Our Nutritionist

We are thrilled to introduce our team to Christine Greene, Ph.D.

Here is her philosophy when it comes to food, diet and exercise:

I come from a place of balance with my advice.  I do not feel that any one food or food category has any advantage over another.  They each have their own place and function in the body.  The science and art of what I do comes in finding the balance between your nutrient intake and your performance outcomes.  Looking at my core values, you will see that they suit the triathlete perfectly, as they do most everyone else, but a triathlete will see the relevancy almost immediately. 

Go Original – From a nutrition standpoint means to eat your food as close to nature as possible.  For triathletes, You ARE original, in that you are tackling an obstacle, each in your own way, with your own path.

Portion control -  This is the ‘brick’ of nutrition and needs to be solid if success is to be achieved, just like your workouts.

Patience & Persistence – These are core values not only to my nutritional strategy, but to athletic  training in general.  Good solid training principal here as well.

Movement, Rest & Recover – Staples in nutritional fueling for balance AND athletic training overall.

Water – the basis of life and the only fluid you need, most of the time.  Triathletes know the importance of water, but BALANCED water that meets the needs of your workouts.

Get Outside – Enjoying  the abundance of nature feeds the soul.  For triathletes in New England, you are well aware that nothing beats the outdoor workout.  Treadmills and wind trainers  in the winter are necessary but they are NOT the same as being outside!

Christine Greene has been working with athletes of all varieties in the Greater Hartford area for the last nine years.  Dr. Greene is committed to making your event an expression of your best effort, and that starts with your fueling.  As a certified strength coach, she is adept a designing or critiquing your workout program as well, to optimize your performance  for every event.  Please visit www.drcgreene.com to learn more about working with Dr. Greene and improving your race results.

TRI-al by Coach: Spinervals

Since it’s been too cold to bike until recently, I spent the winter inside taking spinning classes and using an indoor spin bike I have at home.  I was curious to compare the workout I get in a spinning class versus a home workout.  Plus, I had always wanted to try out a Spinerval DVD.  Here are the results of my very unscientific survey.

Spinning Classes:
Pro:  Under the guidance of a talented instructor, a spinning class can be a great workout and a great time.  Between the music and the spin buddies, I have no issues with spinning classes.

Con:  Those poor spin bikes!  No matter how much my club maintains the bikes (maintenance which might be open to debate), the spin bikes take a major beating.  Between the constant adjustments and all the sweat, most of the bikes are showing signs of age.  Toss in having to get there early to grab a bike, and a spin class could be a major bummer if your bike is a lemon.

Spinervals:
Pro: There is nothing like picking your own time for your workout.  The coach on the Spinverals DVD is very motivating, tells you exactly what cadence/RPM you should shoot for and there are no annoying or sweaty people riding next to you.  The workouts are very efficient and if you don’t cheat, highly effective!  You don’t need a spin bike, you can purchase a bike trainer and use your own road bike.  Most of the people in the DVD are using road bikes on trainers.

Con: I won’t lie to you, it can be tough to motivate yourself.  You’re biking all alone in your home and if you don’t push yourself or heck, if you even quit early, no one will know.  But you will know!  And that’s what keeps me going.

Yesterday (April 9), I went for my first ride outside!  I road 25 miles on flats and hills and I could tell that my winter indoor riding had made a difference.  So, whatever you decide; spin class at the gym or Spinevals at home…do something and come racing season, you’ll be happy that you did!

If you’d like to try a Spinerval DVD, click the photo below to purchase one.  This one has three 30-minute workouts; beginner, intermediate and advanced.  If you like this one, there are more Spinervals to purchase based on what you want to get out of your workouts.