Nutrition information overload is destroying your health

To get the most out of life, we must never stop learning. I'm sure you can agree that there's always something to improve on, new skills to adopt and new strategies to successfully navigate through life.

But with so much information available to you on the topic of nutrition, you may find it difficult to fully understand a specific topic or make good decisions.If you are getting overwhelmed by all of the information available about nutrition, health and wellness, you may be better off knowing too little versus knowing too much.

With the help of the internet, podcasts, documentaries, blogs, media and an endless supply of nutrition books, it's very easy to quickly find information - reliable or not. And with so much information to sort through, you may be learning from someone who actively avoids most to all information that contradicts what they believe in - especially if a brand was created from a specific belief system or style of eating/fueling.

If you claim yourself to be an information junkie, you may notice that your favorite blogs, documentaries, articles, podcasts and videos are filtering out the facts and avoiding the information that contradicts what you think you already know, tried or believe. There's a reason why you have your favorite media sources - because this person thinks like you! Or, is it the other way around??

Since great confidence and support can come from conforming to the ideas of other like-minded individuals, this can explain why people lack confidence in healthy eating when food choices could potentially go against what is popular. Confidence in numbers is also why fad diets and trendy foods are so powerful.....ketogenic diet and turmeric anyone?

There is a lot of information about food and nutrition as it relates to healthy eating and fueling and if you try to read it all, you will always feel overwhelmed and confused. Looking for a precise answer for every one of your nutrition/health-related issues probably doesn't exist. As a result, you may find that with your quest to find more answers or reasons behind an issue/belief, your thinking becomes rigid and extreme. Instead of feeling confused, you now feel conflicted with all the information out there, causing great frustration.

If you find yourself spending an excessive amount of time, energy and money on nutrition information and finding yourself conflicted, lost and confused, I encourage you to put a temporary hold on "learning" and start "living." Unplug yourself from the endless amount of information on health, wellness and nutrition and for the first time, in perhaps a very long time, you can be in control over your health by listening to your body, instead of listening to the internet/media.

If you are on a quest as to a better way to eat, fuel or nourish your body, it's important to learn, ask questions and to be open-minded, without only reading information that is within your own beliefs.

There are a lot of strong opinions, fear tactics, science and suggestions on nutrition which can cause anxiety, stress and exhaustion. You'd think with all the information out there you'd be a bulletproof health guru but it's actually the opposite - information overload is potentially destroying your health.

If you feel this strategy of letting go of reading and learning will bring you back to bad habits or will compromise your health, I suggest to avoid using the internet, your friends or a book/documentary/podcast for help and instead, reach out to a professional (Registered Dietitian) for personalized guidance.

Product Review - Stridebox

Stridebox

Location: Bend, OR

Website: Stridebox.com

What is Stridebox (from the website)?

StrideBox is a monthly subscription box to fuel your running adventures. It is a fun and exciting way to discover running products and accessories.

As a subscriber, each month you will receive a curated box of running nutrition, accessories, and essentials to fuel your training sessions, workouts, and races. StrideBox will help you find products to make you perform better. It will provide healthy alternatives to products you already use. The best part is the fun you'll have being surprised at what you'll find. Your favorite running thing could be coming in your next StrideBox.

What’s inside a Stridebox from the website?

Each month, StrideBox will feature a mix of 4-6 established sample and full sized products (nutrition and healthy snacks; body/skin care and hygiene; running gear/accessories; motivation, recipes and more) from brands you know, as well as new and exciting products from smaller companies. Each box is curated to give you a variety of products and flavors to fuel your monthly workouts, training runs, and races.

Cost and Delivery

$19.95 per month ($15 + $4.95 shipping) to the US (US States, APO, and FPO addresses). We also ship to Canada for an additional shipping fee. At this time we do not ship to any other countries. You will be charged for your first box immediately on signup, and then monthly on the 26th for the next month’s box. StrideBox will ship before the 7th of every month.

Subscriptions are on a month to month basis. You can also choose to pay for 3 or 6 months at a time at a discounted price. You continue to get StrideBox until you decide to cancel.

Your special discount code: Trimarni for $5 off monthly, 3 month, and 6 month recurring orders. Offer will expire at the end of February.

Take a look inside Stridebox.....

Time-saving cooking tips

Are you hesitant to try a new recipe because you feel overwhelmed by the cooking process, especially when hungry, exhausted and/or pressed for time?

Although you may find it easy to "make" avocado toast or "cook" a bowl of oatmeal, there may be a huge barrier between wanting to cook and actually making it happen. Cooking requires time, effort and concentration and for many people, cooking isn't worth the time or energy. 

If you have anxiety toward cooking but recognize that cooking will keep your portions and nutrition quality in check, here are a few time-saving tips to make your meals enjoyable and nutritious but far less time-consuming. 

1. Read before you attempt - Recipes can make anyone a great cook but it's important to familiarize yourself with the instructions before even considering to cook/make your recipe. Read recipes to their fullest before starting to ensure you don't skip/overlook any important steps in the cooking process.
    
2. Shop in advance - Grocery shopping is exhausting and can be time-consuming when you have to search the aisles for new ingredients. Many times, grocery shopping right before you cook can sabotage your best efforts to try to eat a healthier diet. Purchase ingredients a few days before you decide to make your recipe. Don't forget your grocery list!
    
3. Prep in advance - Use small bowls or even a muffin tin to help you prep items ahead of time. By measuring and chopping in advance, you not only avoid a possible recipe disaster or identify a missing ingredient but it makes for a smooth cooking process.
    
4. Cook once, plan for leftovers - Make double batches or extra servings of your dishes so that leftovers can be served when you don't have the time or energy to cook. While you are at it, make sure to chop entire vegetables (not just the 1/2 cup that your recipe calls for) and other foods like starches, grains and proteins to use for future meals.
    
5. Easy clean-up - Cleaning up your cooking mess is one of the most dreaded cooking tasks. Simply fill your sink with warm, soapy water and after you finish with dishes, rinse and place into the water. If you plan to use your dishwasher, make sure it's completely empty so that you have room for big items like pots and pans.
    
6. Use a garbage bowl - You don't need anything fancy to toss your scraps in as you cook so that your work space stays clear and doesn't become cluttered. Cooking often requires endless trips to the garbage (or recycling bin) so a garbage bowl can help you stay organized and clean-up as you cook.
    
7. One-pot meals - One-pot (or skillet) meals result in fewer dirty dishes and often allow for lots of leftovers.
    
8. Prep staples in advance - There's a good chance that your diet involves a few staples, like hard-boiled eggs, salad, cooked chicken or tempeh/tofu, roasted potatoes and/or whole grains. Don't overwhelm yourself with making multiple recipes on the weekend if you prefer individually portioned meals. Instead, use Sunday to prep the items that you know you will be eating the following week so that making meals is easy and efficient. One of my best tips is to make sure your meal is "almost" ready when you are most tired, busy, exhausted or hungry. In other words, cook in advance when you know you won't want to (or be able to) cook later on.
    
9. Stock-up on herbs and spices - When trying a new recipe, you may be overwhelmed by the amount of spices and herbs that are required. But proper seasoning can turn a bland dish into something that tastes amazing. Make sure your spice cabinet is filled with a wide array of fresh (not out-dated) spices and herbs.
    
10. Equip yourself with good food storage containers - After all that meal prepping and cooking, you need to easily store all of your items. Although plastic food storage containers are inexpensive and easy to find, many people are choosing glass as a safer, more environmentally friendly way to store food. 

For more healthy eating tips, recipes and workouts, subscribe to our FREE newsletter. 

Why your diet keeps failing you (hint: are you meal planing?)

If you are an athlete, you'd probably agree with me that your biggest nutrition struggle is attempting to eat healthy when you don't have time or energy. While your biggest mistake could be not making healthy eating a priority on your daily to-do list, it can be very difficult to sustain a healthy diet when you are exhausted and overwhelmed with your daily life responsibilities and workout regime.

Here are some of the common reasons why you may be struggling to consistently sustain a healthy diet:

• Cooking for yourself seems like too much work. 
• You don't have time (or energy) to grocery shop.
• You are overwhelmed by so many food choices. 
• Other things in life are more important to you than spending time and energy on healthy eating. 
• You don't plan ahead to have healthy foods available. 
• You go into meals starving. 
• You rely on fast food/restaurants because it's easy. 
• It's too difficult to learn how to make and eat healthy food. 
• It's too overwhelming to follow a recipe. 
• You or your family is picky with food. 
• Your off-limit food list does not allow for variety.
• You are fine eating the same thing over and over again. 
• You don't make time to cook. 
• You always go into a meal starving or exhausted and look for convenience over healthy. 
• You are too busy.
• You don't have a plan for the day. 

Planning your day of eating in advance is the most important component of sustaining a healthy diet. Here are a few reasons why meal prepping is beneficial to your health, fitness and body composition goals:

• Prepping food in advance eliminates the chance of eating on a whim. 
• Planning ahead reduces the risk of overeating and grazing. 
• Meal planning helps you stay accountable. 
• Planning out your meals and snacks ensures that you meet your caloric and nutrient needs. 
• Planning out your meals and snacks ensures that you have energy for your workouts and so that you can optimize recovery. 
• You save money when food is available and avoid splurges or grabbing something quick/fast/sugary because you are starving (or low in energy).
• Meals come together faster when you know what you are eating and the food is mostly/already prepped. 
• You are more likely to make better nutrition choices when you meal prep. 
• You feel better (and less stressed) when your meals are ready when you want to eat. 
• You get back more time in your week/day when you prep in advance. 

While some people are meal prep masters, the process of meal planning can be an overwhelming task when all recipes are selected in advance, all the weekly groceries are purchased and every meal is made in one day only to be stored in containers inside the refrigerator. 

Seeing that athletes love plans, it's no surprise that athletes will often look for a detailed meal plan and precise caloric information to make healthy eating "easy". But without meal planning habits, this plan will be all for nothing. In other words, anytime you deviate from your meal plan, you will feel like you have absolutely no idea how to eat. That's because you haven't learned how to create and plan a healthy diet.

Realizing that most athletes want a diet quick fix, I don't believe in this approach. I want to help athletes change their relationship with food. When I work with an athlete on nutrition, I first address nutrition strategies/habits to ensure that my athlete make the effort to plan balanced meals and snacks before we start focusing on nutrient timing and sport nutrition. While many athletes are looking for something concrete to follow (aka "tell me what to eat"), if you don't have strategies for meal planning, your diet will never work for you. Without a solid foundation of healthy eating and the habits to ensure that you keep up with healthy eating, the body will not respond well to training. How do expect your body to tolerate your training when you add in more intensity and volume to your workout regime but right now, you have no idea how to plan and prepare a balanced meal? You can't out-train a poorly planned diet.

One of the main reasons why your diet keeps failing you is likely because you are doing the same things over and over, hoping for a different result. While you may have the best intentions to eat better, if healthy food is not available or planned appropriately, you will struggle to maintain healthy eating habits when you are tired and busy. Plus if you are currently following a 30-day diet plan, you will have mastered restrictive eating which means come February, you will likely return to your former old bad habits, likely filled with quick, convenient and nutrient-empty meals and snacks.

If you feel incredibly overwhelmed with the "meal planning" process (ex. prepping food/meals in advance), I encourage you to consider how meal planning can change your life as it relates to food.

Right now, I want you to get a piece of paper and write down what you will eat tomorrow for breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks between. Don't make it fancy or complicated. With your best knowledge of "healthy" eating, plan your day of eating and then decide how you will go about making the day of eating happen. By having a plan, you will be more likely to follow through with healthy eating versus thinking about what you should be doing but failing to keep up with your expectations.

No off limit food list, no calorie counting, no extravagant recipes. Simply plan your day before it happens. As a helpful hint, the more restrictions you have in your daily diet, the more difficult it may be to plan a diet that you will actually enjoy and can sustain. I encourage you to not make your diet more complicated than it needs to be. Remember, start small for big results.

Be mindful that last minute changes in your schedule, needing variety in your diet and occasionally not wanting to eat what you planned to cook/eat that day are common reasons why you need to be an active participant in your meal planning process. You have to work at it to figure out what works best for you.  If you enjoy cooking all your meals in advance on Sunday evening and it works for you, go for it. But if not, don't stress - start working on a few small, easy and creative strategies to help follow through with your healthy eating plan. 

Are you waiting for your wake-up call?

I should have kept up with strength training.
I should not have started that race. 
I should have done a better job fueling my workouts.
I should have stayed more committed to my training. 
I should have taken my recovery days seriously.
I should have listened to my coach. 
I should have listened to my body. 
I should not have completed (or started) that workout. 

As a human being, it's perfectly normal to have a few "should have, would have, could have" moments in life. Regretting a decision that you made and wishing that you could go back in time for a different outcome is simply part of living and learning. As an athlete, you are constantly making decisions to help you gain fitness - some decisions work and some decisions, well, you learn from. You can't stretch your abilities from staying within your comfort zone - you have to take some risks.  Although some decisions are just plain silly (ex. testing out a run even though you have been diagnosed with a stress fracture), often times, you simply do the best that you can do, with the knowledge that you have to make the best decision possible at the time, under your unique circumstances. 

As it relates to a wake-up call, this is much different than a "should have" one-time decision.

A wake-up call can be an aha or scary moment that initiates a change in priority, behavior or action. 

As an example, if your diet reflects the typical Western diet of processed food, fast food and overeating, your wake-up call may be extreme damage to your gut health, affecting everything from your immune system and energy levels to your physical and mental health. Your wake-up call gave you a fire in your belly (literally) to make some extreme changes in your diet to improve your gut health through a more real food diet, making an effort to cook more, eat out less and pay attention to everything that goes into your body. Certainly, this is just one of many different examples but I notice that many people don't change eating habits until things become "really bad."

Because wake-up calls occur all the time, here's a good chance that you have been inspired by the person who has had a serious wake-up call. Whether it's diet, illness, lifestyle, career, relationship, traveling abroad - one small (or big) thing can completely change the way that you go about living life....in an instant! Think about it - you live a life of monotony, making the same decisions over and over until suddenly, something major/bad happens which rattles your lifestyle and suddenly, you have the motivation and desire to make a major shift in how you go about living your life. 

Is there something in your life that you think/know you should change?
What's keeping you from making that change?
Is something in your life affecting you in a negative way?
Why aren't you making a change to live a more positive life?

As an example, if your health, body composition, mindset, diet or exercise regime is failing you, don't wait for a the right time or a wake-up call to change the way that you go about your choices. Small, subtle changes can have positive cumulative effects on your quality of life. If your body is giving you a warning signal, don't ignore it. Take charge, make a change, take care of yourself and start living!

While you may look back on your life and wish that you would have done a few things differently (hey, we all make mistakes), don't live a life where you look back and wish you would have made better decisions/choices when you had the chance. 

Weekend training recap - goodbye snow, hello sun!

Well, Mother Nature did her thing and took us by surprise with a few cold, snowy days earlier this week. But the snow was not worth complaining about as it was beautiful while it lasted and come the weekend, we opened our house windows as it was 60+ degrees! 

Since the snow had melted around our area come Friday evening, we were so excited to venture outside for a few hours of road biking on Saturday morning. Since we ride on very quiet country roads, where we see more farm animals than cars, we had to negotiate a few sections where the snow had not yet melted. Karel has the skills to ride thru anything but I didn't take any risks and I got off my bike and walked through the icy sections. Three hours and 35 minutes later, we covered around 4300 feet of elevation gain and finished the workout with a 25 minute/3.2 mile hilly run (Karel ran 35 minutes - 5 miles). In the evening, I did my typical PM run for added running frequency but this time it was a short treadmill run for only 15 minutes just to shake out the legs. 

After a great night of sleep, I had my pre-workout snack of rye bread (note to self - I need to make more waffles!), PB, jam, banana slices and Greek Yogurt, filled up my hydration belt flasks with 1 scoop of Cranberry in one flask and one scoop Strawberry kiwi in the other flask of  Base Hydro (a product that I am testing out right now). After ten minutes of glute/hip exercises, Karel and I headed out for our run workout. 

We had a specific route planned for this run workout as this was a very specific set that requires a specific "course" for proper execution.

After a few miles of our warm-up to get to the "start" of our main set, we were ready for the "money maker" workout (in other words, a quality training session that builds confidence and fitness).

Main Set: 4x's:
1/4 mile flatish loop around a park
2 minute strong uphill run
1 minute fast uphill run
Immediately turn around to run downhill as "fast" as possible
Stop and rest at the bottom for 2 minutes.

Each interval took me around 8.5 minutes and I covered around 1.1 miles (Karel was covering a little more distance than me uphill but we both finished at the same time and started at the same time). The main set took us around 40 minutes and I covered 4.63 miles, which included our rest breaks. The focus of this workout is all about form, posture and effort and not on pace. 

This main set has a lot of components in it which makes it one quality workout. Form focused running, strong uphill running and strong downhill running are all important components to improving run fitness off the bike - in our opinion, much more so than chasing a pace or settling for easy, long slow running.

After the main set, it was time to finish off our "long run" with a few more miles of running on tired legs. Another reason why this is the money maker run is the strength that is gained from the entire run. Even though our legs were tired and shaky after the main set, we quickly changed the focus and ran with good form for another 4.8 miles (or 38 minutes) to get back home. It would have been easy to run a straight route to and from the park (about 2 miles) but as you can see from the picture above, this is a very specific, hill-focused run workout to build resilience and strength for Ironman run training. And because of where we live, there are no shortage of hills that we include in our warm-up and cool down.

I was really happy to do this workout with Karel because he always keeps me stretching my comfort zone and knows how to get the best out of me, even when I am tired. Because of my love-hate relationship with running, I really appreciated his support during this run because it kept me confident for all four intervals. I felt very strong throughout this run and as my 7th run of the week (4 of those runs were each 10-20 minutes, all off the bike), I am thankful for a healthy and strong body.

To finish off the weekend, we had our 75-minute group swim at Furman which is something I look forward to every week. Even though we arrive exhausted at 5pm on Sunday evening, we somehow have our best swims at this swim practice thanks to the group environment and awesome coaching by Kristen. 

Product Review - Amrita Bars and Minis

Amrita Health Foods
Based out of: Pleasantville, NY
Website: Amritahealthfoods.com
Follow on Facebook: AmritaBars
Discount code for Trimarni followers: trimarni (30% off!)

About the Company:

In 2004, at the age of 2, Arshad Bahl’s son was diagnosed with autism and severe GI issues. In order to get their son on track, Arshad and his wife started their son on an aggressive gluten-free and dairy-free nutrition program. The nutritional changes helped heal his gastrointestinal issues, which allowed for better nutrition absorption and made it easier for him to focus on the other therapies. Now, Ayaan is in a regular classroom and doing well academically and socially. Arshad became convinced that plant-based nutrition was the right approach for managing inflammation. The significance of reducing one’s allergen load (such as consumption of gluten, dairy, nuts, soy, oils, preservatives, and chemical-containing non-organic foods) to help the body recover from daily stresses became apparent. Arshad became dedicated to developing snacks free of these damaging ingredients. Arshad realized that using brown rice protein and dried fruits—such as tropical mangoes, pineapples, and Medjool dates—together with a rich blend of raw sunflower seeds and sesame seeds would provide essential proteins and fats without the added allergens from nuts, dairy, and soy. As an added bonus, his kids could also take them as part of their peanut-free school lunches! Amrita “launched” in 2012. To really separate Amrita from other energy bars on the market, Arshad packed each bar full of superfoods, such as chia seeds, maca, unsweetened coconut, with delicious hints of vanilla and Himalayan Pink salt for taste and flavor balance. When making Amrita bars, Arshad ensured ingredients were non-GMO, rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3s, with a good dose of fiber and heaps of easily digestible protein. Most importantly, they had to taste amazing, which was easy to deliver based on having 3 picky kids in the house and all their peers as test kitchens.

Products:

• Amrita Energy Bar 
• Amrita Minis Unwrapped 

Certifications:

• Kosher
• Non-GMO Project Verified
• Fair Trade Certified
• Raw
  

Label Claims: (Varies with Product)

• Gluten-Free
• Dairy-Free
• Soy-Free
• Peanut-Free
• High-Fiber 

Bar Nutrition Facts: 

Pineapple Chia Energy Bar: 

Serving Size: 1 bar
Calories: 195
Total Fat: 7 g
Sodium: 75 mg
Carb: 29 g
Sugars: 11g
Dietary Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 7g
Iron 15% DV

Ingredients: Organic date paste, dried pineapple, cranberries (with apple juice concentrate and sunflower oil), organic sunflower seeds, sunflower seed butter, Organic sesame seeds, tahini, organic chia flower, chia seeds, shredded unsweetened coconut, organic brown rice protein, himalayan pink salt. 

Bar Product Flavors:
High Protein Bars:​

• Chocolate chip coconut
• Chocolate maca
• Sunflower butter & jelly
• Dark chocolate quinoa 

Energy Bars:​ 

• Mango coconut
• Apple cinnamon
• Pineapple chia
• Apricot strawberry
• Cranberry raisin 
• Sunflower Butter & Jelly 

Minis Nutrition Facts:

• Serving Size: 1 mini bar 
• Calories: 57 
• Total Fat: 2g 
• Sodium: 19 mg 
• Total Carb: 8g 
• Sugars: 3g 
• Fiber: 2g 
• Protein: 4g 

Ingredients: Date Paste, brown rice protein, sunflower seed butter, sunflower seed, coconut oil, pea crisps (pea protein isolate, rice flour, rice starch), Chia seeds, dried blueberry, dried strawberry, unsweetened coconut, chicory root, himalayan pink salt

Minis Product Flavors: 

• Chocolate chip coconut
• Dark chocolate quinoa
• Chocolate maca
• Sunflower butter & jelly
• Apricot strawberry
• Apple cinnamon
• Cranberry raisin
• Mango coconut
• Pineapple chia 

Final thoughts:

• Nice soft and chewy texture 
• Not sticky/greasy
• Delicious but not too sweet
• Wide variety of flavors
• Simple, real food ingredient list
• Convenient, healthy snack for on the go/traveling 
• Healthy dessert/sweet treat
• Satisfying
• High protein (plant-based protein) snack bar option

Discount code for Trimarni followers: trimarni (30% off!)

To learn more about our product reviews: click HERE.

Is your weight (too much) on your mind?

A common focus (or struggle) for athletes is losing weight (or changing body composition) while trying to improve fitness.

It may seem effortless for an athlete to lose weight while training for an endurance event because of the extreme energy expenditure experienced on a day-to-day basis but in truth, many athletes struggle to lose weight despite exercising 8-20+ hours a week.

In my opinion, there's no shortage of proper education on how to nourish and fuel the athlete. The problem lies in application. Athletes often fail to properly time nutrition with training and plan out a well balanced diet and thus, there's always a struggle to maximize fitness, health and body composition throughout a training/racing season. In other words, most athletes don't eat enough of the right foods at the right times. I also blame the lack of time, focus and energy that athletes give to the daily diet relative to the time, focus and energy that is given to training. Most athletes fail to create sustainable healthy eating habits because well, nutrition is just not a priority until it really needs to become one.

Like many things in life, healthy eating habits require education but also a lot of trial and error, planning ahead, commitment, organization and flexibility. If you are willing to work for your performance goals, you should also be willing to work on your diet - in a healthy, non-extreme manner. The key word here is "work" - it's not a quick fix or elimination diet but instead, a constant work in progress.

With so much nutritional advice available at your fingertips and ears these days, not to mention a lot of overly confident food gurus, I recommend to not get your nutrition tips from non-credible blogs, forums, podcasts, interviews, magazines and experts. Thanks to social media, anyone can claim to be an 'expert'. Year after year, I see a common trend of athletes trying to adhere of extreme methods of eating and fueling in order to change body composition while trying to train for an athletic event because they read about it somewhere on the internet.

When an athlete has weight (too much) on his/her mind, there's a good chance that an extreme approach will be taken. Restrictive eating has issues; it may cause food obsessions, social isolation, fatigue, weakness, hormonal issues, bone loss, irritability, anxiety, depression, low blood sugar, sleep disturbances and low energy to name a few. Many negative physical and psychological issues develop when weight loss methods are taken to the extreme yet athletes continue to seek a quick fix/extreme approach.

If you are currently abiding by food laws, adhering to a good food/bad food list eliminating whole food groups, avoiding anything with sugar in it, not using sport nutrition to become more fat adapted or considering going keto, ask yourself why you are choosing the extreme approach? Is this style of eating/fueling sustainable for the rest of your life? Your diet does not have to be (and should not be) all or nothing. 

Sadly, there are far too many misinformed athletes and unqualified professionals following and prescribing extreme styles of eating (or not eating) in an effort to help athletes lose weight without considering the health implications of extreme dietary recommendations.

If you feel unhappy with your body shape, size or weight and worry all day about what to or not to eat all in an effort to look differently, remind yourself that when you restrict yourself from food, you don't become a better athlete. Instead, you become weak, tired and withdrawn. Food is your fuel. Food is your medicine.

Seeing that there are safe, responsible and healthy ways to change body composition and many unsafe, irresponsible and unhealthy ways to change body composition, I encourage you to ask yourself the following YES or NO questions to see if your weight is too much on your mind as it relates to your current eating habits? 

• You have drastically cut out a significant amount of calories in an effort to lose weight?
• You have recently cut out specific food groups or macronutrients from your diet?
• You are constantly comparing your current body image to a leaner version of yourself (or another athlete), assuming that if you weighed less, you would be faster/better?
• You are intentionally avoiding consuming calories before and during workouts in order to become fat adapted? 
• You don't want to properly refuel post workout because you want to keep your body in a calorie deficit?
• Your weight loss goal is often a primary motivator to start and finish workouts, no matter how exhausted, tired or fatigued you feel?
• You are finding yourself overeating on the weekends because you "deserve it" yet restricting during the week?
• You find yourself irritable, moody, low in energy and sometimes have difficulty focusing/concentrating?
• You are almost positive that you can't maintain your current style of eating for the rest of your life but you are determined to reach your weight loss goal at any cost?

As you embark on another year/season of exercising/training with weight loss on your mind, remind yourself that you can not maintain good health and optimize your performance with a rigid and restrictive style of eating.  

If you feel you could benefit from a change in body composition/weight for health and/or performance, don't use forums and the internet for advice. Reach out to a Board Certified Sport Dietitian for help. 

Do you need fuel during a sprint triathlon?

When you think of a "sprint" you may imagine feeling out-of-breath with an uncomfortable lactic acid burn, going as hard and fast as possible for a very short period of time (perhaps 10-60 seconds). Although the intensity at which you race a sprint triathlon dictates how much you will suffer, a sprint triathlon is not technically a "short" race when it may take you over 60 minutes to complete the swim/bike/run distance.

I find that many triathletes, especially newbies, assume that a "sprint" triathlon does not require the need for calories or fluids during the race because the race is completed in a quick amount of time. While you can complete the distance sans sport nutrition and you won't fully deplete your glycogen stores enough to sabotage your performance, ingesting carbs during a sprint triathlon may still give you the competitive edge. 

You can learn more about my nutrition/fueling strategies and tips for performing at your best in a sprint distance triathlon in the January/February 2018 issue of Triathlete Magazine, Pg. 47.
Any questions, just send me an email.

And while we are talking about sprint triathlons, I'll share a throwback to my very first sprint triathlon circa 2004......

                                                   

And now today.......still smiling, thanking my body and enjoying the journey.

Garlic Tahini Dressing Recipe

Store-bought salad dressing are convenient and make veggies and salad extra tasty but I'm guessing you've found yourself pouring a bottle of dressing on your salad and thinking to yourself.......

"I should really start making my own salad dressing."

As a health-conscious individual, if salad dressings are part of your day-to-day diet, making your own salad dressing can help you eliminate the unnecessary store-bought salad dressing ingredients like artificial flavorings, preservatives, fats, salts, sugars and flavorings. 

If you must go store bought, don't stress. Just read the ingredients to choose the more "real food" selection. There are actually a lot of great options on the market.

But if you are interested in making your own salad dressing, here's a delicious Garlic Tahini dressing that I recently made for a group dinner last weekend and it was inexpensive, healthy and super tasty. This dressing is perfect for any dish as you can use it as a sandwich dressing or on stir-fry dishes. Enjoy!

Garlic Tahini Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup tahini (stir in advance before measuring)
  (Not sure where to find Tahini at your grocery store? Check the condiments aisle near the ethnic foods or specialty olives.)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about one big lemon)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp honey

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor (I use the Ninja Master Prep Food Processor).
2. Blend until smooth. Makes ~1 cup. 

For the salad, I made a super simple salad to highlight the dressing. My salad included chopped kale, arugula, radishes and shredded carrots, topped with raw sunflower seeds and tangerine slices.

As for the rest of our dinner, our friend Laura made the most amazing Lasagna with her mom's recipe (sans the meat) and it was outstandingly delicious!

For dessert, a homemade Flan (a Colombian recipe prepared by a friend of our dinner host) and four different flavors of layered cakes from the European Market here in Greenville. This Czech-inspired cake was hand-made (not by us) and was so yummy, along with the flan. It was great to hear stories about all of the food that we were yumming over, which for me, is a very special part of eating that I really enjoy.

We made sure to try all the flavors of the Czech cake and all were great! 

I forgot to take a picture of Thomas's famous guacamole dip but let's just say that nothing was left for me to sneak a picture of by the time dinner was served.

2018 Trimarni Training Camps - OPEN FOR REGISTRATION!

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A MEMORABLE, VALUABLE, EDUCATIONAL AND FUN TRAINING EXPERIENCE WITH EXPERT GUIDANCE?
 YOU HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE.

We are extremely passionate about our triathlon training camps. We take great pride in selecting beautiful venues, which are conducive to safe and effective training, while carefully planning every detail of our camp itineraries to make the most out of your entire camp experience.

                               
Our mission is to provide our campers with an unforgettable camp experience, empowering you to stretch your athletic limits while providing you with a great amount of education and skill focus to help you become a better triathlete. When you participate in a Trimarni camp, we will give you our full attention as we want you to learn new training techniques (and break some old bad habits) to ensure that you can train effectively in your home environment, after your time at camp has concluded.

As you travel to a picturesque training location, surrounded by like-minded triathletes, you will leave your stressful and busy life behind you. We want to take care of everything for you so that all you have to do is book your travel and show-up to camp. Your camp investment will give you the unique opportunity to train in a group format (alongside two experienced coaches and SAG support), while getting great sleep, eating well, fueling smart and receiving a lot of motivation and inspiration from your fellow campers.

We look forward to giving you an unforgettable training experience at a Trimarni training camp.
Take a look at our camps to decide which camp will best fit your needs. If you aren't sure, send us an email and let us help.

$1 of your purchase will go directly to The Greenville Humane Society, which is one of the largest no-kill facilities in the Southeast. Thank you for helping us support our local community to create an environment where all animals are treated with compassion and respect.

All Level Triathlon Camp

Date: March 21st-25th, 2018

For: All Fitness Levels

Where: Greenville, SC

REGISTER HERE

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Advanced Endurance Triathlon Camp

Date: August 8th-12th, 2018

For: Advanced Endurance Triathletes

Where: Greenville, SC

REGISTER HERE

Not sure which camp is right for you or general questions about camp? Send us an email. 

Homemade Belgian Waffles

Let's talk about waffles. YUM.

This perfectly portioned restaurant breakfast staple provides just enough nooks and crannies for your favorite sweet or savory toppings and goes great with any protein of your liking. What's not to love about waffles?

Although convenient to purchase in the frozen section of your favorite grocery store, there's an art to making good waffles.

(When I cook, I learn so much about food and it makes me appreciate what I put into my body.)

Did you know that good waffles are not made from pancake batter!?!?

Waffles are not just thick pancakes.
Pancakes are floppy, soft and spongy whereas waffles are crisp on the outside and light on the inside. Waffles contain a bit more sugar and fat compared to pancakes to ensure the perfect consistency on the outside and inside.

Knowing this fact makes me appreciate really good waffles!

Now that I have my own waffle maker, I am enjoying the art of making really good waffles.

I recently made Belgian waffles and I totally impressed myself with the final product. Since the last three pieces of my last batch (frozen after I made them) was finished this morning before our morning workout, I'm excited for another go-around at making the following recipe. Enjoy!

Homemade Belgium Waffles
Campy not included in the final product. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder. 
2. In another bowl, lightly beat egg yolks. Add milk, butter and vanilla. Mix well. 
3. Stir into dry ingredients just until combined. 
4. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (I did this by hand - what a workout!)
5. Fold egg whites into batter. 
6. Bake in a preheated waffle iron for ~2 minutes on each side (my waffle iron does not require non-stick spray or oil). 
7. Makes 4 large waffles (or 16 bite-sized waffles)

EXPLORE new weather conditions

                             

For 2018, I decided I would select a word to help define and guide my year.

I selected EXPLORE. 

I chose explore for many reasons but the original definition of "to travel in or through (an unfamiliar country or area) in order to learn about or familiarize oneself with it)" really spoke to me.

Although Karel and I will be doing a lot of traveling this year and thus, a lot of exploring, I felt like the word "explore" applies to so much more in life. As an example, sometimes it's important to explore our feelings. Feelings are often at the root of why we do and think certain things. Feelings drive our thoughts, behaviors and actions.

Although we are only in the 2nd week of the New Year, I have already explored my previous feelings about cold weather. In the past, I despised training outside in cold conditions. I never complained when it was cold because I knew I would be toasty warm inside on the bike trainer or treadmill. I never tried to train outside because well, it was just "too cold" for my liking. I developed a bad relationship with training in the cold, despite enjoying the change in weather in the winter. But the more I thought about things, I was simply resorting to what was comfortable and familiar to me. This thinking had little to do with my safety or health (with the right clothing, our cold weather is not unsafe for training) but instead, I had this idea of my "ideal" training conditions and anything less than my expectations was not practical and thus, I stayed indoors.

Well, that thinking doesn't work well in life for we will always be disappointed if we try to set a standard as to the best times or conditions to start or do/achieve something.

In further thinking, I recognized how much this mindset was not benefiting me for my upcoming races. Despite having big goals for myself in 2018, I must acknowledge and accept that come one of my five endurance triathlons this year, there's a good chance that I will experience race day conditions that are not ideal.

As part of my race day readiness, I need to explore training in unfamiliar and relative "sub-optimal" training conditions so long as my safety and health is never compromised. Although we can all build fitness and confidence by training in an environment that is comfortable, it's necessary to explore different conditions.

In the past week, I have rode my bike few times in 30-degree temps and have ran in sub 10-degree temps. This is all very new and unfamiliar to me but in keeping with my word of the year, it has been exciting to venture outside and explore how my body performs and how my mind works in different weather conditions.

Although I believe that athletes should primarily train in the environment that provides the best outcome for fitness gains and to keep the body in good health, we must pay attention to any thoughts that may be keeping us from exploring something new due to unfamiliarity. As an example, if you avoid training outside because it's "too cold" or "too wet" what will happen come race day if it's "too cold" or "too wet" for your liking? Will you start with the excuses that you can't race or you assume you will have a bad race or will you use your prior experience to know how to pace, dress and adjust your mindset for the best outcome possible with your given situation?

I really surprised myself over the past week for I never thought that I could train outside in such cold conditions. And it was COLD! But with each workout, I had a new, first time experience and I found it all really exciting, motivating and confidence-building.

Sometimes, when it comes down to it, we are our own worst enemy. We are scared or unwilling to step beyond what is comfortable and as a result, we miss out on many amazing life lessons and opportunities. It's so easy to fall into a routine or habits of doing what we like or doing what we are good at and avoiding what is "no fun". But learning about yourself and growing requires exploring new things in life - much of which may not be fun at the beginning.

With the help of my word of the year "EXPLORE" I have already found myself opening up to more opportunities and experiences. Now don't get me wrong - I would much rather train and race warm, dry and little to no wind conditions instead of cold, rainy and windy conditions but I can't control what will happen on race day. I am exploring new things this year because I want to put myself into situations that are out of my familiar/comfort zone in an effort to learn more about myself and in life in general.

I think it would be a shame to live life without exploring new things. I don't want to be in a rut of the same old routine day after day. I love living life and that includes exploring new weather conditions, food, people, places and experiences.

Life is to be lived and there is so much more to life than living within a space that is familiar and comfortable.

What's your 2018 stretch goal?

Last week I encouraged the athletes on our team to verbalize and commit to a race-day stretch goal for 2018. With a week of unfavorable weather conditions, there was no better time for this activity than on January 1st.

A stretch goal is something that you can’t do right now – thus a stretch is required. By having a stretch goal, you provide yourself with an opportunity to set your focus a little beyond what you are capable of achieving with a bit of work, patience and luck. A stretch goal can energize you to work a little harder than what you would do if you didn’t have that goal (especially in less than ideal conditions). Stretch goals are reachable with effort and time but just because you don't reach them, this doesn't mean that you failed.

We all recognize the importance of having goals but a stretch goal puts a little more healthy pressure into the goal reaching process. A stretch goal can help you change behaviors that are possibly holding you back from reaching your realistic goals. Stretch goals can give you motivation to try something new, embrace change or to step beyond your comfort zone.

Be mindful that it’s ok if you don’t meet your stretch goal. By having a stretch goal, you will be more likely to put in more work than if you don’t have a goal that wasn’t a little bit crazy, scary and a little beyond your reach. By having a stretch goal, you may find that you can achieve more than you thought possible, even if you don’t achieve that stretch goal by a given date.

What’s your race day stretch goal for 2018? 

As you think about your race day stretch goal, create a mental picture of what it will look like, sound like and feel like to achieve your stretch goal. Is it a race time, a placement, a feeling, an action?

What stretch goal will help you get you out of bed in the morning to train and what will keep you motivated and determined to put in the work, even when you are exhausted, the weather is crummy and you have a dozen excuses to keep you from starting your workout?  Make sure your stretch goal is just out of reach but not out of sight.

Here's my stretch goal for 2018:

For Ironman #13 and #14, my stretch goal is to break 10 hours at Ironman Austria (July) and place overall female amateur at IMWI (Sept). For Austria, I am not sure how the times will work out to get me across the finish line with a 9 starting my finishing time (eekk - crazy to think about it!) but I need this big goal in my life to help me take risks, stretch my comfort zone and stay committed to the small things (ex. strength training) and staying present in my training. I can't control what will happen on race day but I want to look back and know that I did what I could to make the stretch goal a reality. For IMWI, I decided to pass on Kona this year so that I could focus on a course that suited my strengths, race with my athletes and leave it all out there on the course for my last triathlon of the 2018 season. Unlike IM Austria, I am only racing the competition and not the clock at IMWI and it's a stretch to see myself winning the amateur female race but I need the challenge so I don't get too complacent and comfortable with my training over the summer.

What’s your race day stretch goal for 2018? 

New to Trimarni.....Sport Nutrition Product Reviews!

At Trimarni, we are big proponents of engineered sport nutrition products designed to be used during training and racing in an effort to provide a precise amount of electrolytes, fluids and carbohydrates on an hourly basis in an effort to support the many metabolic processes that can optimize performance and health. We do not prescribe to any extreme styles of manipulating the diet or fueling/hydration methods in an effort to gain the competitive edge.

Sport nutrition products are designed and marketed for athletes but because of the high sugar and calorie content, sport drinks have received a bad reputation from society. This has caused many athletes to fear or worry the usage of sport nutrition products during training and racing.  Since many sport nutrition products have been termed "unhealthy", there's been a trend for athletes to forgo the use of sport nutrition products and use real food instead, assuming that a more "natural" real food product will be just as effective than the commercial alternative.

In my opinion, sport nutrition products are heavily misused as athletes are not properly educated on the application of the product. And with so many different products on the market, there's no question that product overload has caused great confusion as to what product is best to consume and when. And when your favorite professional or age group athlete writes a race report, telling you what fuel works best for him/her, it's easy to believe that what works for someone else may work for you. Lastly, endurance sports are extreme sports. Consider the practical investment of hiring a sport dietitian to help you better understand how to fuel and nourish your body for your extreme active lifestyle.

But what it really all comes down to is that you can't outfuel a poorly planned diet. Sport nutrition will only work if you work on your daily diet. Fall short on healthy daily nutrition habits and there's a good chance that sport nutrition products will fail to give you a performance benefit and you may end up with GI distress and an unfavorable change in body composition.

I have spent most of my professional nutrition career studying, using and understanding sport nutrition products geared for endurance athletes. Beyond my title as a Board Certified Sport Dietitian, I am athlete who has completed over a dozen half IM events and 12 Ironman events (including 4x IM Kona). I've raced all over the US and internationally and have experienced a lot of success in the sport over the past twelve years. As an athlete, I understand the needs of the athletes - I get you!

Although I am all for prioritizing real food in the daily diet, I recognize the practical benefits of properly formulated sport nutrition products and how to best utilize those products in training and racing as they are effective, safe and convenient when used properly. There's no question that my success in endurance triathlon is heavily linked to understanding how to time nutrition with training and how to use sport nutrition products properly, all in an effort to optimize performance while keeping my body in good health. I don't consider myself a "fast" athlete but thanks to sport nutrition, my body stays healthy and I have trained myself to be great at not slowing down.

With so many sport nutrition products available to athletes, so many products that you may not have ever heard about and so many questions, concerns and application misinterpretations, I took it upon myself to start a new video/blog series to help educate endurance athletes about the various products that are on the market that may work for you. I didn't want to do this alone so I will be joined with my Trimarni assistant and friend Joey Mock, RD who will be helping me give some practical advice and feedback on various sport nutrition products for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

A few things to keep in mind with the product reviews: 

• We are not paid to promote/endorse any product. This video/blog series idea came to mind many times as I was accumulating a lot of sport nutrition products that I have received for free in exchange for an honest review OR because I reached out to the company to try the product out of curiosity (often because a nutrition athlete of mine was using the product or asked me about the product).
   
• Each product blog will provide you with information about the company and product. The video review will give you a visual "taste" test and feedback to help you better understand the look, texture and feel of the product. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter for a sneak peak of the upcoming product review.
  
• I will never review or support a product that I would not use myself in training or racing. I always want to try a product before I recommend it.
  
• Energy drinks are not sport drinks. I do not advocate the use of energy drinks or stimulants.
  
• I look for safe, quality products free of banned substances, chemicals, food dyes and artificial ingredients. The more simple the product, the more I like it.
  
• My focus is on the proper usage of sport nutrition products, specific to foods, bars, gels, powders and chews. I will not review pills.
  
• This product review series is opinion-based from two qualified dietetic, licensed professionals. Our views do not reflect the thoughts/feedback of the company and in no way are we trying to misuse a product or misrepresent a company for our own benefit. 

• All content is intended for general educational purposes only. Please use products at your own risk. The content provided is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Any products that you choose to try, you are choosing at your own risk and we are not liable for any losses or damages arising from your decision to try products reviewed on this blog. 

We hope you enjoy this introduction video and as always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to send an email. 

If you are a company interested in having us review your product, contact me on my website contact page. 

My 2018 Food Trend Predictions

As a Board Certified Sport Dietitian and coach, I enjoy following food trends to see what my athletes are going to be asking me about throughout the year. Back in 2015, I wrote an article for Ironman.com featuring my eight food trends to watch out for and I think I did pretty well with my predictions. 

Kale, cauliflower rice, avocado toast, chia seed pudding, coconut oil, grain and gluten-free diets, and nut butters are among the many trend-worthy foods of the past that continue to appear on restaurant and fast food menus and in processed snacks and desserts. 

Food trends are widespread and contagious. Even if you hate kale, you learn to appreciate the dirt-like, bitter taste because you gravitate to what’s popular in an effort to fit in. In the health, fitness, and even endurance sub-cultures, our choices are often based more on popularity than on taste. 
Although it’s difficult to forecast the future, I made another attempt with my food trend predictions for 2018 in my latest Ironman.com article. Only time will tell if I predicted correctly or not!

5 Healthy Eating Trends 

Helping someone with an eating disorder

For many people, the New Year welcomes a great opportunity for change as it relates to health, wellness and diet. But among all of the chatter regarding weight loss, diet plans and fitness, at least 30 million people of all ages and genders are suffering from eating disorders in the US. Every 62 minutes, at least one person dies as a direct result from an eating disorder and eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

For any individual who is currently struggling with an eating disorder, it can be very difficult to wake up on January 1st and simply stop the behaviors associated with a mental health condition. Beyond acceptance of a problem, seeking the appropriate care can be difficult. Denial, shame, misconceptions, money/insurance, stigma and fear can prevent someone from getting the necessary help/treatment needed.

If you know someone who may have an eating disorder, it can be very difficult to watch/see that person damage his/her health. Eating disorders are very complicated and often include negative, self-critical thoughts and feelings that fuel behaviors related to food, weight and body image. When an individual has an eating disorder, food is not seen as fuel or nourishment but it's used to deal with uncomfortable and painful emotions and thoughts.

At the beginning of the New Year with so many diet plans and health-seeking individuals, it can be very difficult to tell the difference between someone who has an eating disorder and someone who is dieting in an effort to lose weight or to improve health. There are a few warning signs to look out for and as the disorder progresses, the disorder is easier to identify in some individuals:

Restriction/dieting

• Avoiding entire categories of food (ex. fat, carbs) or only eating low-calorie foods in small/tiny portions
• Obsessively counting calories, reading labels and weighing food
• Developing restrictive food rituals 
• Taking diet pills and stimulants
• Making excuses to avoid meals or situations that involve food

Bingeing

• Unexplained disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time
• Hoarding and hiding stashes of high calorie foods
• Secrecy and isolation
• Empty food packages and wrappers

Purging

• Disappearing soon after a meal, making frequent trips to the bathroom
• Showering, bathing or running water after eating to hide the sound of purging
• Using excessive amounts of mouthwash, breath mints or perfume to disguise the smell of vomiting 
• Taking laxatives, diuretics or enemas
• Periods of fasting or compulsive exercise after eating
• Complaining of sore throat, upset stomach, diarrhea or constipation
• Discolored teeth
• Swollen cheeks

Disordered body image

• Extreme preoccupation with weight or body
• Significant weight loss, rapid weight gain, constantly fluctuating weight
• Frequent comments about feeling fat or overweight
• Fear of gaining weight
• Wearing baggy clothes or multiple layers in an attempt to hide weight

Orthorexia

• Obsessive concern over the relationship between food and health
• Increasing avoidance of foods because of food allergies without medical advice
• Drastic reduction in foods/food groups
• Irrational concerns over food preparation techniques
• Strict rules and beliefs about food 
• Anxiety, depression, mood swings and panic attacks relating to food
• Feeling guilt when deviating from strict diet guidelines 
• Feelings of satisfaction, esteem or fulfillment from eating healthy 
• Increase amount of time spent thinking about food 

If you are concerned about a friend or family member who may have an eating disorder, it's important to not let your worries of saying the wrong thing stop you from voicing your concerns.

Here are a few tips for talking to someone about an eating disorder:

1. Don't lecture or criticize. Instead, discuss specific situations and behaviors that you have noticed and why you are worried. You are not there to offer solutions or to counsel but to express your concerns about his/her health, how much you care about him/her and your desire to help.
2. Be prepared for denial, resistance and anger. Remain calm, patient, supportive and respectful.
3. Don't force someone into treatment. The decision to change must come from within. Make it clear that you care and that you will be available as a listener and for help.
4. Avoid commenting on appearance, body and weight. This includes in person and on social media, which can make it tough to truly know if a person is struggling behind the happy-looking social media posts. For someone who is overly focused on his/her body, he/she may be looking for body image approval with a strong drive for acceptance or may be twisting positive comments into negative thoughts about body and weight. 
5. Don't shame, blame or give simple solutions like "just eat". Eating disorders are complex problems and the right treatment depends on specific symptoms and issues and the severity of the disorder. Treatment with a team of professionals, who specializes in eating disorders, will address, diagnosis and treat the physical and the psychological aspects of the problem.
6. Eating disorders don't have a look. An eating disorder is a mental illness and you can not determine a person's level of suffering based on appearance or weight. The individual is not choosing to behave a certain way but every individual deserves treatment and help.
7. Stop the fat talk, diet advice and food talk. For a person who has an eating disorder, they likely already spend a large amount of time thinking about food and body image. Engage in more meaningful conversations beyond food and weight.
8. Educate yourself about eating disorders so you have a basic understanding of the physical, emotional and psychological effects. Be knowledgeable about resources and sources for help. Encourage your friend/family member to call the free NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. Mon-Thurs 9am-9pm EST and Friday 9am-5pm EST.
9. Set limits for yourself and decide what you are and are not willing to do for this person. You can only do so much. Be sure to take care of yourself throughout the process.
10. The recovery from an eating disorder is a long-term, strenuous, exhausting process, lasting months if not years. While the road to recovery is not an easy one, it's the path worth traveling as it will improve health and quality of life and will finally put an end to the suffering that was keeping someone from living a quality life. 

Your 2017 in Review & 2018 Looking Ahead

The end of the year signifies the turn of a page in yet another chapter of your life story. There could not be a better time than right now to take the time to reflect on the last 365 days. Whether you choose to reflect on your life through the lens of being an athlete or as a leader, parent, friend, employer or because you want change in your career or personal life, reflection fosters self-awareness and change may help you achieve greatness in 2018.

Take some time to reflect on 2017 as you answer the following questions: 

1. What events/moments went on your highlight reel?
   Your brain will most likely remember more of the negatives than the positives. Acknowledge what went well, the goals that you achieved and the events/experiences that made you feel good.  
    
2. Acknowledge your biggest fans and supporters 
   Considering all that you have been through over the past year, who played an important role in your life? Express gratitude to those who made a difference in your life. 
    
3. How did you grow this past year? 
   You are on a never-ending quest of self-improvement - always working toward a better version of yourself. Personal growth is the foundation of spiritual, emotion, physical and intellectual health and is an important component in success and happiness. 
    
4. What's not working? 
   Without judgement or self-criticism, take an honest look back to recognize what needs to change in your life. Be true with yourself to reveal what's no longer working so that you can live a more meaningful, happy and successful life. 
    
5. Theme/name of last year: 
   2017 was the year of ___________. 

Now that you reflected on last year, let's look ahead to 2018. 

1. What kind of person do you want to be? 
   You carry a lot of titles in your life - athlete, friend, parent, spouse, employee, boss. To be a better person, get specific on how you will do a better job of "showing up" for your roles in life. 
    
2. What are your goals? 
   What are your goals, possibilities, intentions? Write down all of your thoughts and make sure they are specific and realistic. Next, how will you stay committed? Make sure you have a good action plan. 
    
3. What's your mantra/motto for 2018? 
   This is powerful. If you want something in life, you must attach the positive actions and intentions that will help you succeed. It's too easy to find the negative in life, especially when life isn't going as planned. If you are stuck choosing a mantra for yourself, consider what you need or want out of life in 2018. Words that may come to mind may include: Love, brave, hope, endurance, strength, resilience, present, calm, peace, guidance, happiness, empowerment, kindness, health, joy, freedom, flexibility, commitment, respect, encouragement, confidence, faith, wisdom, clarity, knowledge. 

2018 Trimarni kits - ORDER NOW!

We are so excited that the time has finally come to open our store with our 2018 Trimarni team kits. 

We had so much positive feedback from our kit design in 2017 that we decided to keep with a similar design and to only slightly change the background of the kits for a slightly new and fresh look. And with much request, we will now offer my 2017 pink kit design to the ladies.

We are once again working with Canari Cycling for the 6th year in a row as we have been so pleased with their continued dedication to providing our team with quality, affordable and functional custom gear, never overlooking any detail. 

For the females, you can choose between the black/grey kit or pink kit.

For the males, you have the black/grey kit as your only option.

If you are interested in ordering, our kit store will only be open for two weeks (the store will close on January 12th, 2018). Don't miss this limited time to get your Trimarni kit for training/racing in your 2018 season.

The following kit options are available for purchase: 

 Short sleeve tri suit (featured in picture above)
 Short sleeve tri top
 Sleeveless tri top
 Long sleeve jersey
 Cycling jersey
 Cycling shorts
 Tri shorts
 Bib shorts

We will also have new Trimarni BOCO gear hats, visors and for the first time, headbands - which can be purchased anytime of the year.

As always, thank you for your continued support and we can't wait for you to sport your Trimarni gear in 2018!

ORDER HERE

If you have any questions regarding sizing, just send us an email with your gender, height and weight and we can give you our suggestions. From our experience, the kits run true to size. 

Here are some kit pics of our amazing athletes in action....

ORDER HERE

Choose Anti-Diet in 2018

You've probably noticed the sudden increase of ads and commercials promoting certain diet products and plans to help you lose weight and get healthy in 2018. As a dietitian who specializes in endurance sports, I carefully equip and brace myself for the bombardment of diet/nutrition/wellness information as the diet industry does an exceptional job to guilt you into a style of eating that claims to change your life and help you finally reach your weight loss goals or improve your health. But let's get real....in about 18-30 days, most people have wasted a few weeks of life, all to eventually return back to old lifestlye habits.

I'm always amazed with the attention that people place on "healthy eating," making it so complicated and extreme. If you are confused as to the "best" way to eat, there's a good chance that you are searching for the best way to get back on track with healthy eating after all of the holiday indulging.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with healthy eating and I 100% encourage and support nourishing your body with a wide range of vitamins and minerals in an effort to reduce risk for disease, optimize health and to keep the body at a healthy body composition. 

But as it relates to the methods for healthy eating, there's no one "best" approach. Sure, there's a lot of comfort and security in joining a dietary movement (ex. Paleo, whole-30, detox, vegan) especially if you find it terrifying to make nutrition decisions on your own. And with so much food freedom and uncertainty, there's great safety when you have to conform to rules and have an army of other like-minded dietary members to support and to encourage you when you feel weak and vulnerable. 

Sure, you want to get rid of your sugar cravings and eat more real food and perhaps lose some weight and improve your fitness but for many people (especially those who naturally live with an obsessive and additive personality), you may find it easy to overdo things when it comes to changing your diet, wanting to be perfect with your diet and trying to control everything in your environment in an effort to eat healthy and to lose weight.

Healthy eating does not and should not be all or nothing. It should not be extreme. Your diet should never bring you anxiety, fear or guilt. And certainly, healthy eating should not destroy your health and quality of life.

It's easy to get sucked into the beauty of food pictures on the internet alongside perfectly sculpted bodies, posing half naked after a sweaty workout, all in an effort to make you believe that the person behind those pictures (or blog post) is healthy and you should eat like so-and-so.

We must remember that every person is on his/her own individual quest to become healthier and the chapters of your life book do not have to look like the perfectly edited chapters of the book of someone else. Although similar methods and ideologies may work for the masses, like eat more real food and cook more at home, ultimately, you are on your own nutrition journey and you don't need a rule book or off limit food list in an effort to succeed. 

Consider this...

To one person, healthy eating may include making homemade almond milk, purchasing eggs and meat from a local farmer and picking produce from the at-home garden.

To another person, healthy eating may include not skipping breakfast, eating a serving or two of vegetables each day and learning how to cook a whole grain, like quinoa or barley....for the very first time.

And then there are individuals who are seeking a healthier diet by learning how to not stress/emotional eat, trying to reduce binge eating and working through strong and destructive thoughts about food and the body. 

Perhaps healthy eating means making changes in your diet so that cancer doesn't return for a second time. Or, maybe healthy eating means finally admitting that you have been struggling with disordered eating or an eating disorder and after so many years trying to control your weight, health or performance, you want to get help so you can start living your life by not feeling controlled by food.

Healthy eating is different for everyone. Living a healthy life should not require you to do anything extreme. If you are considering taking an extreme dietary approach to kick start the New Year, I strongly encourage you to not waste your time, money and energy following an eating plan that is targeted to the masses.

In 2018, I encourage you to pledge NO DIETING.

It's important to eat healthy but not at the cost of your health and quality of life. Yes, you will need to make changes in your lifestyle and you may feel overwhelmed. But change doesn't have to be extreme. I strongly advise to skip the diet plan or 30-day challenge and start focusing on creating new habits in your life, one small change at a time.

If you choose anti-diet in 2018, here are some tips to help you kick-start your new healthy eating strategies in the New Year: 

1. Create a realistic plan for the day, before it happens. What will you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and for snacks? Don't get too ambitious as small changes make for long lasting results. When you have a plan for yourself, you will find it easier follow through and reflect on what went well and what didn't go as planned (and why).
   
2. Don't bring a diet mentality (or off limit food list) to your New Year eating strategies. Allow for flexibility and avoid making food choices with an all-or-nothing approach. Use your best knowledge to make educated food choices as to the most practical food swaps to help you move toward a more real food, balanced diet.
   
3. Make the time, don't hope for the time. Reorganize your life and dedicate 30 minutes a day to food prep/cooking. The more food that you have prepped, cooked and readily available, the easier it is to follow through with your healthy eating plan.
   
4. Take a social media break. If you follow a lot of health-related blogs/twitter/instagram/facebook accounts, you may need a social media detox from the people/sites that are making you feel depressed or not good enough. Remember, people selectively post what they want others to see so as you begin your new journey, it may work against you to click on a site for inspiration, only to feel like you can't keep up with the successes of others. Plus, social media take time out of your day when you could be spending that time on yourself.
   
5. Don't make eating complicated, time consuming or difficult.  Sure, at the beginning of any journey, change is tough and you will have questions but eventually, you should find that your diet easily fits into your life because it supports your life and doesn't control your life. A sustainable healthy diet shouldn't require an excessive amount of energy, thought and meticulous planning.
   
6. People thrive off rules because with rules, you eliminate options and choices. A healthy diet should not require iron-willpower or an off-limit food list.
   
7. Be kind to your body. If body composition modification is a desired goal to enhance performance or to improve health, the methods should not be strict 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 or performance-enhancing supplements. A health-conscious person cares about his/her body. Your diet shouldn't give you anxiety and your body image shouldn't make you feel frustrated or upset.
   
   Feel free to share and pass along in an effort to encourage others to not diet in 2018.