Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

When was the last time you thanked your body? When you look in the mirror, how do you talk to/about your body? When you train and eat, does your body image dictate your choices in a positive or negative way? An unhealthy body image in athletes can increase the risk for disordered eating habits.  Avoiding major food groups (carbohydrates), not fueling around/during workouts, skipping meals and snacks and dehydration are some of the examples of unhealthy strategies that athletes often take to gain control over eating in an effort to change body composition/image. Whether you are an athlete who seeks weight loss/body composition changes to improve overall health, you are an athlete who struggles with body image due to comparison with other athletes, comparison to a past you or overall discomfort with your body image, or you are an athlete who follows a very restrictive diet and extreme exercise routine in an effort to maintain a specific body composition/image whi...

CONSISTENT TRAINING TIPS STAY FLEXIBLE Don’t freak out if you oversleep, have to stay late at work, have an unexpected trip or event to attend or experience a niggle or ache in your body. Sure, it would be great if we could always plan for these things but we can’t. A chance for inconsistency in training (and possible injury, burnout, health issues) is trying to constantly make-up workouts,  push-through fatigue/exhaustion or squeezing too much on your daily plate. When things come up in life, adjust and be flexible. Do the best you can with the time that you do have to train or just start fresh tomorrow. Look at your week of training and remind yourself of how many key workouts you have each week that can build fitness – most of the time, missing a workout here or there will have no impact (negatively)  on your overall development in your season. If you don't know how to adjust (or refuse to adjust), inconsistency in training can increase the risk for injuries and a p...

Athletes are hardwired to want success. Athletes are not exercisers. Athletes want results that often result in an improvement in metrics, body composition or places and include crossing both a start and finish line. Athletes don't just show-up to a workout, they use their body to perform. The process of athletic development can be slow and this is hard for many athletes to accept. I see it all the time in triathletes who are impatient in the off-season and either train too intensely in the first few months of training OR dedicate 6-8 weeks to training for a running race rather than focusing on their slow, consistent triathlon development. Like many things in life, quick results often come with consequences. The idea of instant gratification applies very well to athletes of all levels.  It's natural to believe that if you put in the work, results will come so why not work out harder and longer for faster results?  But in spite of sickness or injury, no matter how ...

Many athletes tell me that they want to be better, stronger or faster swimmers, cyclists or runners. And in order to make this happen, they tell me they need to train harder. Sure, we can all improve in one area through hard work and an improvement in our sport-specific skills but many times, it is through consistent training that we experience the most significant performance gains. In other words, it's often the accumulation of training stress, that occurs overtime, that outweighs any one sport specific block of training or hard-core, intense workouts. And this training adaptation isn't limited to age-group athletes. Many top-ranking professional athletes excel because of consistency. Just like any athlete, they may push really, really hard during workouts but there are many more easy days compared to hard effort days. The human body can only tolerate so much stress until it breaks. Even with training as a profession, you'd actually be surprised as to how ...

One small purchase can make a big difference.   Although any day is a good reason to shop small and/or locally, here are a few ways to shop small on small business Saturday. -Register for a small business, locally run or triathlon race -Buy coffee from a local coffee shop -Buy bread, pastries or cookies from a local baker -Buy clothes/shoes/gear from your local run/cycle/tri store -Buy a piece of art or jewelry from a local artist - Take a friend, training partner, child, spouse or family member out to eat at a local restaurant -Treat yourself to a local massage, spa day or your choice of self-care. -When you travel, make an effort to choose local over chains - food, lodging, shopping -Buy a new book or game from a local store.  -Buy a gift for your friend, training partner, family member or child from a local store. How will you do your part and support small businesses?  If you have your own business or have a favorite local bus...

Do you have a triathlon goal for 2016?  Are you registered for your first Olympic, Half or Full Ironman distance triathlon?  Are you looking to improve your skills, endurance, strength and overall fitness throughout your racing season to see what you are capable of achieving at your key race?  ------------------- If so, we created our (NEW) 20-week Trimarni training plans with YOU in mind.  As 2015 Ironman World Championship finishers, we understand the physiological and nutritional needs of endurance triathlon training and racing. But we don't just cater to top athletes. No matter what level athlete you are or what event distance you are training for, we put a lot of thought and effort into our plans to ensure that you would feel physically, mentally, nutritionally and emotionally ready for your upcoming races.  --------------------------------------------------- Marni is a Board Certified Sport Dietitian (CSSD) and holds a Master of...

In sports like running and triathlons, there will always be a focus on body composition and for many athletes, a desire to be leaner. Specific to running economy, speed and aerobic capabilities, leanness in athletes, as it relates to performance improvements, is a topic that will never go away. There's nothing wrong with athletes seeking weight loss, a decrease in body fat or an increase in lean muscle mass. This could be for aesthetics and self-esteem, to experience and improvement in performance and/or for overall health.  Every year, I see my body composition change as I prepare for my peak races. But my race weight is unintentional as it is simply the weight on my body that I bring to race day.  And I don't know that number because I don't weigh myself.  I have never been against the idea of athletes changing body composition, especially if it improves overall health but there are many ways to improve performance and not always is weight loss the c...