Interesting.
When our society has something like the Olympics to direct our attention to, all we hear about are inspiring stories, motivational performances and exciting moments in history. Although many people may be sitting more than normal (or being a little less productive at work and at home), there is no better time than now than to feel the itch to become something greater than you ever thought was possible.
Did I mention, I LOVE the Olympics? I love bodies in motion!
The interesting part is that there are hardly any commercials on food products, fast food or diets, aside from the notable sponsors like chobani, Coca-cola and subway (and a few alcohol ads which seem to be popping up the most). Right now the media is all about showing commercials involving the many Team USA athletes, who are inspiring spokespersons.
The IOC tell us on their website that they aim “to control sponsorship programs to ensure that partnerships are compatible with the Olympic ideals”.
But here's the catch - with all the TV watching that our society is doing, perhaps we have a little moment in time where the media is not driving our attention to fast foods or grocery store aisles but rather, to be inspired to set goals and to eat for fuel. Althoug there may be food ads on TV during the Olymics, it is a far difference from what we are use to.
Sadly, this will eventually end and social media, the news and every channel on TV will go back to promoting products, diet foods, diet pills, ground-breaking research, good food/bad food and anything and everything to turn around a profit and to help people "get healthy"...and confuse the consumers.
"Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals. These are all lessons in life."
-- Kristi Yamaguchi, gold medalist in figure skating in 1992
Would it be great if your reason to get out of bed everyday was to become better, smarter and stronger than yesterday? Do you go to bed excited to see what tomorrow will bring? Perhaps, consider spending a bit more time and energy on the "media" that will enhance your lifestyle, rather than the media that often does nothing more than to confuse and overwhelm you, with info as to how you should be living your life.
Let the inspiration continue....
Registered Dietitian.....M.S. in Exercise Physiology...Vegetarian...Writer...Speaker...5x Ironman finisher.....2011-2012 Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year...Doggy-mommy...Wife to an amazing Czech cyclist turned triathlete...2x Ironman World Championship finisher...USAT level-1 coach...Oakley women, Brooks Running ID, 110% Play Harder and Hammer Nutrition Brand Ambassador.
7/31/12
Eating "naturally" - it's not a diet fad
NATURAL
You read it on a box of food and you hear people telling you to eat "naturally" but in terms of this blog post:
Natural - listen and trust your body.
In looking at the performances of the Olympic athletes, it not hard to overlook the machine that powers great performances. Not sure about you, but I see strength. I don't see skinny.
This is something that I strive for in my eating style and that I challenge my athletes (both coaching and nutrition) to consider when changing dietary habits. It's not about restriction or the freedom to eat whatever you want but rather, having a "prescription" as to how you eat, what you eat and why you eat....in a non-obessive, non-restrictive and balanced way. It's not about eating without limits or eating in a strict manner - it's all about prioritizing the nutrition around workouts (I call that "sport nutrition") and knowing what will make you feel energized and satisfied throughout the day, all to enhance overall health.
Allowing yourself the freedom to eat whatever you want may seem overwhelming as if you will overindulge and not reach diet, body, health or performance goals. But, when the focus is off a number on a scale and rather on your body in motion and how it performs throughout the day, there is an endless amount of freedom as to how you will see your diet and what foods will help you feel alive and well.
Life isn't about depriving yourself of food that can enhance your lifestyle. Don't let your diet or food control you.
As you think about the food in your diet and how it makes you feel as you are eating it, consider the nutrients that will allow you to have great performances as you are training/exercising.
An appropriate quote for this yummy creation.....
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” - Albert Einstein
You read it on a box of food and you hear people telling you to eat "naturally" but in terms of this blog post:
Natural - listen and trust your body.
In looking at the performances of the Olympic athletes, it not hard to overlook the machine that powers great performances. Not sure about you, but I see strength. I don't see skinny.
This is something that I strive for in my eating style and that I challenge my athletes (both coaching and nutrition) to consider when changing dietary habits. It's not about restriction or the freedom to eat whatever you want but rather, having a "prescription" as to how you eat, what you eat and why you eat....in a non-obessive, non-restrictive and balanced way. It's not about eating without limits or eating in a strict manner - it's all about prioritizing the nutrition around workouts (I call that "sport nutrition") and knowing what will make you feel energized and satisfied throughout the day, all to enhance overall health.
Allowing yourself the freedom to eat whatever you want may seem overwhelming as if you will overindulge and not reach diet, body, health or performance goals. But, when the focus is off a number on a scale and rather on your body in motion and how it performs throughout the day, there is an endless amount of freedom as to how you will see your diet and what foods will help you feel alive and well.
Life isn't about depriving yourself of food that can enhance your lifestyle. Don't let your diet or food control you.
As you think about the food in your diet and how it makes you feel as you are eating it, consider the nutrients that will allow you to have great performances as you are training/exercising.
An appropriate quote for this yummy creation.....
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” - Albert Einstein
This bowl of yumminess left me so satisfied...it was one of the best meals to enjoy as we watched the olympics last night. Super simple as well...
Buy one get one free - 2 bags of frozen veggies
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 container tofu (extra firm)
Seasonings - curry, parsley, marjoram, cumin, pepper
Asiago cheese
Bagel chips (from Bagel World - love these! 1 bag of "old" bagels, made into chips for just a few bucks!)
Olive oil
1. In large deep pot, cover bottom with just a little water and empty bags of veggies into pot.
2. Cook on medium heat (slighty under), covered until veggies are steamed.
3. Microwave beans for 1 minute, until slightly warm.
4. When veggies begin to soften, break tofu into large cubes with your hands and stir gently into veggies.
5. After around 10-12 minutes or when veggies ae cooked, add seasonings. Recommend to keep water in pot for tofu to soak up the nutrients lost in the steaming process.
6. Add seasonings and stir. Leave covered for a few minutes as you are getting your bowl ready.
7. Spoon a serving of beans in your bowl, then add veggie mixture. Combine with a few bagel chips (or you can use whole grain crackers) and a cheese that will make your taste buds happy.
8. Drizzle with olive oil to help absorb the vitamins in the veggie mixture.
Optional - top with seeds. I had some pumpkin seeds (not pictured) that I added at the end.
7/29/12
Smart with leftovers and frozen veggies
In case you missed my latest article from LAVA online, I hope you enjoy this article on Zinc and the yummy amaranth custard that I created to help boost your immune system (and recover from training).
Since I will be at the hospital all day on Monday, I thought I'd leave you with a few good reads that I have discovered via the facebook:
Chariots of fries - McDonald's and the Olympics
The other day I had an athlete email me for suggestions on quick meals to eat on the go.
Stop there, I thought to myself.
As busy, active individuals, we often try to make our diet work for our lifestyle. But if you think about it, without proper intake of food and water, we would not be able to function very well in life.
Often a disconnect as to how individuals view the diet. Perhaps, instead, we should address the priorities in life and why we feel it is necessary to eat in the car, skip meals, eat at the computer screen, have snacks from a vending machine, eat bars and drink bottles of calories for meals and sit in a line to order a meal through a window.
I understand that we are all busy but to allow yourself 30 minutes at minimum to eat, is something that should be prioritized in your daily life, 3 times a day. For rewarding yourself with enough time to savour your meal, will not only help you with your nutrition journey but you will also find yourself tasting your food rather than just swallowing it - in a hurry to get to the next task/place on hand.
The other day I made a quick stir-fry, thanks to leftovers and some frozen veggies.
In a large skillet, I cooked a bag of mixed frozen veggies, bag of peppers and onions and bag of mushrooms, in a little olive oil.
I had a bag of kale that I used to toss into my stir-fry for some deep color and flavor and like usual, I spiced things up with lots of herbs and spices for antioxidants.
For my protein, I scrambled some eggs. Super simple or you can tofu, beans, legumes or tempeh.
I always try to keep whole grains (cooked) in the 'fridge so this time I had millet which has a plain taste but is delicious in a stir-fry.
To add some flavor, I spooned a little tomato soup in the stir-fry- Karel made soup the other night and had a little left which was just calling my name in a stir-fry.
As usual - I love cheese for the flavor so I topped with some bold asiago cheese (not pictured) and drizzled with olive oil.
Enjoy!
7/28/12
Hardest swim workouts of my life + gymnast spotlight
This past week welcomed a flood of memories as I was staying in the same hotel as a large group of Swimmers for long course nationals. Oh the memories......
Crushing on the boys in speedos
Decorating posters for hotel door rooms
Smelling like chlorine for days and days
Eating, sleeping and swimming....several times throughout the day
And just loving the sport of swimming
From around 11 years of age until my Senior year of college at Transylvania University (2004), I swam competitively. Despite 11 years of competitive swimming, 8 years later I have been getting in the water 2-3 days a week (although, much less yardage) for my triathlon lifestyle.
What's so neat about triathlons is that it welcomes a new crowd to competitive sports. Perhaps individuals who did not do sports in HS or College or consider themselves "active" for much of their adult years. I know individuals who are in their 50's and starting to learn the skills of triathlon training and then there are those less than 10 years of age, getting into the sport. For someone like me, the cycling portion was my "unknown" as it has been a work in progress but a fun one. Watching Karel progress with his swimming has been a lot of fun because I know we all have work to do when it comes to competitive sports. But what's great about tri's is that most people can consider the thought to train for a multisport event - even with little or no background in competitive sports.
For Karel and myself, we both grew up as athletes. From an early age, like many people, sports were part of our daily routine. It's easy for me to make time for training or exercise because there were very few times in my life, when I didn't "train" for something.
My parents were never forceful with my brother and me and our sports of choice. My brother was a gymnast and I was always a swimmer (although I tried other sports like track and volleyball but I was never good-enough for the coaches). Swimming was always something that I loved and I looked forward to it every single day. My parents encouraged my brother and me to do what we love and they provided us with countless opportunities to succeed in our sports. Ask any parent of a swimmer and certainly, the early morning wake-ups make for tired parents (funny - I still love to work out early!) but they never complain.
As for my brother, he excelled with gymnastics. A full scholarship to University of Michigan and one of his highest honors - Aaron was the Big Ten Champion on the High Bar in 2007. Aaron trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado several times but after his senior year, his body had enough and he was ready for a "normal" life. Aaron's winning routine - with lots of difficult moves.
With so many thoughts coming back to me from my childhood - growing up with a very active family who encouraged my brother and myself to reach both academic and athletic dreams, it occured to me rather quickly that despite the hard workouts, the tiring days of balancing school and sports, the aches and pains that come with athletic sports (boy, I wish I knew then what I knew now! But glad I'm a coach now so I can be smarter with training and racing thanks to a full academic career in exercise physiology) and most of all, the isolation from "normal" kids/teenagers/college students who have a bit more "free time" - I would not have traded it all for the world. For what I remember on top of those more painful moments, are lots of great memories of being around great people who supported me and my brother in our sports of choice. The excitement of cheering for others has not left me nor has the enjoyment of using my body and seeing what I am made of.
Although I can remember a few extremely challenging workouts, the thing that kept me returning to swimming - year after year - was the fun of working toward a goal.
So often, triathletes and runners get overwhelmed with a goal (or a goal that is not well-defined) and it is easy to get wrapped up in the training. For I remember that with the pool time, came strength training, core work, physical therapy, massages, lots of food, off season training, skill work and most of all - being specific with my distance/strokes (100 breast, 200 IM, 200 butterfly).
I encourage everyone to focus less on the miles and rather, what you are doing within those miles. Next thing, address what you can do when you aren't "training" to become a faster, stronger, more powerful and more balanced athlete.
My most memorable swim workouts:
8 x 400's IM (fly, back, breast, free by 100) - can't remember the cycle, but it hurt!
8 x 200's butterfly - did this one a lot since I was a butterflier. Couldn't lift my arms after this practice.
4000 reverse IM - Free, breast, back, fly. This never ended!!!
8 x 50's no breath (off the block) - no cycle and you had 1 hour to complete 8 of them. If you took a breath, you had to repeat it until you finished 8 of them (I don't recommend this for anyone).
15 x 100's - I remember this one as we did it a lot on Saturday morning's when I was in high school. If you missed a cycle (I'm thinking my cycle was 1:10 or 1:15), you had to start over at the beginning! One time I remember I had to start over :(
8 x 100's fly off the block - all had to be under 1:10. 7 minutes rest in between. This one BURNED!
4000-5000 kick - I remember in college we would do an entire workout with kick sets!
And of course, the new year day swim practices. Back then - 95 x 50's, 96 x 50's, 98 x 50's, etc.
My arms, back and lungs are hurting just thinking about this! But I still love swimming and will always love swimming.
Crushing on the boys in speedos
Decorating posters for hotel door rooms
Smelling like chlorine for days and days
Eating, sleeping and swimming....several times throughout the day
And just loving the sport of swimming
From around 11 years of age until my Senior year of college at Transylvania University (2004), I swam competitively. Despite 11 years of competitive swimming, 8 years later I have been getting in the water 2-3 days a week (although, much less yardage) for my triathlon lifestyle.
What's so neat about triathlons is that it welcomes a new crowd to competitive sports. Perhaps individuals who did not do sports in HS or College or consider themselves "active" for much of their adult years. I know individuals who are in their 50's and starting to learn the skills of triathlon training and then there are those less than 10 years of age, getting into the sport. For someone like me, the cycling portion was my "unknown" as it has been a work in progress but a fun one. Watching Karel progress with his swimming has been a lot of fun because I know we all have work to do when it comes to competitive sports. But what's great about tri's is that most people can consider the thought to train for a multisport event - even with little or no background in competitive sports.
For Karel and myself, we both grew up as athletes. From an early age, like many people, sports were part of our daily routine. It's easy for me to make time for training or exercise because there were very few times in my life, when I didn't "train" for something.
My parents were never forceful with my brother and me and our sports of choice. My brother was a gymnast and I was always a swimmer (although I tried other sports like track and volleyball but I was never good-enough for the coaches). Swimming was always something that I loved and I looked forward to it every single day. My parents encouraged my brother and me to do what we love and they provided us with countless opportunities to succeed in our sports. Ask any parent of a swimmer and certainly, the early morning wake-ups make for tired parents (funny - I still love to work out early!) but they never complain.
As for my brother, he excelled with gymnastics. A full scholarship to University of Michigan and one of his highest honors - Aaron was the Big Ten Champion on the High Bar in 2007. Aaron trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado several times but after his senior year, his body had enough and he was ready for a "normal" life. Aaron's winning routine - with lots of difficult moves.
With so many thoughts coming back to me from my childhood - growing up with a very active family who encouraged my brother and myself to reach both academic and athletic dreams, it occured to me rather quickly that despite the hard workouts, the tiring days of balancing school and sports, the aches and pains that come with athletic sports (boy, I wish I knew then what I knew now! But glad I'm a coach now so I can be smarter with training and racing thanks to a full academic career in exercise physiology) and most of all, the isolation from "normal" kids/teenagers/college students who have a bit more "free time" - I would not have traded it all for the world. For what I remember on top of those more painful moments, are lots of great memories of being around great people who supported me and my brother in our sports of choice. The excitement of cheering for others has not left me nor has the enjoyment of using my body and seeing what I am made of.
Although I can remember a few extremely challenging workouts, the thing that kept me returning to swimming - year after year - was the fun of working toward a goal.
So often, triathletes and runners get overwhelmed with a goal (or a goal that is not well-defined) and it is easy to get wrapped up in the training. For I remember that with the pool time, came strength training, core work, physical therapy, massages, lots of food, off season training, skill work and most of all - being specific with my distance/strokes (100 breast, 200 IM, 200 butterfly).
I encourage everyone to focus less on the miles and rather, what you are doing within those miles. Next thing, address what you can do when you aren't "training" to become a faster, stronger, more powerful and more balanced athlete.
My most memorable swim workouts:
8 x 400's IM (fly, back, breast, free by 100) - can't remember the cycle, but it hurt!
8 x 200's butterfly - did this one a lot since I was a butterflier. Couldn't lift my arms after this practice.
4000 reverse IM - Free, breast, back, fly. This never ended!!!
8 x 50's no breath (off the block) - no cycle and you had 1 hour to complete 8 of them. If you took a breath, you had to repeat it until you finished 8 of them (I don't recommend this for anyone).
15 x 100's - I remember this one as we did it a lot on Saturday morning's when I was in high school. If you missed a cycle (I'm thinking my cycle was 1:10 or 1:15), you had to start over at the beginning! One time I remember I had to start over :(
8 x 100's fly off the block - all had to be under 1:10. 7 minutes rest in between. This one BURNED!
4000-5000 kick - I remember in college we would do an entire workout with kick sets!
And of course, the new year day swim practices. Back then - 95 x 50's, 96 x 50's, 98 x 50's, etc.
My arms, back and lungs are hurting just thinking about this! But I still love swimming and will always love swimming.
7/25/12
What have I been doing?
What have I been doing??
I realize I have no obligations to my blog as to how much I
blog or how often. But, I feel so incomplete when I don’t “journal” at least
once every 2 days. If it was up to me and more free time, I would blog several
times a day since blogging is so relieving to me. For if I couldn’t write
(blogs, articles, plan for talks), I think my head would explode with
information that I want to share with others. But, because life requires
balance, sometimes the blog is the only thing on my mind but the thing that
must go when I try to make the most of every day.
So, why the lack of blogging?
Article deadlines. I am so thrilled to see my next two column
articles published on Lava Magazine online and Irongirl.com. I think you will
enjoy both articles as they both include yummy creations but also some great
information that is relevant and applicable. My Lava article is on Zinc and I look
forward to your reaction or thoughts as to the approach I took to discussing
this immune-boosting mineral. For my Iron Girl article, the theme is Olympics
for August so I include two delicious Red-White-Blue inspired creations – fruit
kabobs and a smoothie.
Work. It would be obvious to say I am busy but that isn’t a
bad thing. Right now the triathlon season is peaking (until October) and I am
enjoying helping active bodies cross finishing lines as well as helping fitness
enthusiasts create more healthful lifestyles. Certainly, it is a great feeling
to know that with lots of hard work, my
business is successful but to define success from a monetary standpoint is not
my intent. For my passion is helping
others live a better life and that makes me feel successful.
Speaking of passion…
Where am I now?
I’m attending the Federal Occupation and Workers Compensation Conference in Atlanta Georgia. I arrived via plane on Tuesday evening and I will be heading home on Thursday evening. I was asked to speak several months ago and with lots of prep work behind me, I am thrilled that the talk went beyond smooth. I had a packed room and the audience was engaged. My talks are not boring (to say the least) and they are interactive, passionate and of course, fun. I suppose my lifestyle of active and healthy living helps me educate, motivate and inspire others to take a more balanced approach as to how they want to live their life. For I’m all about improving the quality of life and I don’t believe I need to lecture people in a 90-minute talk about what not to do in order to change lifestyles.
I’m attending the Federal Occupation and Workers Compensation Conference in Atlanta Georgia. I arrived via plane on Tuesday evening and I will be heading home on Thursday evening. I was asked to speak several months ago and with lots of prep work behind me, I am thrilled that the talk went beyond smooth. I had a packed room and the audience was engaged. My talks are not boring (to say the least) and they are interactive, passionate and of course, fun. I suppose my lifestyle of active and healthy living helps me educate, motivate and inspire others to take a more balanced approach as to how they want to live their life. For I’m all about improving the quality of life and I don’t believe I need to lecture people in a 90-minute talk about what not to do in order to change lifestyles.
Ever since a young age, my parents encouraged me to pursue
my dreams. Whether it was with swimming, school or with life-decisions, my
parents have never told me I couldn’t do “it”.
If it wasn’t for my parents and now, the support of Karel, I
don’t think I’d be doing what I have dreamed of doing for much of my adult
life. I absolutely love public speaking and writing and slowly, my career is
evolving. Being able to touch others through my words is the best feeling in
the world.
Ever question your purpose in life? Certainly that’s a deep
question but I think it is one we should constantly ask ourselves. Why should
waste a body, a mind and a heart to do things we don’t enjoy doing?
I truly believe I was put on this earth to help others. I
remember when I was young (like 4 or 5), wanting to help my mom take care of my
baby brother (2 years younger than me). In middle school, I volunteered my time
at school by helping out with the mentally and physically challenged students.
When I was in high school, I would visit nursing homes to play piano for the
residents. In college, I was a member of several clubs and organizations, just
to get more involved. Now, I have a business that allows me to play an
instrumental role in how people are living their lives.
Although this is my blog and my journal, I don’t want this
post to just be about me. I appreciate that you read my blog but my hope is that after you read this blog, you will ask
yourself “What have I been doing?
Keep this question open to many answers. Have you been
making changes to improve overall health? Have you been wasting your time not
doing the things that will make a positive impact in your life? Have you been
not addressing the areas in your life that will help you reach your goals?
Don’t waste your life. Don’t waste your years. Don’t waste
your months. Don’t waste your days. Don’t waste your hours. Get out there so
you can firmly answer the question “What
have I been doing?
Hopefully your answer will be “I’m making things happen.”
7/22/12
Whewww. What a weekend
I remember a while back when I use to think of the week as 5 days + 2 days. It was easy to look forward to the weekend, whether it was to train, relax, eat..whatever. But one thing I've learned over the years is that a week that becomes chunky, is simply a rushed week. Life rushes by super quickly and I find it important to enjoy every day you are given. Your life, your actions, your results.
Since Thurs (or late Wed evening), Karel has been enjoying himself in the mountains of North Carolina with a few of his friends.
Yep - he left me and Campy at home and from the looks of it, he is really roughin' it :)
Since Thurs (or late Wed evening), Karel has been enjoying himself in the mountains of North Carolina with a few of his friends.
Yep - he left me and Campy at home and from the looks of it, he is really roughin' it :)
But not to worry - Campy got in some quality training and a little vitamin D as I stretched outside...sporting my new Oakley Women Changoever shades
Saturday morning was an early start with a 3 mile run.
A little change to the normal bike + run, Karel had me running first and right after, getting on my bike for some tempo intervals.
It was an akward feeling to run first but I always enjoy a change in the schedule. The workout looked easy on paper but because the zones were low in intensity, I just couldn't seem to hold them steady. Maybe my ego got in the way this morning as it is always hard to hold back when you know you can push harder.I suppose Karel is slowly teaching me more about pacing as that is something I continue to struggle with on the bike....but always a work in progress.
2:30 bike
Main set:
2 x 8 min Z4 w/ 2 min EZ
15 min upper Z3 w/ 4 min EZ
18 min mid Z3 w/ 4 min EZ
22 min low Z3 w/ 4 min EZ
20 min low Z3 w/ 4 min EZ
Rest of the ride Z2.
Then off for another run and wow - was it hot out!!
6 miles. 2 mile warm-up. Then 3 miles descending (7:29, 7:18, 7:10). Then cool down.
Lucky for Campy, he got two mini runs this morning....I love having him as a training partner!
Sunday morning was another early start and another new change in my routine.
Karel has been running with the Turtle Run group at Atlantic Beach on Sun mornings for the past two weekends so he encouraged me to go to my first ever group run.
I was excited and not nervous but certainly, a group run at 6:30am on a Sunday made for an early 4:50am wake-up on the weekend.
I ran with Jeff and 2 other guys and although most of the run was conversational, it was certainly a run that kept me at the top of my comfort zone.
Total time: 1:40
Pace: 7:49 min/mile (woah baby - can't do that alone!)
Pace: 7:49 min/mile (woah baby - can't do that alone!)
Distance: 12.88
average HR: 140 beats
average HR: 140 beats
Splits per mile: 7:45, 7:31, 7:39, 7:41, 7:53, 7:52, 7:53, 7:35, 7:27. Cool down: 8:03, 8:04, 8:06, 7:08 (for last .88 mile)
After the run, I got on my bike for a necessary recovery spin. 1 hour and a speedy 14.8 mile per hour average :)
After the morning workout, I had the pleasure of having a late pancake breakfast w/ my friend/co-worker Susan who is having her baby this week (I will be filling in for her at Baptist Beaches during her maternity leave).
While I was making dinner (or whatever you want to call a meal around 4pm), I was thinking to myself about the yumminess that was about to enter my body. Rather than seeing the food as "fuel" or as something "healthy"...it occured to me that my lifestyle was effectively using the food that I was putting nto my body. Because I am nourishing my body, I am able to live the active life that I crave on a daily basis. Perhaps we can all start taking a more proactive approach to living a more balaned life.
Starch: 1 sweet potato (microwaved)
Veggies: broccoli (steamed), red pepper, corn, onions, garlic, kale
Protein: Tempeh
Whole grain: Millet (prepared ahead of time)
Oil: Olive oil
Seasonings: marjaram, chili powder, pepper, parsley
Protein: Tempeh
Whole grain: Millet (prepared ahead of time)
Oil: Olive oil
Seasonings: marjaram, chili powder, pepper, parsley
1. In a large skillet, sautee veggies (except kale) and tempeh on medium heat in olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pan, lightly.)
2. When veggies begin to brown, add kale and toss in a little more olive oil.
3. Turn off heat when kale begins to wilt a little and add seasonings.
4. Place serving of millet in a shallow dish, add veggie mixture and chopped sweet potato pieces (I made lots to have leftovers for tomorrow so I used 1/2 sweet potato and saved the other half for tomorrow).
It's ok to yum out loud when you eat this. Campy was confused as I ate this...way too much yumming.
It's ok to yum out loud when you eat this. Campy was confused as I ate this...way too much yumming.
7/19/12
Making every minute count
Everyone talks about the lifestyle component of healthy living. Certainly, it's easier said than done.
In looking back at my life over the past 6 years, I have stayed extremely active with my triathlon lifestyle but I have also created some awesome habits that keep me happy, consistent and healthy.
It isn't rocket science to create this lifestyle habits but it's so hard at times because of all the chatter out there as to the right, wrong ways of doing things. It's like everyone is an expert out there as to how you should live but obviously, they don't walk in your shoes.
I think one of the hardest parts of training for sports or appreciating a more balanced diet is the trust factor. It's almost as if athlets fail at their continual attempts to live a healthier lifestyle by losing trust in their own actions as soon as someone starts talking about a better, newer, faster or easier way to do things. One thing I've learned over the years is to focus on myself. Sounds sellfish but hey, it's my life and I have a lot of responsibilities in my life.
As a professional, my knowledge comes from textbooks, journals and scientific research. I will occasionally read the outrageous blog posts, articles and facebooks posts from people talking about x-diet or training advice...but I always go back to applying scientific evidence to real world settings. I just don't have time to waste energy on people screamng to others to DO THIS AND DON'T DO THAT!!! Yes - that is how people talk on the web...why do people sound so angry all the time when their intent is to convince you to change something in your life to "be heathier"?
Again- I just don't have the energy to focus on what I am not suppose to do....I suppose that is because I am doing too much of the right things in life, that make me feel good.
Tuesday morning was an early workout on the track. What a great feeling to be excited to train with others - running in circles at 6:30am. I joined Karel and Jeff for the same workout as last week - 3 x 1 miles w/ 400 meters jog/walk in between.
6:12, 6:08, 6:07 per mile.
Thank you legs for that one!
I wasn't able to bike with the guys for I had to work at Baptist South. I suppose I could have made the time to bike but it's all about balance.
Recovery drink
Stretch
Shower/change/get ready
Work
For me, the extra time spent on recovery is more worthwhile than an hour on the bike for with proper recovery, I train more consistently and I don't have to worry about getting injured or gettng sick.
Around 5:15pm, it was time for workout #2.
1 hour bike + 2 mile run
It was a quicky but a goodie.
Main set on bike: 5 x 4 min upper/mid Z4 w/ 2 min EZ
Run off the bike - 1 mile "hard", 1 mile cool down.
Every workout has a purpose and this was a great finish to the day.
But, my day wasn't over at 6:45pm.
I had a few more priorities to keep my consistent with my "balanced lifestyle"
-Run 1/2 mile with Campy around the block
-Make dinner - quick!
-Make breakfast for Wed (due to going straight to work after swim/weights)
-Make lunch for Wed
As soon as I finished my run with Campy, I turned on the oven and a pan on the stove (to medium heat).
I ran upstairs for a quick shower, then back downstairs to prep dinner.
I chopped eggplant, washed mushrooms, chopped onions, steamed corn and broccoli and sliced tomatoes.
I put 3 tilapia in the oven (marinated with dressing) for Karel (dinner and lunch the next day) and cooked my veggies on the stove in olive oil.
As the veggies were cooking, I scrambled 2 egg whites + 1 whole egg in the microwave for my protein the next day.
As I was cooking dinner, I had a glass of milk + handful of shredded wheat cereal and a few strawberries.
And just in time - Karel came home around 7:20pm from work and dinner was ready....
And so was breakfast, snacks and lunch for the next day.
Breakfast - leftover smoothie from Tues morning, consumed after swimming on Wed w/ banana and PB.
Mid morning snack - non fat dannon yogurt + nuts/seeds + blueberries, cinnamon, cheerios and pecans (more like breakfast #2 during my break teaching the Diabetes Class at Baptist Beaches)
Lunch....as pictured below....bed of dark greens, w/ leftover veggies, scrambled eggs, leftover Basmati rice and topped w/ mozzarella cheese, drizzled with sunflower oil and for crunch, some pistachios on the side.
In looking back at my life over the past 6 years, I have stayed extremely active with my triathlon lifestyle but I have also created some awesome habits that keep me happy, consistent and healthy.
It isn't rocket science to create this lifestyle habits but it's so hard at times because of all the chatter out there as to the right, wrong ways of doing things. It's like everyone is an expert out there as to how you should live but obviously, they don't walk in your shoes.
I think one of the hardest parts of training for sports or appreciating a more balanced diet is the trust factor. It's almost as if athlets fail at their continual attempts to live a healthier lifestyle by losing trust in their own actions as soon as someone starts talking about a better, newer, faster or easier way to do things. One thing I've learned over the years is to focus on myself. Sounds sellfish but hey, it's my life and I have a lot of responsibilities in my life.
As a professional, my knowledge comes from textbooks, journals and scientific research. I will occasionally read the outrageous blog posts, articles and facebooks posts from people talking about x-diet or training advice...but I always go back to applying scientific evidence to real world settings. I just don't have time to waste energy on people screamng to others to DO THIS AND DON'T DO THAT!!! Yes - that is how people talk on the web...why do people sound so angry all the time when their intent is to convince you to change something in your life to "be heathier"?
Again- I just don't have the energy to focus on what I am not suppose to do....I suppose that is because I am doing too much of the right things in life, that make me feel good.
Tuesday morning was an early workout on the track. What a great feeling to be excited to train with others - running in circles at 6:30am. I joined Karel and Jeff for the same workout as last week - 3 x 1 miles w/ 400 meters jog/walk in between.
6:12, 6:08, 6:07 per mile.
Thank you legs for that one!
I wasn't able to bike with the guys for I had to work at Baptist South. I suppose I could have made the time to bike but it's all about balance.
Recovery drink
Stretch
Shower/change/get ready
Work
For me, the extra time spent on recovery is more worthwhile than an hour on the bike for with proper recovery, I train more consistently and I don't have to worry about getting injured or gettng sick.
Around 5:15pm, it was time for workout #2.
1 hour bike + 2 mile run
It was a quicky but a goodie.
Main set on bike: 5 x 4 min upper/mid Z4 w/ 2 min EZ
Run off the bike - 1 mile "hard", 1 mile cool down.
Every workout has a purpose and this was a great finish to the day.
But, my day wasn't over at 6:45pm.
I had a few more priorities to keep my consistent with my "balanced lifestyle"
-Run 1/2 mile with Campy around the block
-Make dinner - quick!
-Make breakfast for Wed (due to going straight to work after swim/weights)
-Make lunch for Wed
As soon as I finished my run with Campy, I turned on the oven and a pan on the stove (to medium heat).
I ran upstairs for a quick shower, then back downstairs to prep dinner.
I chopped eggplant, washed mushrooms, chopped onions, steamed corn and broccoli and sliced tomatoes.
I put 3 tilapia in the oven (marinated with dressing) for Karel (dinner and lunch the next day) and cooked my veggies on the stove in olive oil.
As the veggies were cooking, I scrambled 2 egg whites + 1 whole egg in the microwave for my protein the next day.
As I was cooking dinner, I had a glass of milk + handful of shredded wheat cereal and a few strawberries.
And just in time - Karel came home around 7:20pm from work and dinner was ready....
And so was breakfast, snacks and lunch for the next day.
Breakfast - leftover smoothie from Tues morning, consumed after swimming on Wed w/ banana and PB.
Mid morning snack - non fat dannon yogurt + nuts/seeds + blueberries, cinnamon, cheerios and pecans (more like breakfast #2 during my break teaching the Diabetes Class at Baptist Beaches)
Lunch....as pictured below....bed of dark greens, w/ leftover veggies, scrambled eggs, leftover Basmati rice and topped w/ mozzarella cheese, drizzled with sunflower oil and for crunch, some pistachios on the side.
My lifestyle works for me. I think ahead, plan ahead and work ahead. The other day I received an email from a Trimarni Nutrition athlete who told me at 9pm she decided to bake some veggies in the oven for lunch the next day - for she was busy around the house so she thought she may as well make lunch the next day. Funny thing is that she said that that idea would have never occured to her before we started working together. I guess a few years ago, it didn't occur to me either but I desired more consistency in my life and I discovered better use of my time.
It's moment like those that make me really happy that I can inspire others to live a healthier lifestyle. I suppose I could rejoice with you that chocolate is now "approved" to be "healthy" (According to this study) OR you can just eat dark chocolate because you like it. In our household, dark chocoalte is a daily thing (1 ounce for me). But believe it or not, I don't eat chocolate just because a research study tells me it is healthy. I enjoy it, I savour it and it works for me.
Even for myself, it is difficult to put all your trust into research, articles and the media. Because food is such a sensitive topic for many, the best advice I can give in this blog is to make every minute count. Take that advice as you wish but perhaps next time you are eating because you are bored, trying to put off something that you don't want to do, emotional, stressed or tired....be sure to let food enhance your lifestyle, not control your life. You can't live your life fearing cancer and at the same time, you aren't living life if you are constantly obsessing about your body. Let your choices in life, work in your favor and before you know it, you will be living the life you never could have imagined....and yes, it feels that good to live a balanced lifestyle.
Disclaimer: I have to admit that this little guy make me feel so lucky to be alive and healthy. I just love making memories for him in his short little life.
7/17/12
Race week tips - Endurance events
May 2006. My very first endurance triathlon - Ironman Florida 70.3. I had no idea if I trained right for the distance or what I needed to be aware of on race day. So, the only thing I had control over was my attitude and at the ripe age of 23 (almost 24), I was overly confident and I was stubborn enough to believe I had done everything right to race my first half ironman.
As for packing my transition bag - well, that was another story. This is totally a newbie picture.
But we all know that race day performances are built on consistent actions. You eventually learn how to train smarter, pace better and plan ahead. Eventually, if you set your sights on your goals - dreams reallly do come true....even if you still feel like a newbie - 6 years later.
For when you train the body to perform, your race day performance is solely dependent on your fitness - on that day.
When I work with my athletes, I thrive off seeing them progress with their training, only to get ancy the week or two before a race. The best feeling I can get as a coach is knowing that my athletes are ready to jump out of their skin to get to the starting and that they are hungry to race.
As for my nutrition athletes, I realize that I am not always working with them on a daily basis, leading up to their key race. Many times, they have a coach. However, I still find it practical to help athletes with race week and race day nutrition in order to perform optimally on race day for many times, not having a well-laid nutrition plan is a missing link in how athletes perform on race day.
I wanted to provide a few of my favorite blog posts on gearing up to an endurance event in order to help prepare others for a successful race day. Knowing that an endurance race is mostly mental, it is critically important to understand the other variables that may affect performances:
1) Attitude
2) Gear/clothing
2) Gear/clothing
3) Nutrition
4) Pacing
When you consider the above categories and what you can control on race day, you are going to be in a bette frame of mind and with that, confidence improves and you will race smarter.
Enjoy some of my favorite posts:
(Any questions - please comment or send me an email)
IMWI race report
IMKY race report
2007 IM World championship race report - warning: I was injured and do not encourage athletes to race an endurance race injured or ill
Keep your mind focused and pace your own race. Getting to the starting line is the hardest part of training. The fun starts and continues until you reach the finish line.
7/16/12
Salad Pizza - YUM!
Sunday morning was a toughy.
Karel kicked my butt...more like, he made my butt work hard!!
On my Training Peaks schedule, Karel had "Brick with Karel" .That's it and I didn't ask questions. When I train with Karel, I've learned that to be mentally strong, I have to be willing to try to stay on Karel's wheel and with that, I can't psyche myself out before the workout starts.
On Saturday, after Karel's race, I did a Z2 3- hour endurance ride just to loosen my legs from one of my toughest long runs, on Friday (10.5 miles). I had no intentions to run on Saturday for I wanted as much recovery as possible before Sunday's workout.
At 6:30am, we were out the door. Karel said he was a little sore but he was glad he had the day off on Saturday from work, to recover from the intense effort of the sprint triathlon. Although it was only a sprint, it was an all out max effort for one hour. I think many people downplay the stress on the body for a sprint or Olympic distance race and overlook the changes with the diet, altered sleep and recovery that comes with racing. For even if it is "only" a 1-2 hour race, the body still suffers and with that, always be mindful of how you choose to reward it or punish it after a race.
After a 35 min. warm-up, it was time for the main set.
2 x 8 min Z4 w/ 2 min recovery
4 min EZ
15 min upper Z3 w/ 4 min recovery
2 x 22 min upper Z3 w/ 4 min recovery
And the surprise at the end, just when I thought I had suffered enough on Karel's wheel,
2 x 8 min Z4 w/ 2 min recovery
Z2 ABP (Always be pushing) effor on the way home
I couldn't believe it but I made the entire set (with a great attitude) and felt super strong. I've finally dialed down my nutrition at this point in my training, for as I become stronger and more efficient, I know I need to be mindful of how I am fueling before and during my workouts. I have no problem recoverying from workouts for I believe I recover really fast thanks to a wheyprotein smoothie and cereal or milk + carb-rich breakfast (w/ protein).
Pre training I had oats, milk and banana slices with a few pecans. I have noticed that this combo sits better in me when I don't cook the oats so I have been eating it cold and it tastes delicious. Oh, I always have cinnamon with my breakfast - or anytime I can sneak it in for fantastic flavor. YUM!
We did a big loop, starting from our place and then through Nocatee, over the bridge, to A1A, to the Vilano bridge into St. Augustine area then back toward home on Philips Hwy/US 1. It was a bit cloudy out so that helped but it didn't make the workout any easier.
Stats from Karel's ride and me suffering behind him on his wheel....
2:42 total time
58.71 miles
Average speed: 21.71mph
Main set:
8 min - 24mph, power 162, HR 134 (my HR and my power - I just stayed behind Karel as he stuck to his zones and my workout was steady because of that)
8 min - 23.61 mph, power 171, HR 135
15 min - 23.69 mph (OMG - it was SO windy on A1A with a tough cross wind making it SO hard to draft), power 175, HR 141
22 min - 22.57 mph, power 162, HR 139
22 min - 23.17 mph, power 162, HR 137
8 min - 25.25 mph, power 168, HR 140
8 min - 24.72 mph, power 176,HR 140
Certainly, I can not hold those speeds alone but riding with Karel (who is really steady) only makes me stronger. As for being able to push a high power during my rides (not being able to sustain those watts on my own for this entire workout), when I draft there are microseconds here and there where I can recover so that helps vs pushing alone and not being able to take a breather here or there in an interval.
Karel was really impressed that I was able to stay on his wheel after each interval but as the workout went on, my responses of "I'm ok" turned into the look of "are we done yet?". But, I kept telling myself "Marni - this is doable! The bigger question is DO you want to DO this!". Thinking back to all the workouts in the past that I was not able to survive with Karel, I was ready to not give up and to just give my best effort. Thankfully, my best effort lead to one of my best workouts.
After the bike.....came the run.
Again, the look of "uggg, do we have to?" but Karel assured me that it was a conversational run. Once we started running, a mile ticked by with us chatting about training, races and how much we both wanted pizza for dinner.
It was super hot out but we managed to have a quality run to finish a really great morning of training.
Stats from run:
36 minutes
4.55 miles
Pace: 7:57
(last 1/2 mile w/ Campy)
Mile 1: 7:45
Mile 2: 7:48
Mile 3: 7:59
Mile 4: 8:00
Karel had to work 12-4 and I was on the computer all afternoon with training plans and nutrition for my athletes/fitness enthusiasts. It was a tiring day but I couldn't wait for our yummy dinner.
No food after tough training or a race makes me happier than Pizza.
It's all too often that I hear athletes say "I deserved it or I earned it". In my mind, you can have pizza or x-food anytime you want. For you need calories to survive on a daily basis, so it is up to you how you want to divide them out.
But for most of us, we'd agree that some days food tastes better than on other days and certainly, pizza is one of those foods.
In learning to develop a healthier relationship with food, I invite you all to learn how to speak about food more kindly and respectfully. For beating yourself up with every bite of food is no way to enjoy food. As we were enjoying local pizza, topped with my assortment of roasted veggies (eggplant, onions, peppers, broccoli, mushrooms and not pictured, tofu, pineapple and beans), it wasn't the pizza that was making me happy but rather the entire experience. Watching the Tour de France with Karel (and Campy), tasting each flavor in the "salad" pizza and talking about our morning workout and how I felt so strong. A few years ago, I was not able to even think about riding with Karel. Certainly, my two slices of pizza topped with my beautiful selection of veggies were enjoyed with every bite and I only had good feelings, thoughts and emotions as I refueled with Karel (we both had a smoothie post workout and a large glass of water with a splash of OJ and 1 hammer FIZZ).
I have been hearing a lot of people say "I don't eat that" and that makes me concerned as to how that resonates to other. For if you hear me say "I don't eat that" and I am referring to meat, well you may think "meat is bad" or "off limit" if you didn't know I was a 19 -year vegetarian. Perhaps you are on your journey of developing a quality lifestyle and regardless of your fitness status or weight, you enjoy a slice or two of pizza (on any given day) with a friend, loved one or family member. Having someone tell you "I don't eat that" could make you question your food choice, your goals and your body. There's so much wrapped up in food that if we could all just speak about food a little nicer, maybe we could all have a healthier relationship with food and feel more confidence about our food choices.
Regardless of where you are in your journey, there is no reason to justify your eating. You only cheat on your diet if you have rules, lists and restrictions..and that's no fun, who wants that?
Own your choices and be proud of your choices. Belive it or not, sometimes pizza is just the best thing that you can eat to reward your body when it needs to refuel. And boy, does it taste great when you can put a quality workout in the memory bank!
My "Salad' pizza. Local cheese pizza topped with my own selection of roasted veggies. I saved a lot of money by buying local and it was filled with flavor (and nutrient density).
7/15/12
Race report - Karel's first triathlon!
I think we can all relate to the unknown that comes with doing something for the first time. Uncomfortable, exciting, weird, awkard, easy.....it's hard to describe what it feels like to do something new because well, it is unfamiliar to your everyday living.
I remember when I was less than 24 hours away from my first Ironman - IMFL in 2006. I was so freakin' excited yet a little scared of riding my bike for 112 miles. However, I could hardly contain myself. The only thing that really scared me was my heart and that it would have to beat for over 11 hours for a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. But thankfully, it did just fine since I trained it well and it worked great for 11 hours and 47 seconds.
Since I've known Karel, this has been his comfort zone. A frame and two wheels and handlebars for steering. Karel has been racing bikes since a very young age but a few months ago, he was ready for a change. He craved something unknown, new and challenging.
So, he turned to triathlons. Without a doubt, there's something magical yet intense when describing a sport that requires an athlete to be physically fit and mentally strong in three seperate disciplines.
After dinner on Friday evening, I helped Karel pack his transition bag for his first ever triathlon - the 2012 Montoya BFAST Sprint series #3.
Race belt, glasses, hat, water bottles, towel, computer, cycling shoes, running shoes, chip strap, body glide, goggles, aero helmet.
Just a bit more than packing for a cycling race :)
It's likely that any newbie would be nervous and overwhelmed for his/her first triathlon. For Karel, his nerves grew as the week went on although he has been training really smart over the past 6 weeks. Focusing more on the skills with swimming and learning how to pace better in his "tri-specific" zones (established from power tests on the bike and HR test on the run) he was capable of doing the distance of a 400 meter swim, 13 mile bike and 5K run but like any newbie - it's all about learning how to put those puzzle pieces together to make for a great race day experience. Funny thing - this is something that never goes away. I still find myself addressing my pre, during and post training/racing nutrition, pacing, zones, training, recovery, strength training, etc. to become stronger, faster and smarter in the sport.
Particularly throughout his work day on Friday, he got a bit more nervous than the days prior. Why was he nervous? Because it is absolutely natural and normal to question the unknown that comes with a new experience in life.
As a good wife sherpa, I was up with Karel at 4:30am and we were out the door at 5:20am for our 20 minute drive to the beach. I suppose my desire to not feel rushed at races transfered to Karel for we arrived in plenty of time to avoid the crowd at packet pickup. However, like every triathlete knows all too well - time rushes by before a race and it's better to arrive early than to be just a little late and feel stressed.
Karel set up his transition area and I walked him through the transition layout as to where to bike out, bike in, run out and run in. Karel officially felt like a triathlete when he was body marked and received his first ever triathlon t-shirt...it's the little things that still excite me as a triathlete and I think Karel enjoyed these little things as well - for it was all new to him.
Our friend Courtney (who ended up winning the race for women), Karel and myself went for a warm-up jog around 6:30am and did a few dynamic drills to open up the hips. Karel wasn't saying a lot but I know him all too well so I just let him stay in his zone. It was hard for me to keep quite for I kept wanting to give him little pointers like where to put on the body glide, where to line up for the swim and where to mount and dismount on his bike.
Karel listened very well but he had this look like "there's way too much to think about at once."
Karel's boss Jeff (pictured on the right above, Jerry - Trek employee on left) was racing for the first time since IM Texas and I think Karel was excited to have Jeff there with him to experience his first tri. Jeff and Karel are close friends and Jeff and his family are all great people to be around. By the way- Jeff ended up winning his age group! Congrats Jeff!
Karel warmed up - kinda - in the water. The last two races were duathlons because of the ocean waves and this time was a full tri despite the waves being super choppy. I knew Karel would have a tough time for his first time racing in the ocean (second time swimming in the ocean) so I did my best to give him some suggestions as to how the current was going, where to swim to and of course, to just stay calm and to not fight the waves.
Around 7am, it was time for the first wave - men 39 and under. Karel raced in the 35-39 age group (he will be 36 in Sept) and lined up in the middle of the group. Without a word by the announcer, the group was off. Karel still had his goggles on his head and quickly put them on as he was running (which caused a little water to get in his goggles) and he didn't get a chance to start his Garmin 910XT.
Karel said the swim was bruttal and the waves made it incredibly hard to swim "normally" - which he has been working so hard on in the pool. He said it was hard to turn around buoys and got stuck in the ropes by the buoy because of the waves. Because of the conditions, the swim course was likely not the full 400 meters but it was the same course for everyone so it is what it is. So long as everyone is safe - it's all about moving the body forward. Karel did a great job getting to the first buoy but we still have work to do with his skills in open water, especially spotting, breathing and reaching and rolling.
I was super happy to finally see Karel, near the end of the mid pack. Although Karel is super competitive, I know that this race was simply to see what it feels like to put all the sports together - in racing mode. For our big race is Branson 70.3 in late Sept. However, this is a new lifestyle for Karel and there is no reason to rush this journey. One step at a time.
I sprinted from the water to the bike-out and cheered for Karel as he "paced" his first sprint triathlon bike ride.
Well, despite Karel telling me that he held back just a little on the bike for the unknown of the final leg of the triathlon, I wasn't surprised to see him in 7th place after the bike. And to the surprise to many, I was excited to see what Karel was going to do on the run for his running has really progressed over the past 2 months. Karel likes to run..and not just for the beer at the end (referencing to his "off-season" training and his occasional Trek Store beer runs)
Karel had a nice kick in his step when he started the out and back run and before I knew it, he was rounding the courner....
.....in 5th place!!!
It doesn't surprise me that as Karel was running, his inner cyclist came out and he was likely pacing, drafting and passing people all by tolerating the lactic acid that comes with a long history of criterium racing.
Karel told me that he never thought it would be that hard and he said he had a really fun time....."after the swim."
Karel was greeted by many of his friends and customers from the Trek store - all congratulating him for his first ever triathlon finish. Our friend Owen (above) is a ridiculously talented athlete and won the race today with a blazing bike and run.
Jeff is now even more happy that Karel liked his first triathlon experience and that he know has a permanent triathlon training partner, early in the morning before the Trek Beach store opens.
It was so great to share this experience with Karel and to see him compete, do something new and enjoy every mile of it. I firmly believe that we should always have fun with what we are doing in life (specifically if it is voluntary and not mandatory) but when it comes using our body for sports, it's important to understand that a lifestyle can be created from training the body on a daily basis. I see way too many athletes become overly obessed, overwhelmed and consumed with training and it begins to interfer with other areas of life. I believe in balance when it comes to doing something that you love - especially with triathlons. There's nothing wrong with being competitive and if anything, I invite more people to welcome competiton in order to be more confident with your strengths and to build off your weaknesses. But at the end of the day, triathlon training (or whatever activity you choose to keep you fit) should be an enhancer to life. Never stop thanking your body for what it allows you to do on a daily basis and more than anything, never stop having fun and enjoying moving and using your body.....and crossing finish lines.
CONGRATS KAREL!
Stats from Karel's race:
(Results found HERE)
Swim: 6:22
T1: 2:39Bike: 30.08 (average 25.8mph, average HR 177)
T2: 58
Run: 20.06 (mile splits: 6:17, 6:20, 6:05 - average 6:14 min/mile)
Total: 1:00.11
5th place overall male
1st age group
Now that Karel got his first race out of his system, we will be doing our first race together (his first Olympic) on August 4th in Fernandina Beach, FL for the Jax Tri Olympic.
7/13/12
Read this to be inspired
I believe every person can accomplish at least one thing a day to make for a better tomorrow. For you can't expect everything in life to be easy. You have to accept what is given to you for the day and just focus on what you CAN do to make for a better tomorrow.
The other day I was counseling a client with motivational interviewing (a very powerful technique I learned during my dietetic internship, specifically while interning at Preferred Nutrition - who specializes in eating disorders) and my client was telling me that he was struggling with eating out too much and that is why he wasn't losing weight.
Like many people, his questions were in regard to eating out - how to choose healthier options to help with his weight loss. But my thought was not to address the eating out, but rather to gain a better understanding as to why he was eating out so often.
Although he admitted that he enjoyed the smells and tastes of restaurant food and even though he was retired, he was just too busy to cook at home, he also admitted that he didn't feel good when he finished eating, the portions were too big and he knew he was consuming food that wouldn't promote weight loss.
So, after he recognized that he needed to make it a point to eat out less, he (not me) set a goal to reduce eating out from 6-7 times a week to 3-4 times a week. A very realistic goal that he created, which he told me he could do.
So, next the conversation quickly moved from eating out to creating a positive food environment at home so that he could stay consistent with this goal of eating out less. He assured me that he would buy more fruits and veggies because he knows he needs to eat more for overall health but when I asked him if he is making a plan to eat these foods on a daily basis, his response was:
"The problem is that I buy them but they always go bad"
I then asked:
"why do they go bad"
He said
"Because I am not eating them every day"
I asked
"Why aren't you eating them every day?"
He responded
"Oh - I get it. Because I am always eating out"
I just love motivational interviewing...an easy way for the client to recognize what it is they are struggling with at a much deeper level rather than me, as the professional, telling the client what to do. For I could tell people all day long what not to do (humm, makes me think of every "diet" book or plan out there) but that doesn't address the long-term problem. More often than not, if people could accept their excuses, much more could be accomplished in a shorter amount of time.
For my client, it was important to recognize that it wasn't the eating out that was the problem but rather that he was not making it a priority on a daily basis - which was to have a plan with filling his body with nutrient dense foods. It wasn't that eating out was off limits but rather that consistent actions bring consistent results. It's one thing to have the foods at home to encourage weight loss but you have to have a plan as to when you will eat them - and of course, why it is important to prioritize healthful actions on a day-to-day basis.
I'd like to introduce you to George...a Trimarni Nutrition athlete who I have been working with for the past 2 months as part of his 3-month nutrition/lifestyle journey Trimarni service. George contacted me after meeting with his doctor and recognizing that he was ready to stop making excuses and to start making things happen.
George has worked really hard over the past 2 months - recognizing what habits he needed to change in order to bring consistent results. Again, I could have given him a strict meal plan and told him what not to eat...but that's not my style. I told George "the purpose of my program is to change lifestyles". Thankfully, George was ready for the journey and he has loved every minute of it!
George has sent me a few "thank you" emails and I wanted to share a personal email that George sent to me (with his permission to share) describing his journey. I am not posting this to toot my own horn but rather, to inspire others that YOU can make things happen IF you make your health a priority.
Thank you George for sharing your story with me and my blog readers. I'm hoping George's story inspires you to take a deeper look at your life and what you want to accomplish in your one and only life.
Marni, I just wanted to say thank you so much for your help. I started training for triathlons last year and competed in 4 sprints. My story starts in December 2010 when both my kids came to me with tears in their eyes and asked me to please get healthy so I won’t die early. The reason they were concerned was the health on my father’s side of the family. My father passed away when he was 62 years old and he was the oldest male on his side of the family. His father, uncle cousins and brother all passed away before they were 61 and most of them were due to heart attacks. After he passed away I went to my family physician to check my health and my cholesterol was out of control. My doctor tried to get it under control for about 1 year and then referred me to a specialist to see if she could help. I worked with this specialist for about 2 years and due to a job change and bad insurance I had to stop seeing her and taking medications. My last visit with her I was on 3 medications for cholesterol, 1 for being border line diabetic and 1 for my thyroids. I went 1 year without medication or seeing my specialist and I even got up to 235 pounds and I’m only 5’7”. Due to all this that is why my family was worried. I made a decision after that day when I children approached me to not let the Miller family curse take me, if I was going to die then it was due to old age and not bad health. I stated training on December 24, 2010 and later that week I watched the Ironman Championship that I recorded. I knew after watching it and seeing people that have overcome many challenges in life compete and complete the Ironman. I was amazed and said one day that will be me. In March 2011, I went to see my specialist for the first time in over 1 year and my lab results showed I was in better health then when I was on medication for over 1 year. Keep in mind I was off medication over 1 year and I have only been training for 3 months. When I left my visit I was prescribed 2 medications for cholesterol and that was it she said I no longer needed my diabeticor thyroid medication. I knew if I keep this up I will get to watch my kids grow old and have kids of their own. I trained for 8 months and lost 13 pounds. In August my body was tired and I could not get out and train anymore. In March 2012 I decided I wanted to try a Half Ironman so I set my goals on Ironman Miami 70.3 on October 28, 2012. But I knew I needed some help since the training was going to be more intense then what I have done before and I did not want my body to give up like it did the past year. This is when I contacted you and decided I would want to use you as my nutrition coach. I was a little worried at first because I never really believed in using a nutritionist, but I have to say you have proved me wrong. In the 2 ½ months I have worked with you I have dropped 13 pounds where last year it took 8 months. I also feel better than I have in a very, very long time. My training has me currently swimming around 2400-2600 yards a session, running between 45 minutes on weekdays to 1 hour 45 minutes on weekend and cycling 1 hour on weekdays to 3 hours on weekends. I do 3 sessions of swimming, running and cycling each week. I never did this much training in the past and after the workouts I still feel great and this is all because of you. I now know how to feed my body to handle the trainings and also the recovery. I just had another visit with my specialist on July 3, 2012 and the numbers are still going down. She told me that whatever I’m doing to keep it up because its doing wonders for me. I told her that it was because of my awesome nutrition coach Marni. My look on food has made a 180 degree turn, I’m eating foods that I never thought I would and I love it. Marni you really have saved my life and from the Miller family we want to say THANK YOU.
7/11/12
Triathletes n' Training
Two words. Diet and Sleep. There's really no other way that I would be able to function on a daily basis...for I have a lot of contained and natural energy for life and I want to be sure I perform beautifully on a daily basis....forever. Every day I strive keep my body fueled with food that makes me feel good inside and to rest my body for 7-8 hours, every night of the week. For triathlon training is my lifestyle and not my life. I don't have to be a triathlete to be healthy (not to mention an Ironman lover) so I consider my triathlon training a gift that I have been given for my body allows me to train optimally on a daily basis - so long as I reward it with healthy fuel and adequate sleep.
On Sunday morning, I did a 5 mile run (average pace 7:30 min/miles) just to wake up the legs. Saturday's brick was tough so I welcomed a change in the routine from a normal "Sunday long run".
After my run, my bike took me to the biggest mountain near my place...ok, a hill maybe? Here in Florida, we will take whatever we can get so after my warm-up, I did 10 x bridge repeaters with the highest cadence I could sustain (I was aiming for over 80 rpm) and I stayed seated during each climb. I recovered on the downhill, spinning out my legs with a few deep exhales to rid my body of CO2 and did it again and again and again, etc. As Karel would say "it hurt so good."
Monday was an active recovery day so Karel and I swam at the Y for a drill focused swim - after we woke up without an alarm...ah, love a restful night of sleep. I think we swam around a 2500, primarily focusing on form and efficiency.
Tuesday was a nice twist to the normal routine. Karel's boss, Jeff invited us to join him at the UNF track for a workout at 6:30am. Karel was totally up to the challenge and after he texted me to check my Training Peaks schedule, I read that I was about to be up to the challenge as well. Notes from coach Karel "Track workout w/ Karel". It's nice being married to my coach :)
This is a pic of the certified track which we are not allowed to use but I wasn't able to snap a pic of the other track that we used next door because the sprinklers were on....a refreshing feeling mid workout!
After a few laps for warm-up, we did a lap of dynamic running drills to open up the hips and to further loosen the body.
Main set 3 x 1 mile repeaters at threshold pace. 1 lap (400 meters) walk/jog recovery.
We all started together but with Karel as our rabbit, Jeff and I stayed together and let Karel run like forest....looking like he was trying to break the 4-minute mile! What a speedster!
With Jeff being a lean Ironman triathlete yet former NFL player, he pushed me to be consistent as I was drafting right behind him for each mile repeater.
Jeff and my splits for each mile:
6:22
6:22
6:17
6:15
Karel's splits for each mile:
5:50
5:42
5:37
After a few cool down laps, I couldn't believe the amazing workout that we had. I am now giddy for the next track workout as it was a great change in the routine and it felt so great on my legs to be running on a rubbery track. So....workout #1 was complete, now time for the bike.
We drove a few miles down the road to the Beach Trek Store and changed into our bike gear and off we went for a ride along Jax Beach and the Ponte Vedra Beach. Karel and Jeff were riding at a comfortable pace and I was behind them, drafting with a slightly higher heart rate than normal.
Karel and Jeff did a 15 mile TT (time trial) so I wanted nothing to do with that. My set was quality and just perfect for me...
4 x 8 min Z3 upper to low Z4 (the first minute of each 8 min interval was "hard" with a high cadence) w/ 4 min EZ spin.
A fantastic morning of training....which was just the start of a fun-filled, busy day w/ a lunch n' learn and lots of computer work for my coaching and nutrition athletes.
Wednesday - strength and swim. I did several hip and core/lower back exercises before master's swim and was joined by Karel who has progressed exceptionally well with his swim. In the past two months since he started swimming seriously, he has swam 3 times a week for most weeks with most of the workouts dedicated to stroke technique and skills. There have been only a handful of times where he has done "a set" for he has the endurance but it is all about efficiency. When we do sets together, I typically have him doing 50's so that he can get his HR up to improve his threshold but not to fatigue him so that he will lose his form. Karel often joins Masters swim for our coach really helps him with his stroke and he adjusts the workout as needed to meet his needs based on his comfort and skills in the water. There's no rush with his tri-journey for it is all about the skills to make up great performances. Quality not quantity.
This morning was a fantastic workout given by coach Lindsay....
300 swim, 200 IM drill, 100 skull
12 x 50's free (desc every 4) on 1 minute
500 kick (25 fast, 25 free)
Main set 6x's:
300 (75 fast, 75 easy, 50 fast, 50 easy, 25 fast, 25 easy) w/ 15 sec rest
100 cool down (for me - I had to get out early)
Total: 3600 yards
As for fuel.....this was last nights dinner which was so delicious and savory and just bursting with flavor and color:
Jambalaya rice (prepare ahead of time - 20 minutes)
Sweet potato (cubed)
Frozen veggies (broccoli, carrots, peas, peppers, onions, corn, green beans)
Large portabella mushrooms (thick slices)
Large portabella mushrooms (thick slices)
Tofu
Orange juice (a few splashes)
Orange juice (a few splashes)
Olive oil
Ginger (shaved around 1 tsp)
Ginger (shaved around 1 tsp)
1. In large pot, cook veggies in a little olive oil (enough to lightly cover middle part of pan and add about 1/8 cup water to help with mixing. Cook on low-medium heat.
2. Add tofu while cooking sweet potato in microwave. Stir occasionally.
3. Splash with a few spoonfuls orange juie and add in ginger.
(recommend season with curry, marjoram and chili pepper - or your favs)
4. Serve 1 serving rice (cooked) in shallow dish and toss in lots of the veggie stir fry. Top with cubed sweet potato (Karel and I split a large one)
(recommend season with curry, marjoram and chili pepper - or your favs)
4. Serve 1 serving rice (cooked) in shallow dish and toss in lots of the veggie stir fry. Top with cubed sweet potato (Karel and I split a large one)
Be sure you make leftovers for work the next day.....here's my leftover dish that I enjoyed at my hospital, Baptist Medical Center Beaches after helping to teach a 4-hour diabetes class.
I added Kale, parmesan cheese and peanuts to last night's meal. YUM!
Sleep well tonight and dream of this.......
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