Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

You've probably noticed the sudden increase of ads and commercials promoting certain diet products and plans to help you lose weight and get healthy in 2018. As a dietitian who specializes in endurance sports, I carefully equip and brace myself for the bombardment of diet/nutrition/wellness information as the diet industry does an exceptional job to guilt you into a style of eating that claims to change your life and help you finally reach your weight loss goals or improve your health. But let's get real....in about 18-30 days, most people have wasted a few weeks of life, all to eventually return back to old lifestlye habits. I'm always amazed with the attention that people place on "healthy eating," making it so complicated and extreme. If you are confused as to the "best" way to eat , there's a good chance that you are searching for the best way to get back on track with healthy eating after all of the holiday indulging. There's absolu...

I love waffles.....And pancakes.....And french toast. I love breakfast foods. As a lifelong swimmer, my morning would typically start very very early. I can remember many alarms being set for around 4:15-4:30am as I would need to make my way to the swimming pool for 5:00 or 5:30 am swim practice. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year....for about ten years in a row, I spent many of mornings in a dark, cold pool, following the black line for an hour or two in the morning, only to do it again in the afternoon. You'd think that I'd be burnt out from swimming but I still love to swim. Although now I prefer a slightly later start for my swim workouts, shorter workouts (3000-4000 yards versus 7000+ yards) and water temperature around 80-82 degrees versus 78-80 degrees. One of my favorite parts about my morning swim practice was the meal that came after the workout. With my appetite building as the yards went by, I couldn't wait to devour food (and ...

The holidays are a special time of the year because every family has its own special traditional celebration. And when you only celebrate a tradition once a year, you look forward to it year after year. Because traditions are important, there's a good chance that you spend the necessary time and effort on the traditions that make the holiday extra special for you and your family/friends.  Consider your favorite movie, song, meal, dessert or game that you always look forward to on your favorite holiday. When something occurs only once a year, on a very special occasion , it's much more enjoyed compared to taking part in that tradition week after week, month after month. Let's not forget about the meaning behind the rituals, traditions and celebrations that have been in your family for longer than you can remember.  If you are someone who gets overwhelmed and annoyed with a holiday that is heavily commercialized, consider exploring (or better yet, celebrating), a...

One of the best things about the holiday season is to reflect, look ahead at the coming year and to express gratitude to our supporters, friends and followers.  On behalf of the Trimarni team, we would like to give you a big THANK YOU. Wishing you a healthy, happy, loving and joyful holiday.  -The Trimarni Team (Marni, Karel, Joe and Joey)

Motivation is the most significant predictor of success. But as you, motivation is sometimes hard to find and very hard to keep. While it's well known that motivation requires breaking habits and behavior patterns, motivation can also come from something deep inside - an internal drive that fosters action.  Whereas sometimes we feel that "pressure" inside to train, eat better or make a lifestyle change, it's important that you are able to stay motivated in the face of obstacles, fatigue, boredom, stress, distractions and oh yes, the holiday season that seems to be oh-so-busy!   Motivation is different for everyone. Explore your unique motivation that drives you to work toward your goals. Instead of feeling pressure to do something, feel inspired to do something.  Instead of lowering your goals to match your struggling motivation, boost your effort to reach your goals. I know this is a very busy time of the year but I'd like to share a persona...

It's been a busy week for us with the launch of our new Trimarni coffee blends , and well as everything else that we have on our daily plate - coaching, nutrition consults, RETUL bike fits and training. Alongside the time that I give to my business (which feels like non-stop, all day, 7-days a week), I make sure to schedule in time for sleep, cooking and eating and exercise. I don't feel it's selfish to take care of my health and to make sure I give myself "me time." For anyone who is super busy (who isn't??), time management is key. Every person has their own "style" of time management and for me, I need a written to-do list alongside my Google calendar for consultations, private and group training camps and article deadlines. Karel uses his phone calendar. Because there will never be enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished, it's important to make the most of the time that you have. If you are struggling to take care of your he...

On Sunday, I shared my frustration with my body during my long run and my failed attempt at a new pancake recipe on the Trimarni Facebook page.  I accept that life isn't all rainbows and sunshine but I try to always see the positive in every situation as this is how my dad lived every day of his life.  It's important to shift the content or context of your thoughts so that your thinking can be useful and purposeful rather than negative and unproductive. We all experience a rush of thoughts every hour of every day and with reframing, we can adjust the frame through which we perceive and describe ourselves. Back in August 2010, I was finishing my first rotation in my dietetic internship and also training for Ironman Wisconsin. I had a super packedweek of interning along side trying to squeeze in training for an Ironman. This was my week of interning: Monday - Hospice at Mayo Campus (charting notes for patients) Tues - UNF counseling for students Wednesday - Community ...

If you have ever traveled abroad, you may have noticed that the coffee culture in Europe is a little different than what we are use to in North America. This picture of an espresso from McDonald's in Austria says it all..... Although you may find Europeans drinking their coffee on the go, there is a greater purpose to coffee drinking beyond the caffeine-fix. As a European, it's no wonder that Karel takes his coffee drinking very seriously. Karel knows good coffee from well, not-so-good coffee. Karel wants a small portion of good quality coffee beans to be savored and enjoyed slowly from a small cup. Karel even got rid of our coffee maker machine as he finds joy in "making" his coffee. Whether it's from his french press, espresso machine or a stovetop percolator, Karel loves his morning cup(s) of coffee. As I mentioned above, Karel doesn't drink coffee for the caffeine fix. He truly appreciates the flavor, history and story behind the cof...

Ask me to train at an aerobic effort for several hours and I will gladly say yes please. My body was  trained/built for endurance and I love going the distance. As for intense workouts, they scare the heck out of me! Sprint - no thank you! Whenever my heart beats out of my chest, I can hardly catch my breath and my body aches, I feel so incredibly uncomfortable, my first thought is to lower the intensity or just give up. There have been countless times when I was training with Karel and I tell him "I can't do this, I need to give up" (or think those things in a race) and by simply saying this outside, I immediately call myself out on my negative thinking and stay persistent until I finish what I started. I have learned that if you want to excel in something, you have to step outside of your comfort zone and do the things that you are not good at (or what scares you). Nothing great will come from always doing what you are great at. As it relates to training/working out,...

Comparison stings.  Compassion motivates you to go out of your way to help others.  Comparison negatively affects your confidence and self worth. Compassion focuses on others instead of yourself, trying to understand another person's perspective.  If you find yourself in a daily competition with people who make you feel inadequate, direct your energy elsewhere and start caring about the things and people in life that give you a bigger meaning and purpose.  There are far too many people in this world who experience sadness, stress, pain, disappointments, insecurities, anxiety or depression on a daily basis, which is far from the picture-perfect life that is often depicted on social media. Compassion helps us recognize the good in people and reminds us that we all want to be loved, safe, healthy and happy. Be mindful of where you spend your energy. With less comparison and more compassion, you will put yourself into a world where there is less judgement...

It's difficult to put "healthy" and "dessert" into one category.  For me, if I am going to indulge, I don't need the item to be classified as "healthy" as I want all of the real goodness that comes in an indulging homemade treat. The idea of a healthy brownie is a bit of a paradox but I suppose there is a bit of a nutritional boost when you add black beans to a brownie recipe.  Black beans are an excellent source of fiber, folate, iron and magnesium, while also providing a good amount of protein per serving. They also contain high concentrations of anthocyanins, which give foods a dark color and a heart-healthy benefit, like acting as an anti-inflammatory. I was scrolling through an old recipe from the 2013 September/October issue of Food and Nutrition magazine and I came across a Fudgy Black Bean Brownie recipe on pg 19. I was craving a treat so I gathered all the necessary ingredients and went to my kitchen to start baking. Enjoy! If you a...

We are very lucky that we live in a southern city that provides us with all four seasons throughout the year. But even better, we can train outside year round. However, once or twice a year we get a beautiful snowfall in Greenville, SC. which forces us to train inside. On Friday late morning, after our morning swim and strength session, we were shocked to see the rain turn into fluffy white snowflakes. We had over 24 hours of constant snow falling from the sky and it was absolutely beautiful. Although I was loving the change of scenery in our tree-filled backyard, Campy was not impressed as he is not a fan of anything cold and wet. I suppose when you are a 12-lb dog and live in a world where you can never be too warm or have too many blankets on top of you, there's nothing fun about voluntarily stepping outside, onto the cold, wet ground. As for training, it was a nice change to spend two hours on my Tacx trainer with an hour of very specific variable cadence work. The main se...

It's a pretty cool experience when you can learn from an Olympian and Ironman champion. On Tuesday evening, we had the honor of hosting an event at the Carolina Triathlon store with guest speaker Dirk Bockel . Recently retired professional triathlete, Dirk brings 27 years of experience, knowledge, stories, wisdom and strategies to help triathletes feel prepared for a race. But this isn't just another triathlon training book. Dirk's passion for the sport of triathlon has helped him navigate through the stressors of life, surviving many lows that went along with his highs. In his book, he shares with us his strategies for how to create a successful and enjoyable triathlon journey. During the talk, there were a few big takeaways that I found very beneficial for athletes: Dirk performed at his best when he switched coaches and reduced his weekly training volume almost in half. Dirk placed 3rd in his first Ironman and ran sub 3 hours after overcoming a foot i...

Picture source For much of my career as a Board Certified Sport Dietitian with a Master of Science in exercise physiology, I have spent a great amount of time and energy helping athletes with their relationship with food and the body. Knowing that athletes feel a strong relationship between food and body composition relating to athletic success, I have never refrained from speaking about this topic openly and honestly for many years in an effort to help athletes stay healthy throughout a sporting career (and for many more decades to come). I have even reached out to many magazines (and publishing companies) to write more about the topic of body image and athletes but my pitches are often denied and in exchange, I am asked to write about the latest diet fad or nutrition strategy to help athletes gain the competitive edge. In light of another recent social media  post involving a professional athlete discussing body image struggles and restrictive eating measures, I am remind...

Over the past few weeks, Karel and I have been enjoying the occasional longish swim to start our Saturday morning. There's something about a long swim that revs up the appetite (not complaining). I remember back to my high school and college swimming days when that Saturday morning swim was complete it meant two things: 1) I could officially start my weekend. 2) Eat. All. The. Food! During our swim this past Saturday, the image of cinnamon rolls kept popping into my head. If you know me well, you know that I love cinnamon rolls because well, I love cinnamon and bread. Rather than heading to a bakery to buy a cinnamon roll, I decided to take my first attempt at making homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch. I found a recipe that was super easy to follow so after my recovery drink, I started baking (well, first I had to make a quick stop to the grocery when I realized we were out of flour!). Enjoy this tasty recipe! Super simple homemade cinnamon rolls        ...

For a health conscious athlete, it can be tough to find that perfect holiday gift that supports an active and healthy lifestyle. Whether your friend/family member appears as if he/she already has everything training/nutrition/cooking/gear related or you are stumped finding that special present that caters to caters to a healthier lifestyle, I have a few affordable gift options that may just do the trick (and when you purchase a gift from these companies, you are also supporting small/growing businesses). Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow.  Price: $22.49 If your health conscious athlete likes to cook (or eat healthy), there's probably a good chance that your special athletic someone already has the Run Fast Eat Slow cookbook.  Although the next version of this cookbook will not be released until August 2018, surprise your friend/family member with a pre-order the cookbook so that he/she will be the first to try out the new recipes (for hangry athletes) next summer. ...

High fives for a successful 2017 racing season! At the end of every season, Karel and I sit down and talk about our coaching methods. We discuss what worked and what didn't work for each athlete and for our athletes as a whole. We evaluate the workouts that most of our athletes benefited from and should be repeated in the upcoming season and what workouts can be discarded. We talk about everything like our education delivery, how we communicate with our athletes, creating the ideal taper week for a half or full distance Ironman, how to best bring our athletes together as a team, the placement of certain workouts and how to keep our athletes healthy, motivated and enjoying the training journey. This discussion allows us to keep learning and so our workouts do not become stale and boring (no athlete likes stale and boring training). We put a lot of thought into our training and although it's a ton of work, we don't repeat the same training after year. This is not lim...