I have been reading Melissa Byers’s blog “Byers Gets Diesel” for a while now I’m a HUGE fan. She is a committed Crossfitter and is becoming a master of everything that comes with that i.e. nutrition and functional fitness. Today, she threw down a mind blowing challenge.

I'm training for a HIM in July and as my workouts have progressed in duration so has the amount of calories I've burned - hardly rocket science. When I have a workout that 'cost' 2000 kcal I have a hard time getting in enough calories to recover what I lost and still fuel for the next workout.

I'm currently supplementing with protein shakes but have been reading about using amino acids instead. I know that the shakes contain some of the aminos but there's a lot of empty calories packed in there too. I do take them partly to maintain weight because I shed too much weight in my first season so I'm trying to be very cognizant of my nutrition and weight this year.

I have been competing in triathlons for two years now -- mostly sprint distance events, and a few olympic. My typical training week consists of 1-3 miles of swimming, 30-70 miles on the bike, and 10-15 running. This combined with the other facets of my life, not the least of which is my two-year-old son, have me now feeling pretty worn out. J

Many people ask me what are some good ways to eat right when you’re busy throughout the day. The key is to plan ahead, a little time now is a lot of headache saved later. Below are three tips, they may seem like common sense, but they will definitely help keep your nutrition on track. "Continuous effort -- not strength or intelligence -- is the key to unlocking our potential."

New edition provides nutritional strategies to improve performance in six endurance sports Boulder, CO, USA - April 19, 2007 - VeloPress is pleased to announce the publication of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, 2nd Ed., the latest book from nationally recognized sports nutritionist Monique Ryan. The book is now available in bookstores and from VeloGear.com.