Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

According to Karel, I made the best salad "EVER". Pretty exciting, especially coming from my hubby who has tasted many of my salad creations. In the 2011 May issue of Today's Dietitian, there was an excellent article titled "Fruitful Endeavor: adopting a plant-based diet may offer a bounty of benefits" By: Sharon Palmer, RD As you know very well, I am a 17 year vegetarian (lacto-ovo) and a firm believer in plant-based eating. However, as an endurance athlete and lover of exercise and physical activity, I believe that my plant-based diet should be balanced in order to support my energy needs and lifestyle requirements. As my training changes, so does my eating. More specifically, the importance of recovery nutrition increases as the intensity and duration of my workouts increase. But none the less, I always emphasize whole, unprocessed foods on a daily basis in order to provide my body with a plentiful amount of nutrients to support metabolism and bodily processe...

A few posts ago I discussed an article in Nutrition Action (May 2011) titled "Under the Influence". On pg 5 of the article, the topic covered exercise and how exercise can influence what we eat. I suppose that every individual (athlete or fitness enthusiast) has a love/hate relationship with food when it comes to eating for fuel. Because we all love a great sweat, a post-workout meal either complements the workout (specifically, restores muscle glycogen, encourages tissue repair/re-building, enhances immune system functioning) or the meal is seen as a "reward" thus often bringing on feelings of guilt and shame (specifically, due to improper timing/quantity of food/nutrients thus leading to shifts in hormones either during or after exercise and consequently, lending its way to overeating/overindulging). I'd like to share the article topic with you as a way to get you thinking about how you view food and whether or not you eat to exercise or you exercise to eat. ...

I don't mean to toot my own horn but this meal is FABULOUS!! While in Pitt, I did my share of eating out (combined with 9 days on the road for Speed Week the week prior). Inspired by many affordable and costly meals, I could not wait to get home to my little galley kitchen (my kitchen is super small but my creativeness is never limited when it comes to preparing tasty and healthy meals!). Although I am in need of a trip to the grocery store, I had several of the following items in my freezer. Karel did a quick stop at the store on Monday after he picked me up at the airport so with a little creative thinking, I was able to pull together one of my most-favorite meals that I have prepared to-date! Hope you enjoy!! (feel free to use as much/little of the following as you like. You can't go wrong with too many veggies!) Firm tofu (cubed) - I typically use about 1/4th container per person chickpeas Broccoli Slaw Eat Smart (I bought mine at Publix, but you can probably find it in veg...

What a fabulous time in Pitt. The weekend went by super fast and I considered staying in Pitt, searching for a job and starting a new life in Pitt. But of course, with year-round beautiful weather in Florida, I decided to pass on the hills and urban city-life and return back to Jacksonville. Also, not sure if my furry best friend would enjoy the winter months...and of course, my life revolves around my lovely chihuahua :) My brother kept me and my family super busy during our stay in Shadyside. As a fabulous tour-guide, there was very little time to sit and relax. But that's ok, I like to be on my feet and see new sights, get inspired by local eats and of course, enjoy life to the fullest. While sitting in the Posner Auditorium for the Tepper School of Business commencement, thoughts of my graduate commencement ceremony at Florida Atlantic University came to mind. It seemed like yesterday that I was stressed from so many exams, projects and papers as well as my many thoughts of ...

After 3 days of unpacking, cleaning and catching up on emails, I re-packed and got on a plane to head up to Pittsburgh, PA to spend some time with my brother, checking out the Pitt area. Already, I love it here and suprisingly, I could see myself living here. Who would have thought??? Today is a very exciting day for my family (who is here with me) because we get to celebrate the graduation of my exceptionally smart and talented brother. On Thurs evening my brother had plans for us to go to the Pirates baseball game but we ended up having a delicious dinner near the stadium due to a rained-out game. My veggie wrap with sweet potato fries was delicious! It has been great to catch up with my brother who I have yet to visit in Pitt since moving here in 2007. My brother will be running the Pittsburgh half marathon on Sunday (likely in a post-celebration state of my mind) and should do quite well. As a Big Ten High Bar Champion - turned recreational runner, my brother is hoping to break his...

I couldn't WAIT to share this great article with you, my blog readers. Over the course of 2000+ miles of driving, I had the opportunity to brush up on my many nutrition magazines and journals. I threw in a few triathlon and running magazines but neglected to bring my RD exam study materials. I suppose I needed a break from the serious learning just for a bit. But now it's time to hit the books as I am currently interviewing for clinical dietitian jobs and hoping to take the RD exam before July. In the May 2011 issue of Nutrition Action the cover story was titled "Under the Influence - how external cues make us overeat". I found this article very interesting, specifically as it pertains to athletes. I find that athletes tend to "excuse" unhealthy eating after hard or intense workouts. While an athlete has every right to consume a different quantity of food than his/her sedentary counterpart, I believe that we should all choose similar food choices, but in di...

On our last evening in North Carolina, I created a yummy pasta dinner for Karel and his teammate, as well as for myself and my good friend Christi. All for $32 at Harris Teeter (including a case of Yuengling for Karel). One of the great things of having a kitchen when traveling is being able to prepare your own meals. Knowing that a meal for two at a restaurant would cost a lot more than what I spent for dinner for four (including LOTS of leftovers), I find it comforting knowing exactly what I am putting in my body and when it will be served. No waiting for food, no concerns of how the meal was prepared and no waiting for the final check. Since Karel and myself travel a lot for races, I have become very familiar with eating on the road as well as making sure we are both well-fueled before races. If you are like me and like a little control when it comes to fueling your body before a race, I suggest finding hotels such as Extended Stay which come with a full kitchen (except an oven). If...