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Showing posts from March 22, 2020

Happy 73rd Birthday Dad!

Dear dad, Happy Birthday! Wow - I can't believe you would be 73 years old today. I can't help but remember all the times I used to forget your birthday (until mom would call me to remind me). I was quick to make you a last minute gift but I never rushed to find you the perfect birthday card to reflect your love of tools, cars, carpentry and electronics. It's been nearly six years since you lost your 10-month fight with cancer and each year since, I've kept note of your birthday so that I will never forget it. Although a day doesn't go by that I don't think about you and wish you were still here, your birthday makes me miss you a lot more than usual. Over the past six years, I've missed sharing my accomplishments with you. You were always my biggest fan and supporter. Can you believe I wrote three books! You always told me that I would be an author one day. You always believed in me. I still remember all the times in high school, college, ...

Nutrition staples for quarentined athletes

I recently had the honor of chatting with Haley at  Live Fiesty  and I provided some helpful tips for endurance athletes who may be grocery shopping under restricted conditions or with low frequency during quarantine. Here's the video to enjoy - thank you again Live Fiesty, Haley and IronWomen for the opportunity to chat! Here are my typical kitchen staples (not limited to just the following): Pantry  Herbs, spices, oil, baking "stuff"  Tomatoes (diced, whole, pureed, tomato sauce) Beans (garbanzo, kidney, black beans, navy, chickpeas, chili beans) and lentils - canned and dry. Variety of whole grains and rice (farro, quinoa, wild rice, basmati) Potatoes Soups. While you can make your own soup with the above ingredients, having a few cans ready to go for convenience. Semi-homemade – can of soup + fresh or frozen veggies. Canned fish (tuna, salmon, sardines) Canned fruits and vegetables (low sodium/sugar) Fortified cereal Pretzels Peanut but...

Dealing with uncertain times

When faced with uncertainty, our minds have the tendency to trick us into thinking the worst of situations. When things feel out of your control, the best place to direct your energy is on YOU. The better you are with your mental, emotional and physical health, the healthier you will stay. And when you are in good health, you are able to show up to life - being there for your family, friends, coworkers, employees and community.  Here are a few strategies to help you stay well during uncertain times: Take care of your body. Focus on nutritious meals and snacks, eat every 2-3 hours, schedule your workouts into your daily to-do list, get restful sleep and choose healthy coping mechanisms (not alcohol, drugs, pain killers, etc.) Breathe. If you find yourself stressed and overwhelmed, stop what you are doing and take deep breaths for a few minutes. When you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down ad relax, which then sends the same message to the rest of...

Looking after your mental health

Physical activity is a powerful drug. It can help shift the tide when you are feeling anxious, overwhelmed, sad, worried, frustrated or dealing with a major stressor in life. Daily exercise not only has a positive impact on depression, anxiety, ADHD and PTSD but it is also plays a role in addiction recovery. Because addiction is an illness that changes the structure of the brain and involves compulsive behaviors, exercise can serve as a healthy way to reduce the reduce the risk of relying on alcohol or drugs to cope with emotions. While staying physically active can help you get through difficult times, it may only temporarily numb the emotions that you are feeling. While I try to do my best to keep others motivated and positived through tough times, I know I can only do so much. To offer some help during this time, my amazing friend  Dr. G  (who also happens to be an incredible clinical sport psychologist) will be joining me LIVE on Facebook (at Trimarni Coaching an...

Social distancing and disordered eating

We typically view food as a form of fuel, nourishment, comfort and pleasure. But when you are social distancing, under a strict quarentine, worrying about the outside world and struggling with the unknown, it may be easy to combat stress levels with your food choices. Anxiety, stress and loss of control can bring on a lot of different emotions, which can affect how you eat. Emotions like sadness, fear, lack of productivity, finacial stress, boredom and loneliness - especially with fewer social interactions and a change of routine - may lead to an increase (or development) of disordered eating behaviors. If you've recently found yourself looking to food and exercise as an outlet to cope with stress and uncertainty, it's important to be compassionate and kind to yourself during this time. Restriction, mindlessly snacking or using alcohol to numb emotions doesn't solve problems. Long term it may cause serious physical and mental health problems. To help you maintain...