A few months ago, I saw an email in my inbox from my contact at Triathlete Magazine. I assumed it was a request for an article so I opened it to see what topic I was asked to write about. Well, to my surprise, the email was to inform me that Triathlete magazine wanted to feature me in an article! I was shocked, surprised and honored. Although the article was just one page, I found it to be a fantastic opportunity to share my messages on how I fuel my body.
In today's society, female athletes are bombarded with unrealistic body images and misleading nutrition advice. As an athlete, you can't let these images and misinformation derail you from achieving athletic excellence in your own personal athletic journey. As an athlete and as a nutrition professional (and coach), I want to be a good role model for female athletes of all ages. As a strong, confident and healthy female athlete, I aspire to encourage other female athletes to use sport as a healthy outlet to build confidence, strength and to improve health. I feel honored that I can do amazing things with my body through the sport of triathlon but the dedication to training and to my diet does not come from a place of body image. Instead, I train and eat for health and performance.
It's no surprise that I keep my body fit and healthy through consistent training and good daily nutrition choices. And with this dedication, I am able to do amazing things with my body on race day. However, my training work ethic and enjoyment for healthy eating is not forced, obsessive or extreme. I have no rules in my diet, I use sport nutrition regularly, I eat before all workouts, I love carbohydrates, I am a 25-year vegetarian and I have a very flexible diet. I don't count my training miles or volume, I don't feel guilty if I have to modify a workout and I don't make training my life.
In today's society, female athletes are bombarded with unrealistic body images and misleading nutrition advice. As an athlete, you can't let these images and misinformation derail you from achieving athletic excellence in your own personal athletic journey. As an athlete and as a nutrition professional (and coach), I want to be a good role model for female athletes of all ages. As a strong, confident and healthy female athlete, I aspire to encourage other female athletes to use sport as a healthy outlet to build confidence, strength and to improve health. I feel honored that I can do amazing things with my body through the sport of triathlon but the dedication to training and to my diet does not come from a place of body image. Instead, I train and eat for health and performance.
It's no surprise that I keep my body fit and healthy through consistent training and good daily nutrition choices. And with this dedication, I am able to do amazing things with my body on race day. However, my training work ethic and enjoyment for healthy eating is not forced, obsessive or extreme. I have no rules in my diet, I use sport nutrition regularly, I eat before all workouts, I love carbohydrates, I am a 25-year vegetarian and I have a very flexible diet. I don't count my training miles or volume, I don't feel guilty if I have to modify a workout and I don't make training my life.
While this Triathlete article is just a short snapshot of my life as an athlete, I hope that I can continue to inspire, educate and motivate female (and male) athletes, of all ages and in all sports to see value and worth in your body for it has a lot of strengths and a lot of capabilities.
I encourage you to thank your body every day for it's physical abilities.
As an athlete, you can't achieve much on race day with just an image.