Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

It was 19 years ago when I trained for my first Ironman. I was 23 years old. I knew about the Ironman from the NBC coverage of the Ironman World Championship in Kona but I only knew a few people who had finished an Ironman distance triathlon. Back then, I felt alone in my Ironman journey. In 2006, I wasn't actively involved with social media. Facebook was still in it's infancy and Instagram didn't exist. As I was preparing for my first Ironman, I didn't find myself comparing my journey to anyone else because I had nothing and no one to compare it to. I didn't feel inclined to buy fancy gadgets or use specific nutrition products. I wasn't being "influenced" to buy certain things on social media. After the race, I had to call my friends to let them know how I did in the race. I didn't feel any pressure before or during the race because there wasn't a way to track my performance. Social media has become a standard part of our lives. I'm incred...

  Today is International Women's Day. A day to celebrate women's achievement, raise awareness against bias, stereotypes and discrimination and to take action for equality. A day to move closer and to eventually achieve a gender equal world.  Although every day should be an important day to celebrate women's achievements while calling out inequality, today is an important day to remind female athletes that the power to change starts from within. When you take this approach, the world is better off.  Far too many young girls, teenagers and young adults believe that the external view of their body defines their perception of their physical self. And when a female doesn't feel good about her looks, she may be hesitant (or refuse) to participate in sports, try out for a club, join a team or lack confidence in a professional setting. Many little girls grow up idealizing certain celebrities, athletes and influencers with the idea that they must look a certain way. These girls ...

We live in an era where our quickest source of information comes from our finger tips. To help with this, professionals, experts, bloggers and influencers are eager to persuade you - their audience - by virtue of their outreach. With a large following, this builds credibility. Social media platforms are often used to deliver a message, promote a product or build a brand. As a result, trust is built and you can't help but be influenced by the advice of a stranger.   While there are countless industries out there - like travel, lifestyle,  beauty, sport, fashion and photography - most people are persuaded to "follow" people who are in the nutrition/diet/wellness/fitness/health industry. There's no denying that there is a lot hype and confusion in the media about the best diet, supplements and lifestyle strategies to achieve weight loss, change body composition, improve fitness/performance, enhance recovery and to combat aging. Far too often, this is all drive...

Throughout my teenage years, I always felt a bit like an outsider. Although I had a lot of friends in the "popular" crowd, I felt I was too unique to be part of any one group. I expressed my individuality through my words, actions and clothing. Although at times, I think I had my parents a bit worried with too much freedom to be myself, I don't think I would be who I am today without being the desire to be a little different. This desire to be different required a lot of self-confidence, which was certainly a work in progress through my teenage and adult years. As it relates to starting my own business at the age of 30, not giving up on a 6-year higher education journey (Master degree then RD credential), alongside maintaining great enjoyment for an active lifestyle for the past 25 years, I've constantly resisted the temptation to be normal - or in other words, I've boldly followed my dreams instead of choosing the safe and easy route. I never worried what ot...

As we wind down the 2015 season,  I find this a great time to talk about how social media may affect your decisions over the next few months.  First off, I'd like to share a little story.  Nine years ago I was training for my first Ironman. I was 23 years old when I registered for IMFL and I met Karel on my birthday (when I turned 24).  Even though I had a lot of friends who were triathletes, I didn't know a lot of people who had finished an Ironman. I was a swimmer, turned runner, turned triathlete. I knew about the history with the Kona Ironman (World Championship) but every Ironman race seemed like an extreme challenge. Karel and my parents thought I was out of my mind for wanting to put my body through a 140.6 mile event but they still supported me. In a weird way, it was really cool to feel like I was the "only" one who was doing this crazy distance triathlon.  Now you may be asking how this is even possible to feel alone i...