Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  Getting and giving advice over the internet is risky. It's also incredibly easy.  The problem with receiving advice from a stranger is that this person is not responsible for what happens next. For example, what if the nutrition advice you receive negatively affects your health? What if the training advice you receive causes an injury?  There are a lot of self-proclaimed, unqualified "experts" out there. And even if a person sounds reputable, advice targeted to the masses doesn't mean that advice is right for you.  You can't receive safe, realistic, practical advice from an expert without giving that expert a detailed assessment of your health, fitness and your past history. More so, just because one expert experienced success in weight loss, diet, health, athletics or career, this doesn't mean that what worked for him/her will work for you. Also, tips dished out by "experts" can be heavily skewed to fit an agenda, such as selling a service or pro...

  Photo: @Supercycling In life, we are often given the opportunity to try something new or to do something for the first time.  It's easy to stay in your comfort zone. Or you can face the fear and step out of it.  Trying something new typically means that there is a chance for failure.  It's hard, risky and scary to take the leap and to try something new. You may look silly or embarrass yourself. You may have to ask questions. You will feel unsure of yourself. You may feel vulnerable.  Two months ago I rode a gravel bike for the first time. Last weekend I participated in my first gravel race. Oddly enough, I have found myself looking forward to each riding opportunity as I get to learn new skills. And this came as a surprise to me because my history of bike riding has been filled with a lot of fear any time I was forced to step (or ride) outside of my comfort zone.  After participating in endurance triathlon for over 14 years, it's has been a really long ti...

  After two opportunities pre-riding the Battle of Sumter Forest race course, I felt comfortable with course itself as it was a good mix of gravel and road. You do a few miles of gravel and then a few miles of road - rinse and repeat for 72 miles. Although there are a few technical areas (and a river crossing, a few steep hills and a tight rocky turn), I felt like my current gravel-biking abilities were suitable for this event. Taking things waaayy back to my very first gravel ride....it was not too long ago - January 19th, 2021. I can count with my fingers of all of the times I've rode on off-road since then (total newbie here - only about ten times). It wasn't until a few weeks ago that Karel decided it was time to retire my makeshift Ventum NS1 gravel bike (and return it back to my road bike - which is what it was designed to be) and purchase a real gravel bike frame. After sourcing all of the parts from all over the US, I took my 'real' gravel bike (Cervelo Aspero -...

  To be sure you are always getting accurate, credible and safe nutrition advice, your go-to expert should always be a Registered Dietitian. From the media to magazines to articles and books, nutrition advice is everywhere. Unfortunately, not everyone is a credible nutrition expert. Becoming a Registered Dietitian is a time-consuming, challenging process that involves obtaining the proper education and experience through approved, accredited programs. After completing coursework approved by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, the next step is to apply to an accredited dietetic internship. Dietetic internships are extremely competitive and immediate acceptance is not easy (~50% acceptance rate). Internships are usually unpaid, and require tuition. Upon acceptance, 1200 hours of supervised practice in the areas of community nutrition, food service and clinical nutrition must be fulfilled before being eligible to sit for the Registered Dietitian exam. T...

We hear it all the time. If an athlete weighs less or changes body composition, performance will improve. We must stop assuming that an image is correlated with performance, health and mental well-being. When I work with athletes (coaching or nutrition), I always consider the possible outcomes of my advice. I do this through getting to know my athletes as much as possible. I listen to my athletes to understand where they are at in their individual journey and their current relationship with food and the body. I explore every outlet possible to help an athlete improve performance and to get the most out of their body, without placing the focus on body size, shape or image.  Many times, athletes will come to me with a weight loss goal and without targeting weight loss, performance improves because we addressed behaviors - not a body image.  While a coach or nutrition expert may mean well by telling an athlete to lose weight or change body composition for a health or performance ...

  One of our favorite aspects of our coaching business is private and group training camps. We love the interaction with athletes. We get to help athletes work through mental and physical barriers in a safe way (with a watchful eye) as well as giving athletes a beautiful playground to show off their strengths. It's been a while since our last private camp and I completely forgot how mentally and physically exhausting and incredibly rewarding these camps are. Now that we got a taste of it, we are looking forward to our next (and first "mini" group) camp of 2021 on the 31st.  Since Karel and I have been seeking adventures on our road and gravel bikes, we decided to dust off the tri bikes from the garage. Although we both have a tri bike set-up on our trainers, we haven't rode our Ventum tri bikes outside since the Xtreme Tri in November. It was a bit awkward at first (especially with the howling wind) but with each mile, we felt more comfortable in the aero position. We...

In a divisive world, people are very passionate in their beliefs and opinions. This is only heightened on social media where anyone can express opinions without censorship, restraint or legal penalty. When a topic is polarized by different views, thoughts or opinions, you may find yourself in one of two situations - you either full heartedly agree or disagree. While it may be hard to accept that a friend or family member has a different opinion to you, the ability to understand and to be understood in a world of conflicts is extremely important. Every person in this world has a unique context which helps inform and shape the way he/she sees the world and behaves in it. As much as you want people to understand where you are coming from (and your point of view), you must be willing to do the same for others. To enter a space of conflict or lack of understanding, here are a few tips: Accept differences. People come from different backgrounds and are brought up and taught to believe in di...