. 

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Marni is a Board Certified Sport Dietitian (CSSD) and holds a Master of Science in exercise physiology. She specializes in sport nutrition and she is a certified USA Triathlon level-1 coach. With a great understanding of the physiological and nutritional requirements of training for endurance sports, she enjoys working with triathletes of all levels. She has coached fitness enthusiasts to become first-time Ironman finishers, has helped many age-groupers, with families and busy work schedules, reach personal best times and achieve life-long goals and has developed athletes to qualify for the Ironman World Championship.
Marni is a 10x Ironman finisher with a 10:17 Ironman PR (IM Austria), including 4 Ironman World Championship finishes. 

Karel is an experienced RETUL bike fitter with exceptional skills as a bike mechanic. Karel knows everything and anything about cycling. As an exceptional cat 1 cyclist turned triathlete, Karel has the ability to think like a one sport athlete but train like a triathlete in order to help Trimarni athletes learn how to train smarter. As a cyclist turned triathlete, Karel has had to learn the basics when it comes to training for triathlons, which has allowed him to better coach his athletes. Karel qualified for the 70.3 World Championship after his first half IM and finished his 2nd Ironman in 9:22 (Ironman Austria) with a 3:11 marathon.

Karel and Marni enjoy working together because they each have their own strengths and specialty areas when it comes to coaching athletes and performing as top age-group endurance triathletes. 

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We enjoy the developmental process of working with athletes and teaching our athletes how to train smarter in order to execute well on race day.  We provide great detail and attention to every workout which includes focus on strength training, daily and sport nutrition, pacing, intervals, mental toughness, recovery and learning how to adjust to life. We strongly believe in an educational component to our coaching so that our athletes know why they are doing what they are doing in every workout, with every phase of training.

Thank you for considering Trimarni Coaching to help you reach your short and long term triathlon goals. 

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2016 TRIMARNI TRAINING PLANS

FOR JANUARY ONLY:Any athlete who purchases a Trimarni training plan in the month of January will be entered into a raffle for one FREE entry to any Rev3 Triathlon race (distance of your choice) for 2016. The winning athlete will be notified on Feb 1st. 
If you are interested in joining our performance team with the purchase of any training plan, you will receive the past 4 check-in educational emails for FREE. Topics discussed included sport nutrition (with specific calculations for determining carbohydrate, fat and protein needs as well as how to fuel before, during and after workouts), daily nutrition, understanding "check-points" (testing) and swim training specifics. You will receive over 15 pages of detailed educational materials that will help you train and fuel smarter for FREE if you join our performance team in Jan.
You will receive all past and current weekly check-in emails as soon as you purchase you plan.  

Performance Team

If you are a triathlete who is interested in Trimarni coaching and being part of the Trimarni team but not interested in individualized-coaching this season, the PERFORMANCE team plan is designed just for you! 

With the purchase of any Trimarni 20-week endurance triathlon training plan (Half or Ironman distance)
-You can feel part of a team by joining our private Trimarni Coaching Facebook page to socialize with your fellow Trimarni teammates,
-Connect with us at key Trimarni races and camps (our athletes receive top priority for camp registration before opening our camps to the public - typically our camps fill-up before we can open to the public)
-Receive our weekly “check-in” emails (which will provide you with weekly education, information, tips, race results and support on topics like swimming, cycling, running, mental strength, sport nutrition, daily nutrition, strength training, race strategy/execution, motivation tips, etc). You'll feel like you are receiving a detailed consultation from us every week!
-Receive exclusive Trimarni sponsor discounts.

Instead of browsing the web and consulting with friends over and over again about your gear, training and nutrition questions, let us help educate you so that you can learn how to train and race smarter.
Plus, we want to be part of your training and racing journey as a Trimarni team member.

At check-out when purchasing your 20-week half or full Ironman training plan, select "Performance Team". After your purchased training plan is emailed to you, you will be part of the Trimarni team for only $50 a month (we will contact you regarding set-up for monthly paymnets). You can start/cancel your $50/monthly payment anytime. 

We look forward to having you be part of the Trimarni team!

Email us with any questions. 

Olympic, Half and Full Ironman plans
The Trimarni training plans are designed for committed, passionate, performance-seeking athletes of all fitness levels who want to train smarter to train harder. We keep our training philosophy simple - we want you to reach performance goals without compromising your overall health. Our training plans are designed to keep you in good health, as you balance everything in your busy life, as you take your fitness to the next level. We believe that our plans will keep you excited to train while minimizing burnout and risk for injury. Our plans provide the right mix of challenge and fun as you work hard to reach personal fitness goals. 

We have updated our plans which are all now 20 weeks and include 4 weeks of our Transition/Foundation plan. 

For more info on what is included with each plan: 

Endurance Plan - Half and Full Ironman distance

Olympic Plan

At checkout, you can add the option of the Performance Plan OR select 1-hour phone call if you'd like to set-up a consultation with me and/or Karel at any point throughout your season to discuss your race strategy, training or nutrition. 

Transition/Foundation Plan
Back by popular demand, our updated transition plan is designed specifically to help you develop the proper skills to progress smoothly throughout the year. Consider this the blueprint of building a strong house for your body.  It is important to appreciate the first phase of your training plan as the focus is not on speed, pace, heart rate and/or power but instead skills, form and neuromuscular control. We designed this plan to help you get stronger before you try to get faster or go longer. We consider this phase a necessary but often overlooked part of most  triathlon training plans. Every Trimarni athlete (and Karel and myself) follow a transition phase before we get into more specific training.
For more info: 
8-week Transition/Foundation Plan

Periodized Strength Training Plan
You know it's important but strength training is often the most neglected or confusing component of a triathletes training plan (and often the first to go in the spring when the training becomes more specific). 

We designed a periodized strength training plan that allows for smooth progression throughout your periodized plan. With swimming, biking and running as your primary focus, our strength training plan may make it easier to achieve better swim, bike and run results with a stronger body.
Our strength training plan is designed to help you build a strong foundation and then when you add more speed and power in your training plan, the strength training routine changes from simple, isolated movements to more complex and dynamic movements.
If you are returning to your sport after an injury, experience chronic injuries or feel like you could benefit from strength training in order to improve speed, power and endurance, you will love our strength training plans.
The Trimarni periodized strength plan includes videos for every exercise, including dynamic warm-ups, glute/hip/core focus and stretching links for your entire season and almost all exercises can be performed at your home, with minimal equipment. For more info:
Periodized Strength Training Plan

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GIFT CERTIFICATES
Yes - we have them! 

Trimarni Gift Certificates for coaching, nutrition and RETUL bike fits are available for your friend, training partner or loved one for the holidays, birthdays, special occasions, anniversary's or just because you care.

Please send us a message via our contact page on our website before purchasing your desired plan so we know to include a gift certificate with your purchase to your favorite athlete in mind.


We are excited to be part of your 2016 training and racing season!

Are you making a New Year diet change?

Fasting, detoxing, cleansing.....

It's no surprise that after the holiday season and the start of the New Year, weight loss is a top priority. However, weight loss involves a lifestyle change and for many people, there are many psychological barriers that prohibit the "right" changes from being made. 

Motivation in the New Year to eat better, exercise more or live a healthier lifestyle is not uncommon but is this going to be the year when it's no longer an attempt but rather a start to a new, maintainable healthy lifestyle?

Of course, you may have said it once before...

"THIS will be the year when I stick with my new habits!!"

But we all know that making a lifestyle change is challenging and when people can't follow a diet plan, they feel like they failed. When people succeed it a diet plan, they feel great success. 

But unfortunately, many people will go year after year, diet plan after diet plan, never realizing that these plans were not ideal for their lifestyle. So much money, time and energy invested in trying to be good with a plan that was never ideal for your lifestyle in the first place!

But don't worry- I want to help you out so failing or short-lived success is not an option this year.  

Diet fads make it easy. 

Eliminating food and following a restrictive plan that tells you what not to eat is one of the easiest and most effective ways to losing weight. 

But as we all know, diet plans don't work because they are designed for the masses and not for you and your life. 

And especially for athletes, you do NOT fit in with the normal population because you are doing extraordinary things with your body that the normal population does not have to consider when modifying the diet.

For athletes, your diet must support your metabolic needs so that you do not compromise your health as you attempt to improve your performance. 

If you really want to commit to a healthy change this New Year and follow through with your attempt at breaking old habits for a better lifestyle, you have to have a plan that prepares you for success.

It can be extremely tempting to follow the crowd and follow the same plan that thousands and thousands of other people will follow, but is it the right plan for your lifestyle?

If you are really serious that you want to change your diet in an effort to lose weight, change your body composition, improve your health or maximize performance, here are a few tips to employ in the first week of the New Year:

1) Create a positive food and body vocabulary and avoid negative language when it comes to food and your body. Stop calling yourself fat, ugly, disgusting or gross and instead, speak positively about your body and what  it has allowed you to do or what you want it to help you accomplish in life. When it comes to food, stop the bad, horrible, off-limit food list. See food for what it is as it nourishes your body, fuels your workouts and gives you pleasure when you eat.

2) Create order with your diet. The number one reason people fail with a diet plan is because they can't maintain it. There are so many reasons why diet plans don't work and it's time, once and for all, that you remind yourself that you need to establish an eating style that works for you. Do not try to change too much at once. Restriction and food elimination will not last long. Focus on only the following to start a new style of eating: Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time, reflect on your meals and snacks to decide if they are working for you (do you feel satisfied after you eat?) and consider how your emotions, busy life and workouts affect your food choices (or are impacted by your food choices).

3) Eat real food. Aside from a diet plan that endorses bars, shakes, pills and other marketed products with their diet plan, almost every diet has one thing in common - eat real food. Our society has a very big problem when it comes to how and what people eat and real food is often not to blame. Before you decide to do anything drastic with your diet, just think about how you have been eating for the past 6 months. That's it - just think about what was or wasn't working for you and then ask yourself if eliminating carbohydrates, restricting calories to 1000 a day, fasting, juicing or detoxing is really going to be the change that you need. Ask yourself, what are my most major struggles with my dietary habits that are not helping me with my weight, performance or health goals?

4) Eating should be a positive experience. So many people see eating as a miserable, stressful and overwhelming experience. In other countries and some in the US (although it is rare in our society where so many people have an unhealthy relationship with food), where people have a great relationship with food and the body, meal time is a positive, enjoyable and happy experience. Life stops for meal time and it often happens at a table and not in the car, behind a computer or on the go. Next time you do a search on the internet for "how to eat healthy", check out how people eat around the world, especially those who have increased longevity due to their food choices (because that is why we all want to eat healthy right, to live a long life, free from disease). 

5) It's a lifestyle change. Speaking of how other people in the world live their life, a healthy lifestyle is more than just eating "well." People who seek a high quality life embrace many components that  bring happiness and good health in life. Are you really going to be happy avoiding carbohydrates, eating 1000 calories a day, fasting every 2 days, not eating fruit or a dessert ever again or not being able to eat around other people or out of your home because your strict eating habits are well, too strict? A healthy lifestyle means managing stress, sleeping well, staying active, moving the body as much as possible (reducing sedentary time), making "me time", being around positive people, giving and receiving love, finding joy in a career choice, eating a diet that bring happiness (and not restriction), being out in nature (or outside), traveling and experiencing new things in life. If eating better is important to you, consider the other components that you can change that will make you feel like you are living the best life possible for your body. 

If you are struggling with your eating or body image, seek a healthy diet or body composition change or want to improve your eating habits without affecting your performance or want to excel as an athlete by fueling your body properly, send me an email - I would love to be part of your lifestyle journey.

 I do not offer diet plans because I treat every athlete that I work with as an individual. The style of diet consulting that I offer is not trendy, sexy or mass-marketed but it works because it takes YOUR lifestyle, your habits and your goals into consideration. 

2015 - A year in review

Another year has gone by and another year awaits us.

I'm not one for New Years resolutions so instead, I see the New Year as a time to reflect on the past and to get excited for what awaits in the future.

2015 was filled with a lot of highs and a few lows.

We worked a lot, we traveled, we raced and we made a lot of memories.

Not a day was wasted.

Here is a recap of our very busy and exciting year.

January 

January is always a busy month for us as it follows December. Our athletes start their training plans for the upcoming season and my nutrition services needed for athletes who are taking the next step to better their health and/or performance with a dietary intervention or change. Karel continued to be in high demand for Retul bike fits in Jacksonville so for almost the entire year, every 4-7 weeks he would travel to Jax for 3-4 days of all-day fits.

This was our first time experiencing a winter after living in Florida for the past 10 years so we enjoyed shopping and wearing new winter clothes for training.

It was also nice to bundle up and even see snow twice this winter! It didn't stay long but it was pretty while it lasted.

We also took advantage of our awesome city by exploring new routes on our bikes (there are so many places to ride here!) and making our way to downtown by foot as we only lived 1 mile from downtown.

We also confirmed our sponsors for the 2015 Trimarni team and we received our new Canari kits, which came out amazing! Karel is such a great designer and we love working with Canari.

My mom was settled into her rental home about 20 minutes away from us. Although her life has changed since losing my dad in May 2014, she is doing an amazing job staying strong and moving on with her life. She joined a lot of local groups and has more friends than we do! It's great to have her so close and Campy loves seeing his grandma so often.

February 
February was special because we planned a trip to see my 92-year old Grandpa in Tahoe but first, a stop in Sacremnto to visit our close friends Gloria and Ken. After being friends for over 3 years, we finally got the opportunity for us all to be together. We had so much fun swimming, eating, laughing and hanging out - even if it was just for 1.5 days before heading off to Tahoe.
Although the snow was sparse, we were able to get in a little time on the snow with some downhill skiing/snowboarding and XC skiing (my favorite). It was nice to make some memories with my grandpa and his wife. Karel and I honeymooned in Tahoe in Feb 2009 so it will always be a special place for us.
We also held a private training camp for a small group of triathletes in NC and oddly enough, it snowed the first morning of the camp! We almost cancelled the camp but (most of) the snow melted and our athletes had a great time, even though it was a bit chilly. 

March
And the travel begins! March is the month of our annual Clermont training camp at the NTC and this year was a bit different as we had a bit longer of a drive as we were traveling from SC and not Jacksonville, FL. We had my mom come with us so we could bring Campy (and so she could help us out) and we also needed her car as we had too much stuff! I absolutely love putting on our training camps but it is a lot of work. This camp was our biggest camp ever with 23 campers (our athletes). But it was all worth it. Memories were made and our athletes trained a lot....and even raced an Olympic distance triathlon on the last day of camp! 

April

Back to FL again!

Karel raced Haines City 70.3 and we had a big group of Trimarni athletes racing too. It was a lot of fun to be on the sidelines and cheer for everyone. Karel had a great race and I started to get excited about our upcoming racing season.

It was great to feel the spring air in Greenville as it was a welcomed change from winter training.

And April was a month to remember as we bought our first home! We had been saving money ever since I finished my dietetic program and when we thought it was time to start looking, we found our house while riding our bike. We figured if we rode by our future house, it was in the perfect location for us. Closer to the mountains was our goal for our house and we found the perfect house, in the perfect location and just big enough for the 2 of us + 3 furry little ones. Since buying our home, we (mostly Karel) has tackled several fun house projects, like painting walls, turned our garage into a bike studio (and epoxied the floor) and of course, experienced a few "oh-no" moments where we wish my dad was here as he would always know what to do.

It's so nice to have a home to call our own and we love welcoming our home to guests (especially when they come to train with us).

May

May is a happy but sad month as it is my birthday month and I love the weather in May but it is also the  month when my dad passed away from cancer, three days before my birthday in 2014.
I'm not sure how I will handle May in the future but for this year, May was a tough month but it did have it's happy moments.
Campy got a very expensive present from us - a fence! With a big backyard backing up into the woods, we gave Campy the present we promised him for the past 7 years as we told him "one day" we will give you a real backyard and lots of room to run. Campy loves his yard, especially in the warm summer when he can sit outside all day and look for birds and squirrels.
Although Campy is not one to complain, we did notice that Campy was not acting normal after we got our yard treated (as we were told that's what new homeowners needed to do). A few days later, Campy had a seizure. He did not vomit or defecate on himself but instead, while we were walking, Campy barked at the UPS truck and then froze, raised his left paw as if it was broken and then lost his balance. His eyes were wide-open and he wobbled when he tried to walk. I had no idea what was going on but this was the first of many seizures over the summer. Campy would go 2 weeks without us seeing one and I thought everything was ok and then he would have one and it was scary to witness. We took Campy to the vet several times without a clear reason why this was happening and they told us when the seizures start to happen more often (3 within a week) that he would need to be on medication. We tried everything to keep Campy calm, cool and relaxed but the seizures would often come out of nowhere but I could always tell when he was about to have one.
On a lighter note, I placed 2nd at Challenge Knoxville Half but that was not the memorable part of the race - running across the finish line with Campy and Karel was the biggest surprise and was a great memorable moment as Campy was the first paw across the finish line.

June

It looked as if all was going well  but all of a sudden, Karel hurt his foot on a track workout. It happened instantly and this was the start of a very stressful summer for me. Although Karel was bummed to learn he has a partial tear in his plantar fascia a few weeks later (after a MRI confirmed it), it was actually me who struggled with his injury as I had had my shares of injuries but never had to be on the other side with my side-kick being injured. I didn't handle it well and I let it affect my training too.
But on the bright side, it was special for Karel to be with me in Williamsburg as I placed overall female amateur on an extremely hot (120 -degree heat index) day. This was my third half IM win and I had a PR with my fastest 56-mile bike split ever and I finally broke 5 hours.
We finished the month with our first ever Trimarni Greenville camp and it was just the break that Karel and I needed with our own training and life as we just love working with our athletes - and we couldn't wait to call the Swamp Rabbit Lodge our homebase for our campers and to show them Greenville. The camp was extremely tough as it was enduranced-focused and our campers were so amazing. We are so excited for our next Greenville endurance camp in July 2016. 

July
After learning that Karel was not allowed to run with a tear in his fascia, we were all filled with a variety of emotions as we (including my mom) made our 2-day drive to Lake Placid. Karel was looking forward to Lake Placid as he absolutely loves the course and felt like he was getting into great training shape to place near the top but plans changed. We tried to make the most of it as the drive up north was absolutely beautiful and we got to see so many different sights and even see some friends (Katie and Chris M and Anthony and Peggy and Brutus)  along the way. Plus, we had several Trimarni athletes racing Placid and we were all sharing a house which made it a lot of fun to be around our athletes.
I had a great mini training camp which kicked-off my IM Kona training. 
Race day was tough to see Karel only race in the swim and bike but he had a really strong performance in both which brought him some confidence. Also, Karel stopped his race on the bike to help an athlete who had passed out and fallen off his bike so it kinda meant to be that Karel was in the race and could help out another athlete.
It was really awesome to see our athletes in action and we made a lot of memories in Placid.

Swim and bike done...time to refuel and cheer!

August 
Karel and I had always wanted to join our Gearlink friends (from when we lived in Clearwater) for their annual trip to CO to train and watch the USA Pro cycling challenge and this year was the year we could finally make it happen.
After several weeks of rehab, Karel was finally able to start running (easy) and I was over the moon, enjoying all of the trail running in Boulder. We enjoyed seeing our friends Kristen and Trent, Lisa and Curt and meeting new faces and training in new places. We biked A LOT and there were a lot of epic moments during our trip. I came away from this trip exhausted but I also gained a lot of confidence as to what my body could handle with training. Plus, I thanked my body a lot as training in the altitude was tough!

September 
Just a few more weeks left before our trip to Kona for the IM World Championships. Karel wasn't able to get in quality run training (or longer runs) but he was able to run which was reassuring that hopefully he could finish his first IM Kona. It was fun to finish our training in Greenville and to head to Kona 1.5 weeks before race day. Campy and the cats stayed with my mom which was so helpful for us to know that they would be in good hands for the 2 weeks that we were away. 

October 
Well, if you are a reader of this blog, you probably kept up with my daily recaps while we were in Kona. Although it was a big unknown as to what Karel's foot would do on race day, he didn't let it get to him one bit as we both made lots of memories in Kona, experiencing everything we could before and after the race. Although my race didn't go as well as I had hoped, it was a very special experience to race in Kona together and to finish my 4th IM World Championship.
October was also exciting because two of our Trimarni athletes qualified for Kona (Leigh Ann and Justine) so we are excited to get back to Kona in 2016 to cheer on our athletes as spectators (hopefully Karel will be racing Kona if he qualifies at IMMT).
Thanks Kona for the memories!!

November

With a little break in training, the traveling continued to IMFL, NYC, Myrtle Beach, Lexington KY and then Ft. Wayne. Every weekend we were somewhere else. Oh and Karel squeezed in another trip to Jackonsville for RETUL bike fits. 

We made our annual trip to IMFL to cheer on our athletes and it was exciting and motivating as always.
We were invited to NYC by Clif Bar for the premier of the NBC IM World Championship and that was extremely inspiring.
I went to Myrtle Beach with my mom for a quick weekend trip and then we headed off to KY and then Indiana to visit my hometown and then to celebrate Thanksgiving with my aunt, uncle, cousin, brother and his wife. My brother and his wife Dana are expecting their first child (boy) in Jan!

December

Campy started phenobarbital meds in late November and they seem to be working to control his seizures. Campy started to get them almost ever day in early November so after another vet visit, he finally got the meds to help him out. He was retested after a few weeks to make sure the dosage was tolerable in his small 13-lb body and all was ok. Although we have to give him the meds morning and night for the rest of his life, it is worth it as he isn't suffering with the seizures anymore. Plus, he still has his normal energy and he hasn't stopped enjoying destroying his bears and chasing the birds.
In our off-season and the start of more structured training, we took advantage of riding our road bikes, hiking and even participating in a "fun" 20K running race over Paris Mountain (we finished as "fastest couple" and Karel was third overall!).
And as you probably heard/saw, Karel surprised me with a beautiful custom paint job on my Trek bike.
Oh, and my mom now lives 1 mile from us in the next neighborhood which is great that she is so close...we love walking there with Campy.
With the start of building our foundation with our training, alongside staying extremely busy with  coaching and nutrition and RETUL bike fits (for Karel), we look forward to what 2016 has in store for us as we know life will be exciting, memorable and challenging.

JANUARY 2016

Thanks for sharing 2015 with us and we look forward to being part of your 2016! 

2016. Live life.

With less than 48 hours until 2016, it's time to reflect on 2015. 

What did your body allow you to do over the past 365 days? 

Did you travel somewhere exciting?

Did you make memories with your family/kids/friends?

Did you cross a finish line, for a certain distance event, for the first time?

Did you arrive to a starting line, for a certain distance event, for the first time?

Did you have a best race performance?

Did you experience a loss?
Did you experience a great moment?
Did you share a loss or a great moment with a close friend or family member?

Did you overcome an obstacle that made you a smarter/wiser person?

Did you help someone in need?

Did you volunteer your time?

Did you make an investment to better your self?

Did you try new foods that made you yum out loud?

Did you meet new people?

Did your body stay well during tough times?

Did your body recover during rough times?

Did you laugh, love and learn?

As you enter a new year with the same body that helped you achieve/survive so much in 2015, I invite you to think about what you want to accomplish, achieve and experience in 2016.

Don't be scared, intimidated or fearful.
Don't plan for perfection.

It's your life.

If you want something to happen, start now and make it happen!

In 2016, I hope that you continue to live an amazing life with your amazing body. 

No matter where you are right now, get excited about what the future has in store for you. 

Live Life
© Livelovelaugh 

Life is crazy, 
and totally unpredictable...
It's going to push you over,
kick you while you're down
and hit you when you try to get back up.
Not everything can beat you.
Things are going to change you, 
But you get to choose which ones you let change you.
Listen to your heart,
Follow your dreams,
And let no one tell you what you're capable of.
Push the limits,
Bend the rules,
And enjoy every minute of it.
Laugh at everything,
Live for as long as you can.
Love all,
But trust none.
Believe in yourself,
And never lose faith in others
Settle for nothing but only the best,
And give 110% in everything you do.
Take risks,
Live on the edge,
Yet stay safe,
And cherish every moment of it.
Life is a gift,
Appreciate all the rewards,
And jump on every opportunity.
Not everyone's going to love you
But who needs them anyways.
Challenge everything,
And fight for what you believe.
Back down to nothing,
But give in to the little things in life,
After all, that is what makes you.
Forget the unnecessary, 
But remember everything,
Bring it with you everywhere you go.
Learn something new,
And appreciate criticism.
Hate nothing,
But dislike what you want.
Never forget where you came from,
And always remember where you are going.
Live Life to its fullest,
And have a reason for everything,
Even if it's totally insane.
Find Your purpose in life,
and Live it!


Source: Live Life, Inspirational Poem and 6 Stories 

Feeling off? Common sense eating.

We all have off days.

Just because you are feeling off for a day or two, this is not a reason to make extreme or strict changes in your diet because you hear that _____ diet fixes every potential problem in your body.

But considering the timing of this post in the holiday season, if you have been eating lots of sugary foods for the past two weeks, you probably aren't feeling too good and because you have been feeling off, you will want to change how you are eating in order to feel/look better.

So, what's going to change?
Will you stop eating the cookies, cakes, brownies, pies and other sweets that were heavily consumed around the holidays and go back to your normal "healthy" eating habits OR are you going to seek a more restrictive, extreme and drastic style of eating, eliminating a massive amount of calories and healthy foods, to ensure that you will never feel "off" again and to make-up for all of the holiday overindulging?

As a board certified sport RD, this is a common area for discussion as we have two types of athletes - those who have been feeling off for a long while (not just around the holidays) and are need of a dietary intervention to improve health and performance and then the athletes who experience the occasional "off" day and want to feel better immediately with a quick fix.

The athletes who do not fit into either of these categories probably indulge on occasion, enjoy those treats and then move on. There are no physical or emotional struggles with eating.

In our quick-fix world, one of the main reasons why people start a new diet is to instantly feel better or to kick-start a lifestyle change. This often happens around the holidays as it's very easy to overindulge.

 Perhaps a change is needed in order to improve health if eating has not be healthy for several months (or years) but how many times have you felt "off" (not just around the holidays) and found yourself making a drastic change in the diet like eliminating carbohydrates from a meal, avoiding a certain foods in order to "be good" or cutting back in calories to a specific very low number because you want to feel better immediately?

A concern with the occasional "off" feeling is the rapid changes that athletes make in order to fix the "off" feeling. There is a cycle of good and bad eating where an athlete feels she/he  is eating really good, then eats something "off limit", feels bad/off and then tries to eat even stricter to be good again. This is a vicious cycle and does not have a place in an athlete's life.

There is a big difference between changing your eating style in order to feel better for the rest of your life versus changing your eating to feel better because yesterday you felt off.   

There's nothing wrong with making a dietary change to improve your health or performance but the change should be sustainable, healthy and of course, supportive of your active lifestyle.

Don't assume that by eliminating carbohydrates, skipping meals and snacks, restricting food or following any other dietary advice from extremist nutrition experts is going to make you feel better all the time AND will ensure that you will never have an off day for the rest of your life.

Can we please stop putting candy bars, ice cream, cookies and sugary snacks and cereals together with whole grains, starches, organic milk, lentils, beans and fruits and label all of these as "bad" foods and all must be eliminated to ensure that you never have a bad/off day for the rest of your life.

Come on people - we are smarter than that. Where's the common sense???

Stop giving healthy foods a bad reputation just because they contain carbohydrates.

REAL FOOD.
We all know that's what you should prioritize in the diet.

And we all know what foods are NOT helping our society (and athletes) improve health.
Fast food, added sugars and heavily processed food. 

Let 2016 be the year when you finally start seeing food differently.
Perhaps, with a better relationship with food, you won't feel like you need a drastic change with your eating and body every time you have an off day.

Because, you know what?
 Lean people can still get bloated and have gas.
Athletes on gluten-free diets can still get inflammation.
Athletes on low carb diets can still get injured and struggle with energy during long workouts.
Vegetarians can still get sick.
AND
There are many people who can follow diet plan to a T and still struggle with weight, health and performance.

Why?
Because you are allowed to have off-days and we can't blame everything on the diet.
You should have a typical style of eating that works for your goals.
Your diet should work for you, not against you.
No diet is going to make you feel amazing every day for the rest of your life.
Your body has a lot of work to do in order to keep up with all that you do.
You are allowed an off day every now and then
Give your body the credit it deserves and don't assume that an extreme dietary change is the only way for you to feel better quickly.


(If you do feel like something is off with your body, before trying a drastic diet or restrictive style of eating, consult with your doctor or a sport RD to discuss any symptoms/issues that you are having that may require further testing or a dietary intervention). 

Surprise! A new custom bike paint job

I'd like to give a great big thank you to Karel for designing the perfect paint job on my Trek bike.

This is the same bike that I received soon after I finished the 2013 Ironman World Championship.

 

With this bike, I've made some incredible memories in some pretty cool places, like St. Croix, Austria, Wisconsin, Knoxville and in Kona.

This bike fits me perfectly thanks to Karel knowing my measurements when finding me the right size bike for my 5-foot frame so that I can still ride 700 cc wheels. Plus, I'm lucky that I have Karel to keep dialing in my fit. I also couldn't imagine riding a bike without electronic shifting -what a game changer in cycling technology!

I was always happy with the design of my Trek but after two years of traveling with my bike, the white paint had some chipping and Karel thought it was time to get it painted.

But instead of a touch-up, Karel told me that he wanted to give me a custom paint job on my Trek.

To my choice, I had no say in the new paint design. This was all Karel as he knows what I like (plus, I trust him enough to know that he wouldn't give me a bad design). I knew nothing about what my bike would look like.
All I knew was that I would be without a tri bike from the day we came home from Kona in October until sometime late December. 

I have to admit, I have really enjoyed riding my road bike over the past two months. My skills have improved and with every workout (outside and trainer), I can work on my pedal stroke due to my position on the road bike (versus being aero on the tri bike).
I'll still ride my road bike here and there but it's time to create good muscle memory and now I have even more reason to get on my beautiful tri bike. 

My tri bike is back home and even though she looks too good to ride, it's time to put more miles on this one-of-a-kind, Trimarni Trek bike, designed by Karel. 

A pink bike requires a pink chain!

Although Karel designed the bike, he was not the main person behind the scenes of this surprise.
Jack Kane painted my bike and did an amazing job.
Karel found Jack on the internet (and word of mouth).

Even though I was not part of this surprise, Karel would keep me updated on the progress as Jack was constantly communicating with Karel on how things were going with the paint job. We appreciated the communication.

Karel even sent Jack a Trimarni tri top with my bike frame so that the pink matched perfectly to our kits.
After Karel emailed Jack to see if a custom paint job was possible on my bike, all Karel had to do was ship the bike frame (he used Bike Flights) to Jack and then pay for the paint job (and shipping) when it was ready.

If you have been considering a custom paint job on your bike, we highly recommend using Jack Kane. 

Here are a few more pics from inside Karel's bike shop.
A few days after we received the frame in the box, Karel started building my bike. So that I wouldn't see the bike, he put a post-it note on the garage door (reading "Santa's workshop") letting me know that he was building my bike and I was not allowed to enter. 

Permission to eat

Earlier this week, we received a box of homemade Gingerbread cookies from Karel's dad. We are still waiting for another box from Karel's mom.
Every cookie was handmade, individually designed and then sewed into the paper before being shipped from Znojmo, Czech Republic to Greenville, SC.

With every bite, I yum. I can taste the ginger and just a subtle hint of sweetness from the icing.
After one cookie, I feel great. 

With so many diet fads and "lifestyle" ways of eating, we, as a society, have learned to see food as good or bad. Depending on the latest research study, expert or top media post, it's easy to have a one-sided view on "healthy" food and everything else is given a reason to avoid it. 

I can tell you that these gingerbread cookies would not taste as good in May, or February, as they do in December. Because these cookies are tied to the holidays and for Karel, they bring back a lot of memories. Furthermore, eating one cookie feels great in my belly.
Eating 10 cookies would not feel so good.
Knowing that I have permission to eat cookies any time of the year, cookies do not get a lot of attention in my diet. I don't crave cookies because they have never been off limit in my diet. I just choose not to eat them regularly because they don't have a place in my "typical" diet. I don't save my calories for cookies or make sure I eat less carbs to offset a cookie binge late at night. They are just cookies and I don't crave them. Same with most sweets.

Sure, they taste great and can be mouth-wateringly, addicting but with so much other food to eat to nourish and fuel my diet, there really isn't much of a place for cookies in my diet.
So I treat myself to a cookie or two during the holidays.
And same with any indulgence - on occasion.
With no guilt, anxiety or fear involved.

Cookies around the holidays just taste different because they have a different meaning. Yes, even homemade cookies can be unhealthy as they are packed with sugar but I assure you that nothing bad is going to happen to me if I eat one gingerbread cookie here or there over the holidays. The cookie is savored and enjoyed and it doesn't threaten me in any way.
My tomorrow diet and exercise regime is not affected because of one cookie. 

And yes, I can stop at one cookie because I have not deprived myself of cookies, sugar or sweets for the past week, let alone the last year. After many former years of understanding my biological hunger and learning how to fuel properly as an endurance triathlete, as well as working on my relationship with food and my body, I just see food differently than ever before (and probably different than much of the population - I have to thank my European for a lot of this).
And to the surprise and disbelief of many low-carb proponents, I eat plenty of carbohydrates to fuel my workouts and still don't have sugary cravings. 

If Karel buys pastries, ice cream (aka frozen recovery bars according to Karel), chips or some type of dessert (he has the sweet tooth but because he never deprives himself, he doesn't eat too much in one sitting), it doesn't bother me.
I can be in the house with all of these "sugary" items, eat my normal diet of carbohydrates, fat and protein and be fine with all of those items without the hint of wanting to indulge.
 Added sugar, sweets and treats don't really make up a big part of my diet. After so much real food, there really isn't a lot of room left for added sugar.
When the body is satisfied, it doesn't ask for more.

This relationship with food and style of eating was not created overnight. I assure you of that.
When I work with athletes on nutrition, I always address their relationship with food and the body as this can not be overlooked in athletes.
For me, in an effort to not feel obligated to follow a diet fad, to have an off limit food list or to intentionally try to control blood sugar and cravings through a low carb diet, I felt inclined to understand my body (as an athlete) and create a style of eating that worked for me so that food didn't control my life, but instead enhanced my life.

This took time but seeing how I have lived my life over the past few years, it was so worth it.
(I really do love carbs and I'm so glad I never had to give them up).

Food habituation demonstrates than when a person is allowed to eat a food, the less desirable it becomes. But certainly this can get people in trouble as a formally forbidden food, that is now allowed, can be too good to resist.

If you have an off-limit food list or you have been trying to be "good" by avoiding certain foods and you want to see if you can be good with eating only one cookie, there is a good chance that you will likely overindulge.....if you don't have a good relationship with food. And the added worry that you will overindulge, alongside ineffective eating habits (like restricting calories or carbs, skipping meals/snacks or not controlling blood sugar with protein and fat with meals and snacks), may cause anxiety when you are introduced to a food at home or at a party/event, that you have been previously once avoiding. 

This is no way to live your life.
Food is suppose to enhance your life, not control your life. 

You have to trust yourself around food.
Food should not give you anxiety, fear or stress.

If this speaks loudly to you, the first thing you need to work is having a great relationship with food and your body.  

Especially with the holidays, your day should not revolve around how good you can be with your diet  and exercise routine so that you are "allowed" to eat dessert at your holiday meal.
Or, spending the evening with the thought of how much you need to exercise tomorrow because of the bad food that you ate the night before. 

Whereas many people will claim that they feel no cravings on a restricted diet when carbohydrates are reduced, minimized or avoided all together, you don't have to live your entire life with an off-limit food list.
 I know how many people in our society eat and a typical diet is far from healthy.
You know that too. 

Avoiding carbohydrates is not the answer.
Address the real problem - what kind of carbohydrates were people eating in the first place in a "typical" breakfast, lunch and dinner + snacks diet AND was there enough protein and fat to keep the body satisfied and to control blood sugar? 

The next time you are presented with a dessert, take one bite. Savor the bite, enjoy the bite and be done with it. If you need two more bites, so be it.
Afterward, move on.

Happy Holidays. 

I give you permission to eat carbohydrates.
Just do so in a way that you feel absolutely amazingly great AFTER you finish your meal. 

Minty Chocolate Trail Mix "cookies"

 Dark chocolate packs a great heart-healthy punch and is a great cure for a sweet craving. Although it may taste bitter to many, up to 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate a day (> 60% cacao) can be a great addition to a heart healthy diet.

Whether it is due to the nutrient compound found in chocolate or just the way it makes most people feel inside after taking one bite, chocolate alone has been shown to help improve cardiovascular health (lowering LDL cholesterol and blood pressure), reduce inflammation, control appetite (ex. overeating/excessive snacking), increase insulin sensitivity, reduce blood clot risk by improving blood flow and improve stress and mood. 

Now that's a great list of reasons for you to enjoy dark chocolate! 

Here are a few ways to get creative with chocolate:

*Add 1 tbsp cacao powder to smoothie, oatmeal or pancake/waffle combinations

*Enjoy an individually wrapped or piece of dark chocolate within 30 min after finishing a meal, combined with a few lightly salted nuts (most portions are ~.37-1.5 ounces). 

*Enjoy up to an ounce of dark chocolate with an orange for a snack in the afternoon

*Add a little shaved chocolate to your coffee instead of creamers, sugar sweeteners or whipped cream (you can still splash with milk)

*Add a piece of dark chocolate to stews/chili for a little extra hint of flavor

Remember that dark chocolate does have calories and fat but if you make room for it in your diet, rather than trying to give it up, you may end up having less cravings later in the day (and reducing the risk for overeating) because you feel more satisfied after a meal.
Being satisfied is not just about calories, carbs, protein and fat but also keeping your taste buds happy. 

Karel and I always have a bar of dark chocolate in our refrigerator - always. It is a staple daily food in our diet and a necessary part in us having a healthy relationship with food. 

Minty Chocolate Trail Mix "cookies"

Ingredients:

2 cups (1 bag) semisweet chocolate chips

1 x 6 ounce bag trail mix of your liking (or make your own trail mix, ex. cashews, peanuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds) - lightly chop nuts (or smash with mallet on cutting board, in large baggy to break up into small pieces)

5 Andes Mints (chopped)

Pinch of powder ginger
Salt

3-4 tbsp Unsweetened coconut shreds (optional)
6-8 large pretzels (chopped/broken) (optional)

Parchment paper

Large cookie sheet (be sure there is room in the refrigerator for this to cool for 2 hours)

-For those who don't like to follow ingredient steps, melt chocolate and then combine all ingredients. Spoon onto parchment paper as cookies on cookie sheet and then put into the freezer for 2+ hours.

Steps (for recipe followers)

1. Spray a non stick cookie sheet (large) with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper. 

2. Melt chocolate in a medium-large stainless steel bowl placed over simmering water in a pot (about half pot filled - or melt in microwave in short 30 sec intervals to allow for stirring). 

3. Use heat resistance spatula to stir chocolate together (you may need a towel to hold the stainless steel bowl for it will get hot if touching the pot of water). 

4. As you are stirring the chocolate, add in 5 chopped Andes Mints - you could also use peppermint extract or a candy cane.

5. When chocolate mix is smooth, add the nuts and a pinch (no more than 1/2 tsp) of ginger.
If using pretzels, also add pretzels at this time. Stir until combined.
6. Spread chocolate and nut mix on paper as individual "cookies". 

7. After chocolate cookies are on the paper, sprinkle with a little coconut and a pinch of coarse salt on top. Lightly press down with clean fingers (or fork) so coconut and salt sticks. 

8. Refrigerate for 2+ hours. 

9. Place a small portion into individual baggies and keep refrigerated (or in freezer) for a delicious snack, once a day or keep in a container if using for a (holiday) party. 

(This also makes a delicious holiday gift or dessert at a party - keep refrigerated as long as possible or place plate of chocolate "cookies" over ice to keep cool)

Athletes, please don't diet.

A few things are going to happen in the next few months.

In a few weeks, you will see and hear a lot of people trying to kick-start a new way of "healthy" eating in order to lose weight. People will say they are ready to get "back on track" and may say other things like "I'm going to be so good" "I'm so tired of being fat" "I ate so bad over the holidays" "I need to get beach body ready."
Sometimes, people will talk about making a lifestyle change for a health improvement.

In a few months, I can assure you that most of these people will find it difficult to maintain their "healthy" eating plan if the plan was not realistic, flexible or non-extreme.  But if the plan was extreme and strict, they will likely say "I couldn't follow it any longer," feeling like a failure (crazy how diet plans make you feel like that) and move on to the next diet plan.

But for you, the athlete, you don't need to do anything drastic and you certainly should never ever think like this.
Why?
Because your lifestyle choices keep you healthy. Even if you indulge a bit, eat too much at times or occasional stop for fast food, in general, you probably live a lifestyle that is conducive to health improvements.

But if you think like the normal population and try to diet (restrict food, mega calorie restriction, don't fuel/hydrate properly), as you advanceyour training, your body may not be as healthy as you think.

So let me remind you of one very important thing before you begin to bash your body and seek a quick fix to feel better in your skin.
First off, your body is amazing. Don't forget to thank your body every now and then. You ARE allowed to to experience a change in your body composition throughout the year and you should NOT be going into every workout seeing it as a weight loss intervention.

Secondly, in a few months, you are going to experience an increase in your training intensity and volume as you begin to prepare your body for you upcoming races. Guess what, without even trying, you will be burning more calories than you have been in the last few months and there's a good chance that if you fuel and eat according to your metabolic and health needs, your body will change naturally - without dieting!
In order to experience the performance gains that you aspire to achieve this coming season, it is critical that you stay healthy and not get injured and you can do this with a healthy diet and understanding how to fuel properly before/during/after workouts.

Only consistent quality training will take your fitness to the next level so if your body is not fueled properly, you are not going to sleep or recover well, have the motivation or energy to train, strength to keep good form or energy to tolerate your training load.
And if you aren't fueled well, you will find it hard for your body to respond well to training and get faster, stronger and more powerful (because this is what you really want, right?
I hope you aren't signing up for racing just to try to get lean???)

So in all honesty, any diet plan that you are thinking about following in a few weeks will likely increase the risk for inconsistency in training as you need a very healthy, strong and well-fueled body to tolerate all of your planned training stress.
And you DO NOT need to change your body composition in January (and even if you tried, you probably won't see results for several weeks and this may leave you frustrated, forcing you to make more extreme choices with your eating and working out).

So, if you want a change with your health, body composition, performance or quality of life, why keep doing the same things over and over and over and over again?

If you want a different result, you have to make a long-lasting change.
Respect your sport.
Respect your body.
You are an athlete.
Not an exerciser who needs to diet.

Are you ready to make that change?

No more diet plans.
No more quick fixes.
No more body bashing.
No more just getting by.

Don't you think 2016 is a great year to see what you are truly capable of achieving as an athlete AND stay healthy and strong?

If so, start thinking about how you can make 2016 great for you and your body.

If you don't know where to start with your diet in order to make sure that you are not over/under eating, that you maintain a healthy relationship with food and your body all season long and that you fuel properly to support your training load, consult with a sport RD who can help. 

Meal planning - a non-negotiable for athletes

(Source)

Meal planning is a genius idea. Prepare your meals and snacks on Sunday and you have every meal ready for the entire week. What a time savor! No chopping, shopping, prepping or cooking needed each day to give you so much "free" time to do what you want/need to do and still come home to a healthy meal.

As great as this looks, this wouldn't work for me.

I need a lot of variety in my diet or else my taste buds get bored. 

Plus, my workout routine is constantly changing, with different workouts putting a different stress on my body every day.

And lastly, I love to cook, I work from home, I know how to match my metabolic/health needs with my diet and I have the time to cook every day. 

But that's me. 

What about you? 

When it comes to healthy eating and feeling control over what you put inside your body, planning your meals and snacks is a key to success. 

Anytime you go too long without eating, let your blood sugar drop, work out or feel stressed, there is a good chance that your food choices are not what you should be eating but instead, what you can eat quickly and easily.

There is a huge difference between the two. 

Without a doubt, if your meals were prepared ahead of time and you didn't have to think about what you were going to eat, there is a great chance that you would put the food inside your body that you need and ultimately, you would experience less cravings for the foods that are quick, easy and convenient.

Plus, when the body and brain is depleted, it is a physiological (not willpower) situation that you put yourself in that you will crave sugars and carbs. 

By setting aside some time to prep, cook and prepare meals ahead of time, you save a lot of time and money. Plus, you never have to put yourself into the situation of "what should I eat?" or "I'm too hungry to cook."

Try it out for next week. Plan a few meals and see if this is a game changer for you.
Think about your life, workout routine, energy and biological hunger when planning your meals and snacks.

Don't plan to be "good" or "perfect".
Plan to nourish and to fuel.
(and don't forget to plan for the occasional indulgences too!)

3 super easy appetizers

Getting together with friends and making new friends is so much fun, especially when food is involved.
I love being inspired by new creations, flavors and recipes when I eat outside my home and I saw my past "Girls night, appetizer night" as a great opportunity to yum over new creations. 

I brought cucumber bites (pic above) with fresh sliced tomato and part-skim mozzarella cheese (and a sprinkle of salt) on top. I absolutely love the crunch of cucumber with the savory taste of mozarella. It's been a go-to pre-meal snack for me lately. 

Here are two other appetizers from the evening: 

How cute are these Santa kabobs?? Perfect for kiddos - and adults who love to say "awww" when they eat.
Grapes, banana, strawberries and a marshmallow on top. 

And these apricot, feta cheese and pistachio bites excited my taste buds.
I just love dried apricots and the added crunch of pistachios along with the salty punch of feta was amazing. 

Not pictured was a delicious banana, cinnamon, almond butter, oat and egg baked "cookie". I guess I forgot to take a picture when I was yumming!