Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1107571
MAY / JUNE 2019 23 A competitive collegiate runner and strong swimmer, Lindsay Ferrer took up triath- lon when her now-husband, Nick, encouraged her to start cycling. Aer buying her first road bike in 2009, she was hooked. Four years later, Lindsay opened a personal training company. She recently joined the WAC's triathlon coaching team. "Triathlon training provides great learning opportunities," she says. "Every event or race is a new chance to improve, grow, and hone your skills." Lindsay loves brick workouts—biking followed by running—and says one of her favorites is to ride around Mercer Island and then run Green Lake. When she's not training, Lindsay rests and recovers with articles, books, and documentaries on endurance sports. "Unique stories and achieve- ments give me inspiration and energy," she says. She is also mom to two daughters. —Lindsay Ferrer joins Julie Vieselmeyer and Erik Ness as WAC triathlon coaches. Learn more about triathlon training on page 61. living fit food sensitivity / instructor insights certain foods are poorly digested and absorbed in the gut, leading to a variety of symptoms, including abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation. Fun stuff, right? With the two most common inflam- matory bowel diseases—ulcerative coli- tis and Crohn's disease—there is oen damage to the mucosal or submuco- sal layers of the digestive tract, or both, resulting in symptoms such as severe abdominal pain and diarrhea. For migraine sufferers, there can be numerous food-related triggers that cause the release of inflammatory medi- ators in susceptible individuals. You may notice that you have experienced these symptoms listed above but are unable to pinpoint exactly which foods you are sensitive to. is can be challenging, as food sensitivity reactions may occur hours or even days aer ingestion. Unlike allergies or celiac, food sensitivities are dose-related, meaning that a smaller amount of the food or food-chemical may not cause symptoms while a larger amount or combination of reactive foods does. Food sensitivities vary widely between individuals, so although you may experience similar symptoms as a friend, they could be caused by completely different foods. is is where the MRT comes in. Using a non-fasting blood test, your MRT results will quantify your body's unique inflammatory responses to 140 foods and 30 food-chemicals, helping us pinpoint your unique triggers for hyper- sensitivity reactions. e test will also reveal a wide variety of your "safe foods" that we will use to construct an individ- A N I TA N O W A C K A Instructor Insights Lindsay Ferrer | Tri/Cycle Coach ual diet that promotes a reduction of inflammatory mediators. To help members build a new diet that avoids problem areas, we are combining our MRTs with three nutrition counsel- ing sessions, during which we will build a pattern of eating that improves your quality of life while maintaining your ability to eat sustainable and satisfying meals. —Reach WAC Dietitian Hannah Dentry at hdentry@wac.net or 206.839.4782.