I signed up for Amy's services after my Portland marathon didn’t go how I hoped. Let me give you my take on what she did for me. The nutritional counseling was good, but my diet was already mostly there. Still, the tweaks she gave me were worthwhile, particularly in regards to upping my protein intake.
But the 15-week training program she prepared for me was a big deal. I thought I pretty much knew what I was doing, but there isn't a snowball's chance that I would have come up with what she gave me. I had two rest days when I would have run 6, maybe even 7. I credit her hill and track workouts, most of all, for my improvement. The variations she gave me, in speed, distance, etc., were nothing that I ever would have come up with on my own. I would have trained hard, maybe even too hard, but not nearly so smart.
Most of all, though, I give her credit for her encouragement, her enthusiasm, her prompt replies to my weekly training updates and whatnot, and her willingness to tweak the program. Plus meeting with her to go over form on strength exercises, checking on how I was holding up, and making a plan for Boise.
It worked. I managed to squeeze an extra minute and a half out of my legs during miles 25 & 26 and finished in exactly 4:45. Goal achieved! I even won my age group, finishing abut 8 minutes ahead of the 2nd place old guy. In only 15 weeks, no less, and I'm already looking ahead to #12 next spring. And I'm eyeing next summer's Iron Man 70.3, most likely with Amy's help, once again. It appears that, with the right help, old dogs can indeed learn new tricks. I wholeheartedly recommend Amy to help you get the best out of your bod, whoever you are, and however old you are.
-Don
I came to Amy because I noticed I was fatiguing quickly in my workouts. I was in the best shape I had been in in a long time, but I was having trouble improving my fitness and knew that I needed to adjust my diet if I wanted to see any further progress. Amy was able to structure a meal plan for me that was both manageable and attainable, and since working with her I have felt a better balance in energy throughout the day and during my workouts. She also gave me great options for healthier snacks that are both easy to make and delicious!
I also mentioned to Amy that I had a HUGE sweet tooth that wasn’t likely to go away and wanted to find healthier alternatives to the sweets I had been eating. She said we were going work on resolving my sweet cravings entirely, to which I laughed and said “good luck.” Less than a week later, my cravings were completely gone. I still find it hard to believe at times, but it’s been over a month and I continue to feel like I have complete control over my diet. I feel like it can be a little intimidating to have someone analyze your diet and tell you what you should or shouldn’t be doing, but Amy was approachable and never once made me feel uncomfortable. She is incredibly knowledgeable and an absolute delight to work with!
I always knew that I needed to eat better: that my diet was affecting how I felt, my productivity, as well as my long term health. I had several decent attempts at changing my fast-food scarfing habits, but none of them ever took. I reached out to Amy and after just our first session, I felt armed and prepared to finally execute and embrace lasting change in my diet. Her approachability, knowledge, and clarity of instruction were all instrumental in me making positive changes to my diet. I didn’t know I could feel as good while training harder than I ever have in the gym. Meeting with and listening to Amy was the turning point in my journey to lasting positive change in my nutrition.
