Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

This morning I woke up without an alarm (long awaited!) and went for a beautiful bike ride around Athens and ended with a relaxing walk with Campy. I must say that our little furry one just loves traveling and seeing new places. He has no shortage of energy likely due to me carrying him around with large crowds to prevent him from barking at every fast-moving object and dog that he sees. And believe me, there are MANY fast moving objects here in Athens with a gazzilion bikes between college students and cyclists. Karel warmed up this morning and watched the Master 35+ race and we had lunch at our favorite Taco restaurant in downtown Athens. I just LOVE the tofu burrito and nothing beats a local restaurant. Last night we had Italian and I enjoyed my artichoke and mushroom pizza while Karel enjoyed his angel hair pasta with chicken (and some of my pizza). Thank goodness for outdoor seating because what's a trip without Campy joining us for every meal and activity. Now the waiting be...

Since 3pm on Thurs April 24th, my life changed and a HUGE weight was lifted off my back, head, shoulders, legs and body. After an incredible amount of time, dedication, hard work, sacrifice and tears, I finished the last part of my internship by receiving a passing grade on my 2-hour cummulative final (which counted for 90% of my final grade, not to mention that a B- was needed in order to pass the internship!!). After completing the pre-reqs and accredited classes for my dietetic verification statement, applying and getting into a very competitive internship and completing dozens of objectives for my 3 binders for 3 seperate rotations, passing 3 final exams, taking LOTS of quizzes and participating in 1200 min interning hours, I am now eligible for the RD exam!!! However, it isn't 100% until I see my certificate that I completed the internship but as of now, my director at Marywood University is in the process of gaterhing my paperwork to send to the CDR (Commission on Dietetic Re...

As you know, I just LOVE my recovery protein....WHEY!!! Depending on the day, my workout and upcoming meals, I often go for a big glass of skim milk post workout. However, for long workouts and days when I need a boost in protein, WHEY is just a scoop away. Here is a great link to answer all your questions about WHEY in your active and healthy diet. http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/EducationMaterials/HealthProfessionalsEducationKits/Pages/WheyProtein.aspx Here's an email I received from SCAN (SPORTS CARDIOVASCULAR and WELLNESS NUTRITION)and wanted to share it with you: As a health professional, you understand the importance of including high-­quality protein in a healthy diet to help the body function properly.1,2,3 While most Americans meet the Institute of Medicine’s Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein—0.8g/kg of body weight/day—sub-­populations, such as active adults and the elderly, may benefit from higher protein diets.4,5 Despite common beliefs that most America...

There are no off-limit foods in my place. I don't like the word "bad" when it comes to food. When it comes to other words I like to avoid in my vocabulary, skinny and fat also come to mind. I like positive words like lean or healthy, as well as foods that I like to emphasize and de-emphasize. I saw a deal for 2 for 1 Flat Out wraps at Publix and those wraps have been sitting in my freezer for some time now. I wondered if the Light Garden Spinach wrap was packed with food colorings (as are most "brightly" colored foods/candies) but I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't see a host of food dyes in the ingredients. Also, with 9 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber, at 90 calories, this may be a great option for individuals who love simple carbs but don't quite get enough protein and fiber in the diet. WATER, WHEAT GLUTEN, OAT FIBER, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SOYBEAN OIL, contains less than 2 % of each of the following: SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, MALTITOL, INA...

I was worried about my latest Marni creation. As a person who has not yet learned to appreciate the value of cauliflower in my diet, I was a bit nervous when I cut up an entire cauliflower for our dinner last night...and did not consider option B for dinner. However, as I was putting the ingredients together in my head, I had a feeling that this recipe would turn out better than expected. As the creation came together, I quickly realized that this meal had so many of my favorite foods that I probably wouldn't even notice the taste of the cauliflower. And I was right!! So what's so special about this cruciferous white vegetable? Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C and K which is great for wound healing/collagen repair and blood clotting, respectively. It is also a good source of potassium, fiber, phosphorus and B vitamins and acts as a wonderful antioxidant which helps lower the risk of oxidative stress in our cells. It is also a very good source of omega-3 fatty aci...

I wish you could smell the yummy-ness in my kitchen right now. I have a cauliflower casserole cooking away and I hope it tastes as good as it smells. I will be posting the recipe and final product tomorrow..pending the results of my last Marni creation. I read a great article in the May 2011 issue of Consumer Reports of Health , pg 8 and 9. The article was titled Choosing and using pain relievers and discussed the popularity of anti-inflammatory drugs as well as the risks. I am sure that no athlete is immune to the benefits of ibuprofen and Aleve. I know for myself I had a few ibuprofen with me during my first IM. Not knowing what "it" would feel like to participate in an IM, I forgot to take the ibuprofen and learned (after 3 more Ironman's) that no pain reliever is going to alleviate pain during an Ironman....an IM hurts no matter what and taking pain relievers are not practical solutions to reducing inflammation and soreness during the race. When it comes to anti infl...

What a beautiful weekend. Finally, I was able to enjoy some of it and not feel guilty. Despite having 1 200 question, 2 hour timed final to take before Wed, I made sure I "celebrated" my last day of interning to the fullest. After 10 weeks of "no running" (my own orders), I finally "tested" out my legs. With my intense glute/hip/hamstring/core strength training program, I found myself without any pain just 5-6 weeks after straining my hip flexors. I suppose I blame myself for not working on my weakness's early in the year (or perhaps, the past 3 years) but I am not perfect and I do not try to be perfect. I believe in learning and becoming smarter as an athlete and this injury was a blessing in disguise. Without running, I was able to maintain my strength and cardio fitness by water jogging, doing the elliptical and riding 2-3 times (at most) a week (low intensity). I absolutely love swimming so luckily, I was able to keep my 2-3 day/week swim routine. ...