Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  "Too big." "Too small." Your body is not an object. Let's stop shaming the body of an athlete. Including your own body.  It's crazy to think that so many athletes believe that they must attempt to train the body to succeed in sport while simultaneously maintaining a specific body type idealized by social media. Whether you criticize your own appearance through comparison or judgement, criticize another's appearance in front of them or criticize another's appearance without their knowledge, this is a form of abuse. The first step in overcoming body shaming is to appreciate your body just as it is. We can all do better to love ourselves and our bodies just as we are. When you have a healthy relationship with your body, you are more likely to respect and value the bodies of others.

Although it's normal to experience motivational highs and lows throughout the year, the risk for burnout is always a concern. Typically, the symptoms occur gradually.... you can't seem to find the motivation to exercise, you've hit a fitness plateau and/or you notice a loss of enjoyment for the activities that were once enjoyable for you. You may also find that you are struggling with an injury, health issue or mental health change. Burnout is not always predictable but life, work, an injury, health issue or a family stress can certainly increase the risk. If you are struggling with motivation or struggling to find your "why", it's time to change your relationship with your training/exercise regime. Here are a few tips to help you return to a place of joy and excitement for exercising: Avoid just checking off your workouts and simply going through the motions. If you feel obligated to show up to a workout, but gain little enjoyment or satisfaction from the pro...

I'll be honest. This week has been tough. As an empath, I feel the emotions of other people - good and bad. With so much going on in the world and in our close network of friends, I found myself absorbing so many different emotions this past week. It was often hard to show up to workouts but I knew that once I got myself in the pool or outside for a ride or run, I would be able to center myself. Nature rejuvenates me on so many different levels so my workouts are not just an opportunity to gain fitness, but a much-needed reset and recharge.  With only three more weeks until the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St. George, I am feeling healthy, strong and confident. As I said before, sometimes it's hard to get a workout started but once I get going, I am so thankful that I got myself going.  During my Sunday long run, I couldn't help but think about happiness and the importance of choosing happiness. My love/hate relationship with running is in the love phase so I have bee...

Back in May 2006, Karel and I met on a group ride. I had never been on a group ride before and I was very inexperienced as a cyclist. I was 24 years old, training for my first Ironman (IMFL) and much of my riding was indoors on a spin bike or on a trail. I only had a tri bike, which was still a bit scary for me as I didn't feel comfortable on it. I was a total newbie.  I was so nervous for the ride that I backed out a few times before I finally committed to showing up for the ride. When I finally did show up, I didn't even make the warm-up loop for the group ride. I felt embarrassed and upset. The next week I showed up again and once again, I didn't even make it through the warm-up loop before getting dropped. After a few more attempts, I had a bit of a breakdown and out of frustration, I told Karel I would never do a group ride again. Committed to my decision, I eventually stopped showing up to the ride that summer. Instead of trying to get better, I stayed within my comfo...

  Self-sabotage has a simple definition - making choices that undermine your own goals and values. As a dedicated athlete, as it relates to nutrition, you may be making choices that directly conflict with your commitment to training - this is self-sabotage. For example, are you guilty of any of the following? ❓Intentionally undereating before a workout in order to "save" calories. ❓Forgetting to fuel before an afternoon workout, only to cut the workout short because of low energy/fatigue/hunger. ❓Saving calories to validate consuming sport nutrition products during the workout. ❓Intentionally underfueling during a workout in order to indulge post-workout. ❓Restricting food in order to lose weight. ❓Skimping on recovery nutrition because you are pressed for time or not hungry. Whether your self-sabotaging behaviors are intentional or unintentional, everybody engages in self-sabotage at some time. If done occasionally - such as indulging in a big meal or forgetting your sport d...

Picture source On Wednesday morning at the aquatic center, a fellow triathlete asked Karel if he was participating in the Belgian Waffle Ride: North Carolina.  As a new location in the BWR event series, Karel didn't know about the event. Later that evening Karel looked into the event online and sent me a link via text. I didn't see the text until the next morning as I was being interviewed for a panel discussion for the OC marathon. If you missed the expert round table, you can check it out here. 👇 Since the broadcast didn't start until 9:30pm (about our bedtime), Karel was fast asleep when I finished close to 11pm.  When I saw Karel's text the next morning (Thursday) about the BWR, I instantly responded that he should do it. With online registration closing on Thursday evening, he registered in the afternoon. I guess when you register for an event two days out, there's little time to overthink. Karel knew it was going to be a very challenging event, especially a...

  NEW TRIMARNI TEAM SHIRTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE! Show your support for the Trimarni team with a comfortable tie-dye tank or short-sleeve shirt. Perfect for recovery, travel, and pre/post race. Don't forget to also order a shirt for your family/friends to sport on race day. These items are only available for pre-sale.  The order will be placed on August 20th, 2021. Please allow 2 weeks for production. As always, $1 of every order will go to the Humane Society of Greenville. ORDER HERE.