Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

With the "tri" season coming to an end and cooler temps approaching, many fitness enthusiasts and athletes are seeking running races in order to stay in shape, feel a little competitive and to achieve goals. As a triathlete, I do not hang up my bike and stop my membership at the Y in order to run in "running" season here in Florida. I am still a triathlete, training for 3 individual sports. However, "run" season allows a little more emphasis placed on running but still, I do not forget that I am a triathlete who enjoys to run. In order to keep things spicy in the off-season from triathlons, I dedicate 1 more day a week to strength training (3 days a week of full-body training), I ride my road bike at least 2 days per week and include 1 "fun" run during the week (either the Trek Beer Run or a run with Karel in the evening). I still run with Campy after my runs..which is incredibly fun for both of us. I still focus on compression, running off the b...

I absolutely love, love, LOVE winter produce. The closer I get to the winter months, the more time I spend in my kitchen..coming up with yummy creations. I can honestly admit that I enjoy all fruits and veggies....when someone else prepares them. There are lots of staple produce items in my diet but in the case of some veggies like squash, cauliflower and zucchini, I haven't yet learned to appreciate them yet - in my own creation. However...I WILL NOT GIVE UP! After a lot of creativity, I finally learned to appreciate eggplant. Rubbed in olive oil, seasoned with no-salt seasonings and topped with a little mozzarella cheese...I now LOVE eggplant. When my friend Laura (http://healthyeaterrd.blogspot.com/) prepares butternut squash soup for me..I absolutely love it! I recently purchased a butternut squash at the farmers market so it was up to me to make sure it didn't go to waste (as no food goes to waste in the Sumbal household). For my yummy creation the other night, I prepared...

(picture from Marxfoods.com) One of my passions in life is learning. I was out of school for 1 1/2 years between the years 2000-2011 and I was bored and striving for something more. Although I absolutely loved working as the wellness coordinator at the North Pinellas YMCA (after I graduated with my master degree in exercise physiology in Dec 2005), I was not receiving the right amount of stimulation for my mind. Although my dietetic internship was extremely stressful and time-consuming, I learned a lot (more than I imagined!) and realized that I wanted to continue learning in the field of clinical nutrition. I have really enjoyed the opportunities that I have experienced since obtaining my RD credential and regardless if I am in the hospital as a clinical dietitian, coaching athletes to cross their first or 50th finish line or helping people reach personal weight/exercise goals, I always keep myself educated so that I don't let my personal opinions/thoughts affect how I help others...

One of the many things that I love about the sport of triathlons is that I find it fun and enjoyable to swim, bike and run. For me personally, as long as I was able to monitor progress, set and achieve goals, I could remove "competition" from triathlons and still want to pursue triathlon training on a daily basis. As much as I love meeting new people and being in the amazing triathlon environment at a race, I truely love the mental, physical and emotional rewards from swim, bike and run. Knowing that I need to exercise for good health, weight management and longevity, I find it extremely important that I am having fun while moving and using my body. Having said that, I do not need to swim, bike and run in order to manage my weight and relieve stress. I also find enjoyment in water jogging, using the elliptical, walking w/ campy, anything outdoors and strength training. Although I work with a large number of newbie triathletes/runners, either wanting to lose weight, get more ...

On October 24th, I spoke to over 300 kids at St. Joseph's school. I was honored that they asked me to speak and did not want to turn down the opportunity to share my excitement for health and wellness and be part of Health Awareness Week! I created three separate 20-minute talks, in order for each talk to be age appropriate. Because we all know that kids in 3rd and 4th grade have a different attention span than 7th and 8th graders. Furthermore, 5th and 6th graders retain info differently than in the other grades. I find that the missing link in teaching children about the importance of eating fruits and veggies is that there is too much "education". I wanted the talks to be fun and interactive and of course, involve food. Kids have an amazing way of wanting to try new things when they are around their friends and peers. Therefore, I asked Whole Foods if they would like to help me out with my talk and they gladly said "YES!". Thanks to Whole Foods and my quick sh...

Just in case you missed the notice... The Iron Girl Clearwater, Lake Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Syracuse Events opened registration on Tuesday (yesterday) at 8 am EST!!! Hope to see some friendly faces at Iron Girl Clearwater and Atlanta! Iron Girl registration Due to a busy month of October (although Nov and Dec are looking to be jammed-packed with lots of fun events, job/career obligations and activities), I wrote my latest Iron Girl article before I left for Kona. I completely forgot about the topic, which is something near and dear to my heart. With the New Year quickly approaching, it is only a matter of time before we get bombarded with "diets" and "weight loss tips" to help people achieve unrealistic goals. Of course I am exaggerating...a little, but we all know that the holidays, alongside the New Year can be stressful, overwhelming and time-consuming with no shortage of thoughts about body image and eating. I hope you enjoy my latest article from the FREE Iro...

As an athlete, exercise physiologist, coach and exercise enthusiast, I believe in interval training in the "off-season" in order to maintain speed as you build on endurance. For if you spent weeks and months building your fitness in order to prepare for your final race of the season, why waste it for a few months of long, slow training...or for some athletes, no training/exercise. I find it valuable to take advantage of your well-earned 2-4 week, unstructured recovery/exercise routine, but once you get that feeling again, intervals are a great way to keep the body fresh and sharp, without overdoing it. The wonderful thing about interval training is that you have so much flexibility as to what the workout may be. I coach athletes from newbie to the experienced and every person has his/her own ability to do "speed" work. Speed work can be short and sweet, as in quarter mile repeaters or tempo as in 1/2 mile to 1 mile repeaters. All of my athletes (including myself) d...