Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

The line separating fasted workouts from disordered eating can become blurry for athletes. Proponents claim that fasted workouts have several significant health and performance benefits. The main reasons why athletes perform fasted training include: Increasing the rate in which your muscles use fat for fuel  Sparing glycogen stores   Increasing mitochondrial density Fat oxidation refers to the process of breaking down fatty acids. To oxidize fat, you need:  Healthy mitochondria (the powerhouse of cells where chemical energy is generated to power the cell's biochemical reactions).  Fat molecules (specifically triglycerides) to be broken down into glycerol and fatty acids. Fatty acids are then transported to cells and undergo a series of reactions (beta-oxidation) to produce acetyl-CoA to enter the citric acid cycle to generate energy. Oxygen (transported to the muscles by blood). Fat cannot be burned (or oxidized) without the presence of oxygen.  While there...

The holiday season is a time of socializing, celebration and reunions. It's a time when families, coworkers and friends gather together around food. For those struggling with an unhealthy relationship with food and the body, the holiday season may not be so bright and merry. If you experience great emotional stress around the holiday season, you are not alone. Here are some reasons why the holidays can be so stressful when it come to food: Fear of weight gain. Too many food items available. Guilt around indulging. Feeling weak or out of control. Stress and anxiety. Uncomfortable being seen eating food. Pressure or comments when eating. Worry of offending others. Struggling with "normal" food portions. Remarks about body weight/size. Inability to recognize fullness. Eating on another person's schedule. Having tools to manage triggers and unhealthy thoughts can help you maintain a healthy relationship with food and the body so you can fully enjoy the holidays. Here are...

Height, hair color, eye color, skin color. We can't control or determine these things when we are born. Yet we are taught that we can (and should) force our bodies to achieve a specific shape, weight, size and appearance. We are fed information that our weight matters, even if it comes at a cost of our mental and physical health. But not all bodies are set to be at a specific body composition. Every human has a specific weight range for their body to function optimally. If you've forgotten or failed to learn the importance of maintaining a healthy weight, you may be familiar with the difficulty and frustration of restricting food in an effort to change your body composition. Trying to achieve or maintain a body composition that goes below your body's set point often by restricting energy or over-exercising impairs the functioning of your body. No matter how hard you fight, your body will fight back to stay within a range where your body operates and functions optimally. The...

It's been interesting to hear the reactions to Kara Goucher's recent Facebook post which was a response to the body shaming within Oregon's Track and Field program ). From "amen" and "enough is enough" to "she's so thin, what is she talking about" and "she has body dysmorphia if she thinks she has fat" the feedback has been mixed. I assume that most reactions to the Oregon situation of fat shaming and eating disorders are outrage and sadness whereas some people are finding it hard to believe that an athlete like Kara Goucher would have body image issues - especially when the pictures she posted were what appeared to be a lean and fit athlete. There's a lot to unpack here but I will try my best without writing a book on this topic. Although I've probably written over a hundred articles/blogs on this topic so I could very well turn that into a book. Nonetheless, here we go.....how did we get here? Diet Culture Diet ...

An eating disorder distorts the way you think about food and your body, causing you to eat and exercise in a way that can be harmful to your mental and physical health. A critical step in eating disorder recovery is working through counterproductive and destructive thoughts, emotions and behaviors - not just relating to food and the body but also with self-esteem, confidence, control and perfectionism. To fuel, nourish and train in a way that will optimize performance and to become more comfortable and confident with your body image, it's necessary to break away from unhealthy food and exercise-related behaviors and to challenge and fight against disordered thoughts. Keep in mind that the weight/body image that you think you need to perform well in sport will likely be different than the body composition/weight that allows you to train and race in a way that supports your physical and mental health. An eating disorder is not about food. Body weight is also not the issue. The body c...

Whether you're a casual jogger or an experienced athlete, you may believe that changing your body composition to reduce body fat levels will help you reach your athletic goals, improve your self-worth or feel more like an athlete. After all, how many times have you heard that lightening-up will speed you up? Don’t be quick to believe everything that you hear. With any type of sport, it’s normal to look to others and see where you stack up based on performance, training volume, and body type. Although exercise can be a great activity to improve your overall health, there’s a downside to competitive leanness.....chasing the idea that weighing less will enhance performance can deprive you of the fuel and nutrients you need to optimize performance and maintain great health. The media is oversaturated with images of athletes with six-pack abs, low body fat levels, lean arms, and long slender legs. Constant exposure to these images can make you believe that you're not good enough —i...

“The goal of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is to shine the spotlight on eating disorders by educating the public, spreading a message of hope, and putting lifesaving resources into the hands of those in need.” According to the the Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness , 29 million Americans will experience a clinically significant eating disorder during their lifetime. Yet, only one-third of people with eating disorders will ever receive treatment. Eating Disorders Awareness Week was developed to reduce the stigma, raise awareness and provide better access to support for those suffering from an eating disorder. In a field where marginalized communities continue to be underrepresented, it's important to welcome conversations on raising awareness, challenging systemic biases, and sharing stories from all backgrounds and experiences ( NEDA ). If you or a loved one is currently struggling with an eating disorder, it’s important to know that you are not alone. Know that a li...

  Should we be surprised in our diet crazed, body image obsessed society? Research shows that almost 75% of athletes do not eat enough calories to fuel workouts and to perform to full capabilities on event day. Some of this is unintentional as many athletes underestimate how much food/calories are needed to keep the metabolic processes functioning well with the added load that exercise brings to the body. But undereating is not always unintentional. For a large number of athletes, undereating is intentional and purposeful.  Asking your energy-deprived body to perform doesn't make much sense but sadly, far too many athletes intentionally restrict food intake (specifically carbohydrates) - often to lose weight, become more metabolically efficient or to change body composition.  Although it's clear that committing to adequately fuel your body can improve performance, reduce the risk for injury and enhance well-being, far too many athletes are more motivated to undereat - tha...

Drive is often the fuel that keeps you motivated to achieve a goal. But a powerful need to succeed can be driven by a fear of failure or constantly comparing yourself to others (or a past version of yourself). The more successful you become in each step of your athletic journey, the more afraid of failure you can become. As a result, you may find yourself compromising your values - and your mental and physical health. The state of being driven can become addictive.  Being intrinsically motivated is required in any successful individual. To work hard and relentlessly pursue a goal with determination is a great quality.  Although drive can be a great thing (when you use it in the right ways), it can also lead to a single-focused mindset. When you are too driven, it can be difficult to switch "off" which can make it difficult to respect your health and well-being.  As an athlete, the competitive nature and strong discipline that can make you a great athlete may also place yo...

  Picture source. Holly Harris.  The holidays can be a stressful time for those in eating disorder or disordered eating recovery. The current pandemic certainly adds another level of stress, anxiety and worry during this holiday season.  Holiday meals can be triggering for those who seek control over food and have (or had) an unhealthy relationship with food and the body. Eating with others (even virtually) may bring an overwhelming amount of uncomfortable feelings. Whether you are afraid of gaining weight, trying new foods or binge eating, you dread the uneasy body image and diet conversations with family or you fear being unable to "burn off" the calories with your typical early morning T-day workout, you may find it hard to be kind to yourself during this holiday season.  Although I am not advocating eating with members outside of your household (remember - we still have a deadly and highly contagious virus spreading quickly throughout our country), here are a few...

We live in a society where we are constantly being told that losing weight is good and gaining weight is bad. Although segments of the population may benefit from dietary changes that will promote healthy weight loss to reduce the complications from metabolic syndrome, many individuals (particularly athletes) are constantly striving for a smaller version of themselves.  Often times - as a result of undereating, dieting, overtraining and underfueling - physical health gets destroyed and emotional well-being becomes compromised.  You are not born hating your body. You are not born fearing weight gain. You learn to feel fat. Thanks to a society that believes that gaining weight in any context is shameful, unhealthy and bad, you grow into hating your body. Society is constantly trying to sell you the idea that you will never be good enough the way that you are. That you would be happier, healthier or fitter if you weighed less, had less fat around your stomach or toned up your arm...

We are all experiencing challenges during which words just can't describe what we are feeling. Politics, police brutality, a pandemic and an international human rights movement - alongside other ongoing issues like global warming, animal rights, LGBTQ discrimination, wage inequality, homelessness, human trafficking, disability discrimination, deforestation, weight bias, air pollution - may make it impossible to make sense of our emotions. No matter how hard you try, you can't avoid stress. And sometimes it gets the best of us. Stress can become a problem when you are unable to cope. Without a productive and healthy outlet, stress levels can escalate. Poor body image and an unhealthy relationship with food can cause stress but it also works the other way around. The relationship between stress and disordered eating is a vicious cycle. When you feel overwhelmed or out of control, it's natural to find ways to cope with those unpleasant and uncomfortable feelings. Fe...

In our body-image obsessed culture - supported by a multibillion-dollar industry that profits from body dissatisfaction, the idealized body image, dieting and fear of fat - creating a healthy relationship with food and your body can be incredibly difficult. Sadly, even in a global health crisis, weight loss, appearance and body image are still priorities for many people, athletes and businesses. The diet culture is constantly reminding you that you are not good enough at your current weight and being a bit thinner or more toned will improve your health and happiness. In other words, changing what you look like will make you happier, more successful or will make people like you better. What starts as an innocent attempt to eat a bit healthier or lose a few lbs can easily spiral out of control. When body image dissatisfaction is present, "healthy" eating can quickly turn into dieting which can turn into disordered eating. For many, it doesn't stop there. Dieting is ...

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...

Within the endurance sport world, it's not uncommon to see/hear of athletes manipulating training and the diet in an effort to change body composition, to improve health or to boost performance. Although endurance sports welcome all body shapes and sizes and training approaches, many athletes accidentally fall into the mindset that to be successful, an extreme style of eating and a rigorous training plan is necessary This begs the question "is training for an athletic event just a socially acceptable way to disguise an obsession with exercise and disordered eating habits?" Even if you are not obsessed with training miles, body image or the marginal gain approach, it's still rather easy to become extreme with your choices when training for an endurance event - especially if you are following the journey of another athlete. There are many athletes who have been forced away from the sport due to injury or health issue (mental or physical), only to spend years tryi...

Since my first Ironman in 2006, I've developed a strong connection to my body. Rather than seeing it for what it looks like, I constantly thank my body for what it allows me to do. While it's not easy in a body-image obsessed society, Karel and I spend no time discussing body image in our house. We don't weigh ourselves so we couldn't tell you what our "race weight" was at any of our past races.  There's no dieting, restrictive eating, watching what we eat or cheat meals. I'd say that our house is a very good place if you'd like to eat where there are no food rules, off-limit foods or controversial food discussions. While our dedication to sport, love for an active lifestyle and enjoyment for wholesome eating greatly influences the way we look, we have never fallen victim to the idea of "competitive leanness"  - that the leaner we are, the more competitive (or faster) we will be in sport. We've never tried to change the way that ...

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...

There's not a day that goes by that I don't thank my body for what it allows me to do. I may be an athlete, but I am also a coach. As a triathlon coach and Board Certified Sport Dietitian, my job is to help athletes optimize performance for race day. Although many factors contribute to performance improvements, many coaches (and nutrition experts) believe that losing weight will aid in performance improvements. Unhealthy weight control/loss practices are a serious problem in sport, especially in the two sports that I specialize in - triathlon and running. Too often, athletes are pressured by media, coaches and competitors to change body composition in order to boost performance. If losing weight was a guarantee to performance improvements, than any athlete who has lost weight would find it easy to succeed in sport. But this is far from the truth. Many athletes are told (or assume) that they would be more successful in a sport if they lost weight or changed body compo...