Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

I'm absolutely loving this Florida weather. I find is super easy to get out the door and train. Most of all...NO more looking at the ceiling while swimming!! I am often reminded of my high school swimming days where it seemed like I lived in the water. I swear I was born to be a fish. Currently, I look forward to my afternoon/early evening swims every Tues, Thurs and Sunday and it feels so nice on my body and brain, especially after a morning workout and a full day of studying. I also decided to give my car a break this afternoon, so I took my road bike on a short spin as I biked to the Y for my recovery swim late this afternoon. I am all about keeping the body moving and not feeling the need to "train" every time I "work out". Sometimes I just want to run like a kid (without a garmin), swim for time (not yardage) and spin my legs (without a bike computer). Speaking of summer, I think I am not alone when I mention my love for summer fruit. The colors, flavors an...

Every experience those salty cravings after an intense or long training session? With the temperature approaching 90 degrees, here in warm Florida, I am often at a loss for words when I see/hear the foods/drinks/concoctions that athletes create when dealing with salt cravings during and after exercise (beef jerky anyone?) It is natural to crave salt during and after training, especially if you are sweating profusely. Salt cravings may be due to mild (or severe) dehydration but I find that they are often secondary to athletes not adequately replacing lost electrolytes during exercise. From my own experience, I often crave salty foods at the end of a long weekend training session but I find that with the right recovery nutrition, adequate fluids and a little creativity with meals, I am able to subside those cravings all while replacing lost electrolytes. Because we lose more than just sodium when we sweat, it is important that we don't just reach for table salt during and immediately...

While I am trying to manage my time between training for Kona, studying for the RD exam (which I plan to take near the end of next month), coaching/nutrition and giving myself a little free time (although, I am not sure I have found that yet), I am slowly developing a routine again and it feels absolutely wonderful. For the past 10 months, I have sacrificed a lot for my education and it was stressful and exciting, all at the same time. For the past 3 years, however, my life has been consumed by all things "nutrition/dietetics" and I have welcomed so much fascinating and educational material with an open mind. I have developed a great philosophy for eating for fuel as a health-conscious, vegetarian, endurance athlete and I have been able to apply all my dietetic information to real life settings (with real athletes), thanks to my intensive 6 year education in exercise science and physiology. It is funny that in life, things often come full circle when we least expect them. So...

One of the biggest mistakes that an athlete/fitness enthusiast can make is not recovering after exercise/training. In my opinion, you can't go wrong when recovering after exercise because it is an opportunity to reward your body for the prior session of muscle catabolism and to to compensate for glycogen depletion and to return exercise-induced hormonal changes back to normal. The last issue of Triathlete Magazine got me thinking about my own recovery routine. In the June 2011 issue of Triathlete there were a few pages dedicated to recovery as well as several other tips, tricks and tools to keep you healthy and race-day ready. I find that many athletes get the "summer-training bug" and believe more is more. For me and my athletes, less is more. I believe in the process of training and developing a body that can handle the demands of training. For with periodized training, the body is more efficient at using fuels. Also, because every athlete is psychological and bioche...