Thank you 110% play harder, Oakley women and Hammer Nutrition!!
Also, a big thanks to the Tri Warriors for letting me speak about two topics that I am so very passionate about...sport nutrition/fueling and recovery. My camera decided to stop video recording in the middle of the talk so I plan on doing a similar lecture in Jacksonville in the near future so I will be sure to record that and share on my blog and follow up with a handout on my website Trimarnicoach.com (Check the Recent News - EVENTS AND MEDIA for more info as I will often update this page with helpful info and upcoming events).
Alongside talking in great detail about the physiology of the body and how important it is to prioritize sport nutrition during training, I really enjoyed talking about some of my favorite products for recovery.
Over the past few years, I've learned how to train harder by recovering faster. Rather than trying to train more, I train smarter.
Here are my top 4 suggestions for athletes (and fitness enthusiasts) who want to take their training to the next level:
1) Can your training be enhanced with a better recovery routine? My philosophy is train hard but recover harder. A weekly rest day isn't always necessary but assess other areas in your life (work, sleep, meal prep, committments, travel, family, friends, etc.) that may be pushed aside because of your dedication to scheduled training. I encourage at least one day a week where you wake up without an alarm, enjoy a slower-than-normal day (you know you will train tomorrow, what's one day of doing nothing?), take a walk and provide yourself with a day that encourages productivity the rest of the week.
b) Can you work on your daily diet, to ensure adequate nutrient-intake to enhance training? Keep in mind that achieving success in athletics and with your body composition starts with having a healthy relationship with food and appreciating the fuel you put inside your body. Certainly, you don't have to run marathons or do an Ironman or call yourself a triathlete to be a healthy weight or to live an active lifestyle. It is within the daily diet that you can fuel workouts, boost metabolism, increase lean muscle mass and improve immune system. Not to mention increase longevity and reduce risk for disease and illness. Health first, performance second.
c) Are you getting adequate sleep or is stress affecting your ability to enhance performance? Two words - consistency and balance. Are you consistently monitoring your daily limiters that are affecting your overall lifestyle routine? If you are trying to squeeze in a cardio workout before or after work but find yourself neglecting other important areas of your life (ex. strength training, yoga, sleeping, meal prep/eating at home, spending time with loved ones, etc.) that can bring you balance and consistency, assess your current training plan and how it may not be working to your advantage. We all have the same number of hours in a day, but it is a case-by-case basis on how you need or want to use them.
d) Do you train with gadgets AND do you understand how to use your training gadgets for quality training? Training Peaks, Golden Cheetah and Garmin are three great software programs that are FREE that you can download your data and analyze it. After you optimize daily nutrition for optimal health and maximize sport nutrition for fitness gains, it’s important that your training plan is designed to allow for the most optimal performance gains with the least amount of stress. You don't have to be a coach or exercise physiologist to spend 5-10 minutes after your workout, looking over your training data and seeing what your body is doing during training. I do not encourage any athlete to just train more miles/volume or to train harder. Learn how to train smarter. I believe in a quality over quantity approach to training and that means addressing the many areas in your lifestyle as well as gadgets and products available to you, that may enhance your training routine. And no matter what fitness level you are at, you ARE worthy of these products so don’t think you have to be a professional to wear compression socks, have a Garmin, wear quality training clothing and sunglasses or train with a power meter.
I hope you enjoy my yummy avocado dip. I am assuming that you will like it since I had an empty bowl by the end of my talk.
Sun-dried tomato avocado dip
1 avocado
1 container Fage 0% greek yogurt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2-3 tsp parmesan cheese (to taste)
Pinch of thyme
1 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1. Combine in container, mix well with fork.
2. Refrigerate.
I received great reviews on my dip creation, alongside introducing many of the athletes to WASA crackers. I absolutely LOVE WASA crackers as they are often my regular pre-training snack (with Smuckers Natural creamy peanut butter) for workouts during the week. Karel likes them as a post-dinner snack, with a smear of hummus and spicy Cabot cheese or Farmers cheese.
Also, a big thanks to the Tri Warriors for letting me speak about two topics that I am so very passionate about...sport nutrition/fueling and recovery. My camera decided to stop video recording in the middle of the talk so I plan on doing a similar lecture in Jacksonville in the near future so I will be sure to record that and share on my blog and follow up with a handout on my website Trimarnicoach.com (Check the Recent News - EVENTS AND MEDIA for more info as I will often update this page with helpful info and upcoming events).
Alongside talking in great detail about the physiology of the body and how important it is to prioritize sport nutrition during training, I really enjoyed talking about some of my favorite products for recovery.
Over the past few years, I've learned how to train harder by recovering faster. Rather than trying to train more, I train smarter.
Here are my top 4 suggestions for athletes (and fitness enthusiasts) who want to take their training to the next level:
1) Can your training be enhanced with a better recovery routine? My philosophy is train hard but recover harder. A weekly rest day isn't always necessary but assess other areas in your life (work, sleep, meal prep, committments, travel, family, friends, etc.) that may be pushed aside because of your dedication to scheduled training. I encourage at least one day a week where you wake up without an alarm, enjoy a slower-than-normal day (you know you will train tomorrow, what's one day of doing nothing?), take a walk and provide yourself with a day that encourages productivity the rest of the week.
b) Can you work on your daily diet, to ensure adequate nutrient-intake to enhance training? Keep in mind that achieving success in athletics and with your body composition starts with having a healthy relationship with food and appreciating the fuel you put inside your body. Certainly, you don't have to run marathons or do an Ironman or call yourself a triathlete to be a healthy weight or to live an active lifestyle. It is within the daily diet that you can fuel workouts, boost metabolism, increase lean muscle mass and improve immune system. Not to mention increase longevity and reduce risk for disease and illness. Health first, performance second.
c) Are you getting adequate sleep or is stress affecting your ability to enhance performance? Two words - consistency and balance. Are you consistently monitoring your daily limiters that are affecting your overall lifestyle routine? If you are trying to squeeze in a cardio workout before or after work but find yourself neglecting other important areas of your life (ex. strength training, yoga, sleeping, meal prep/eating at home, spending time with loved ones, etc.) that can bring you balance and consistency, assess your current training plan and how it may not be working to your advantage. We all have the same number of hours in a day, but it is a case-by-case basis on how you need or want to use them.
d) Do you train with gadgets AND do you understand how to use your training gadgets for quality training? Training Peaks, Golden Cheetah and Garmin are three great software programs that are FREE that you can download your data and analyze it. After you optimize daily nutrition for optimal health and maximize sport nutrition for fitness gains, it’s important that your training plan is designed to allow for the most optimal performance gains with the least amount of stress. You don't have to be a coach or exercise physiologist to spend 5-10 minutes after your workout, looking over your training data and seeing what your body is doing during training. I do not encourage any athlete to just train more miles/volume or to train harder. Learn how to train smarter. I believe in a quality over quantity approach to training and that means addressing the many areas in your lifestyle as well as gadgets and products available to you, that may enhance your training routine. And no matter what fitness level you are at, you ARE worthy of these products so don’t think you have to be a professional to wear compression socks, have a Garmin, wear quality training clothing and sunglasses or train with a power meter.
I hope you enjoy my yummy avocado dip. I am assuming that you will like it since I had an empty bowl by the end of my talk.
Sun-dried tomato avocado dip
1 avocado
1 container Fage 0% greek yogurt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2-3 tsp parmesan cheese (to taste)
Pinch of thyme
1 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1. Combine in container, mix well with fork.
2. Refrigerate.
I received great reviews on my dip creation, alongside introducing many of the athletes to WASA crackers. I absolutely LOVE WASA crackers as they are often my regular pre-training snack (with Smuckers Natural creamy peanut butter) for workouts during the week. Karel likes them as a post-dinner snack, with a smear of hummus and spicy Cabot cheese or Farmers cheese.