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Showing posts from July 17, 2011

Eggplant, Garlic and Basil Marinara

Because I am a firm believer in balance when it comes to life and the diet, I strongly emphasize building off a plant-based diet. This way, we cover our basic (yet sometimes essential) micronutritional needs and then complement our colorful plate of vitamins and minerals with healthy fats, quality protein and complex carbs. In order to support my training needs, I always start my day with a filling carbohydrate and protein-rich breakfast. This happens after I have my pre-training snack, which is followed by my training nutrition (which varies depending on the volume and intensity of my am workout) which is then followed by my recovery snack. Even though I do not personally count calories in my diet, I find it helpful to focus on my "daily" meals and snacks as foods which help keep me healthy and strong. As for pre, during and post training fuels, I never skimp on necessary nutrition which helps me gain from my quality training. I find that so many athletes struggle in the a...

Plates Not Pills: Vitamin C

I've always enjoyed writing. My brain feels heavy when it is overwhelmed with thoughts but getting them on paper is very relieving. My undergraduate education was at Transylvania University (http://www.transy.edu/) and is ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in America. I spent 21 years of my life in Lexington, KY and it wasn't until I moved to Florida (for Graduate school at Florida Atlantic University, Davie Campus) that I really discovered my niche for writing. While I believe there are many amazing writers out there, who expresses their thoughts in a profound way (making me think "wish I could write like that!"), I find that writing is a way for me to connect to others based on how I live my daily life. I would find it rather hard to write these lengthy and informative blogs if I didn't believe my words and act on them on a daily basis. I don't believe in being the blog where it's "do as I say, not as I do". However, along those same li...

Individual choices

Back in 1993, I came home from middle school and told my mom and dad that I was going to be a vegetarian. I'm sure they thought that it was just an adolescent phase, but they had no problem with me choosing to "not kill animals". I remember throwing away my lunch (chicken patty) and for some reason, I felt as if giving up meat was my way of giving my respect to animals. All my life I have adored all animals, creatures and anything that crawls, slithers and wiggles and still to this day, I believe that anything that breathes the same air as me, has feelings. At the age of 11, I had no thoughts as to how being a vegetarian would impact my health but I knew that once I called myself a vegetarian, I would always be a vegetarian. It's been around 18 years since I have eaten meat and fish and truthfully, I couldn't imagine my life any other way. It's apparent that I do not endorse a vegetarian diet because I am not here to tell you what not to eat, but rather what ...

Interview

While in Napa for the Oakley Women Fitness retreat, I met some amazing women. (Photo by Shawn Parkin) More like 100 talented women, from magazine editors to Oakley employees. Then there were the 10 of us that were selected to be Oakley Women ambassadors. We all have different lifestyles but share a similar passion for health and fitness. Above all, we all are individuals and each of us perform beautifully (in our own way) on a daily basis. Recently, my friend Brittany asked if she could do an interview with me and I was delighted to answer her questions. Brittany is very interested in living a healthier life, with enjoyment and positive energy. She posts wonderful quotes on her FB page which always make me smile. With a background in Journalism and Creative Writing, Brittany , who is also a freelance writer and model, really made me think with her questions..but in a great way. Thanks to Brittany for the interview!! We hope you enjoy it! Story Saturday: Marni...

Monday Product Review

Gear As a triathlete, I am concerned about my safety on a daily basis...specifically when I train. Since I am training for an Ironman, that means a lot of weekly hours outdoors. So when I choose gear for training, I always look for the added bonus of the product keeping me safe. I think athletes often overlook sunglasses because of the price. Why buy a $200 pair of sunglasses when you can buy a $60 pair. I was the same way until Karel introduced me to Oakley while training for my second Ironman (Kona) and suddenly my headaches went away when I trained, my sunglasses stopped slipping off my face and I felt as if I could see more clearly without feeling like I was wearing anything heavy on my face. Sunglasses are one of the most important products to keeping you safe (next to your helmet when riding your bike) while riding and running. My dad, who is an optometrist, would be very upset at me if I didn't tell you all to wear your sunglasses when training. I have several pairs...

Life is so sweet

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.”