Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Most of the time, workouts put us into a good mood. We feel much better after the workout is complete, then compared to when we started.  But what if the workout doesn't go as planned and suddenly you find yourself grumpy from the workout that didn't go so well? Seeing that we will all have a bad workout, here are a few tips to help bounce back from an "off" training day. Nutrition Look into your diet. Long hours without eating, not using sport nutrition products properly, dehydration, low blood sugar, overeating, undereating, consuming food too close to bed, too much fiber/fat too close to your workout, or poorly planned meals will affect your energy and how your body performs.  Nutrient timing Did you not time your nutrition well with your workout? Address what sport nutrition products are not working for you. What did you eat in the 2-4 hours before the workout. Generally, it is recommended to reduce fat/fiber before a workout  to help with digestion an...

I am always interested in trying out new sport nutrition products. A few weeks ago, a nutrition athlete of mine asked me about  Cocoa Elite . I was familiar with the company but had never tried their products. I was connected with the company owner and a few days later, I received a small shipment of sample products to try out. I've tried two of their powders and so far, I find them easy to consume - not too grainy. Karel loved the taste of double cocoa flavored protein powder. I haven't used these products long enough to tell if they "work" (typically I like to use a product continuously for a month to see if it works or not). Right now, my go-to protein powders that work for me include INFINIT Raw protein, Skratch recover drink mix, CarboRocket Rehab, NBS recovery and Clif Recovery protein drink.  This got me thinking about the array of protein powders on the market.  In our protein-obsessed society, you probably feel like you are always falling short of your...

If you are a banana lover like myself, you probably go through a lot of bananas on a weekly basis. But every now and then, bananas will turn overly ripe so it's important to have a few go-to recipes so those bananas don't go to waste. If you find that your bananas are extra brown and spotty but you aren't ready to use them just yet, peel them, slice them into chunks and place in a resealable plastic bag and store in the freezer. You can also use frozen banana chunks in smoothies.  BANANA NUT MUFFINS Serves: 12 muffins Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Ingredients Topping: 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 tsp cinnamon  1 tbsp honey Muffins: 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 stick unsalted butter (room temp) 1/4 cup sugar 1 tbsp honey 2 large eggs 1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium overripe bananas)  1 tsp vanilla extract 1/3 cup 2% or 4% yogurt Instructions  Preheat oven to 350 degree...

Shortly after IM 70.3 Chattanooga, Karel started to search for another race before we do Ironman Canada at the end of July. Triathlon options were limited so I came across an open water swim event just an hour away in the town of Lake Lure. We ran this option by our coach and she gave us a big yes for the 3-mile distance. I told my swim partner Kristen and she also registered.  After a crazy tough week of training, we were able to get a good night of sleep on Friday evening. We woke up at 6am and left the house around 7:20am to pick up Kristen who lives about 1.5 miles away. With a 10am start, we didn't feel too rushed to get to the venue but we also wanted to give ourselves enough time in the case of rain. The weather predicted storms for the morning but luckily the weather worked out perfect for us - light drizzle and clouds. I had a waffle with butter and yogurt before we left and then I made a PB&J sandwich on cinnamon raisin bread for the car. Around an hour be...

Sadly, sport, science and exercise are still dominated by men. For example, women are grossly understudied when it comes to research on exercise physiology and sport performance. A big part of this is due to menstrual cycles. When a female has monthly hormone cycles, there are two phases to consider when it comes to exercise physiology and performance. Although it's well-documented that menstrual disturbances (ex. amenorrhea) can result from chronic energy imbalance (either increased energy expenditure or insufficient caloric intake), most research on performance, nutrition and exercise is done on men - with no menstrual cycles to plan for or fuss over. So where does this leave female athletes who have to train and race with fluctuating hormones? How many coaches talk to their female athletes about their period and how to manage training and racing during this time of the month? What about the uncomfortable symptoms that female athletes experience before and during their cy...

A hearty bowl of stew in the winter and a refreshingly cold bowl of fruit in the summer. Have you noticed how your appetite changes based on the season? This change is partly as a result of the body needing less calories to function at an optimal body temperature - less energy is needed to maintain homeostasis. Even though in the heat, the body slows down a bit to try to conserve energy to not overheat, if you are an athlete who trains high volume/intensity and you only listen to your appetite to direct you when to (or not to) eat, your loss of appetite can result in a massive energy deficit. While you may think that this energy deficit will help with weight loss/body composition changes, training in an extreme energy deficiency affects normal body functioning, which can affect metabolism, immunity, heart health, bone health, menstruation, endocrine health, recovery, muscle strength and power and mood changes. Another reason for a loss of appetite in the heat relates to ...

I've had a long-term love-dislike relationship with running. As a lifelong swimmer, weight bearing sports have never come easy to me - specifically running. For many years, I struggled with how to hold my body on land as I felt like my upper body wasn't connected to my lower body when I ran. My hips/glutes have had the most niggles so I'm lucky that I've never had any lower leg issues due to running. In the water, I immediately know how to hold my body. Interestingly, before I was a triathlete I was a runner and I loved running and it did come easy to me. But then, like many of you, I got injured and since then, running has had its highs and lows. Sometimes my body doesn't enjoy running and it's really really hard for me, but that doesn't mean that I give up every time it feels hard or that I've convinced myself that I can't improve as a runner. Like with many things in life, I'm on a quest of continued self-development as I strive to improve ...