The Healthy Shine (2026)

22/12/2023

Stumped on what to add into a smoothie to help you reach your performance goals? Try this smoothie recipe to enjoy lots of chocolate throughout the holidays , but also get in carbohydrates and protein that will help you feel energized and recovered post run. If you are running in the morning try making a full portion to help you get the recovery benefits or add into your day as a mid-afternoon snack as a fun sweet option that is still nutritious!

Chocolate fans will really love the sweetness in this with all the hydration and vitamins packed in this drink!

14/12/2023

I hardly ever share anything *too personal* but because my sister always supports my goals and goes to as many races as she could since we were little I want to ask for any good energy, prayer, or thoughts for my sister as she undergoes surgery tomorrow morning for a liposarcoma removal at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
It took about 3 years for her to find a P*P that took her symptoms seriously enough to order scans that showed a tumor in her abdominal area. There were frustrating visits that ended with weight loss advice, weights loss meds, and that made her feel like it was all in her head. Luckily my sister trusted her intuition and fiercely advocated for herself until another P*P listened her.
I don’t know why it took so long… but my thoughts jump to:
- mental health stigma
-stigma and weight biases
- her being a WOC navigating health care
Whatever the case, I hope another person sees this and advocates for themselves as fiercely and as bravely as she did.
To anyone going through cancer treatment, caring for someone with care, or work in service with cancer patients my thoughts and care are with you. 💛

11/12/2023

As much as it stung to have to bookmark this chapter of my running the week leading into CIM I don’t have any regrets on how I have navigated the last few years of chasing another OTQ dream.

Younger versions of me would have crumbled, isolated, or heck maybe even relapsed with the pressure and uncertainty of having a big goal and not knowing if I’d hit the time. Even with my heath/hormone challenges earlier this year, being in eating disorder recovery kept me on a path that continues to be free of self judgement, body autonomy, and working toward performance from a place of self discovery rather than self deserving.
In spite of everything, i felt so supported by many friends and runners ive met over the years. my goals were never too big, a challenge was never anything i couldn't get through, and had friends to help me focus on the runs that make me feel alive.
my year may not have ended on the preferred note, but i had many many high notes to look back on that had i never dreamed big enough I would not have had the chance to receive. 😊
im bookmarking this OTQ goal for the time being -because "Keep Going Dreamie" 💫

15/10/2023

Welcome everyone! Reintroducing myself (to new and familiar friends here 👋🏼 )with a few facts that you maybe didn’t know about me:
1. Been a runner for 25 plus years -almost my whole life time 😍
2. I’m the middle child and have 2 sisters
3. I was born & raised in a Texas Border town in the Rio Grande Valley 💃🏻-Google it if you wanna know the area better
4. I’ve been a dietitian for over 7 years and started my career in women’s health and diabetes, which has ended up being a strong foundation in sports nutrition for me
5. I’ve been in recovery from an eating disorder for over 10 years (12 years in April to be exact)
6. I’ve never ever ever bought a TV 🙃😆
7. Not a fan of: scary movies, speaking negatively of your body, papaya
8. Big thumbs up for 👍🏼: pickle chips, socks for Christmas, over packing for trips
9. You will never hear me demonize Mexican Foods and other cultural dishes
10. Started working for myself in 2020 and worked with endurance athletes on a variety of things: fueling, working through disordered eating, gut issues, fuel strategies, diabetes in athletes, amenorrhea and bone mineral issues, menopause, optimizing hormones, and helping athletes fisure out how to fuel their everyday lives so it translates to feeling good during training.
I spend my out of office time trying out restaurants in Houston with my fiancée and sister, watching K dramas, listening to autobiographies, and taking pics of my dog, Rod.
LMK how long you been here and what your fave chip is 😎

13/10/2023

⛽️Quick fuel recap of my Chicago Marathon weekend since it’s a big topic of interest
Please note:
1. Everyone’s body is different
2. I have a gut of steel and gut training all.the.time
3. You can actively work on handling more fuel if you start fueling more often
4. Carb loading looks different for everyone
5. There’s not one way to fuel for performance. All strategies can look different
6. Fueling more often DOES work
7. Eating more in volume and or choosing the carb dense foods pre-race DOES work
8. Hydration and electrolytes are different for everyone. Some need MUCH more or less.
9. Even if you run at a slow pace than me you should still fuel early and often. Pace DOES NOT MATTER in a MARATHON. How you feel during it does!

If you try doing what I do and it works-awesome! If it doesn’t-it doesn’t mean that fueling doesn’t work for you. You just need to figure out what does 😊

09/10/2023

2:46:46 with diosa energy around me 🌟
👟First
🦋First time feeling like myself in a marathon since 2020
😎First time training for a marathon in the Houston summer heat
👌🏼first time heading into a marathon with uncertainty about where I would finish
It takes a lot of confidence to get to the start line with full belief in yourself to stick through the hard parts for as long as possible. I CRAVED that feeling of getting to the hard spots just to see how I’d navigate it mentally.
When it hurt I told myself I was a Diosa. A queen. A goddess. A rebel. Yesterday wasn’t about being safe. It was about holding myself up like the diosa, the queen, the goddesses, the rebels that the women of my ancestry are.
¡Me siento tan viva en este momento!

Photos by:

06/10/2023

What you wear or how you look doesn’t make you less than a runner.
I bet one of these posts above have popped into our heads at a start line:
1. What if I’m the only one that is…
2. What if everyone else isn’t….
There is nobody is like you running a marathon and that’s why YOU NEED TO BE THERE.
You deserve to be at the start line just like everyone else this weekend.
🫶🏼

01/10/2023

Spent this Saturday morning at .greenway with talking about our running, careers, and ways to take care of your mental health.
As I move into my last week of taper before I’m proud of the way I approached this block as a human first > athlete second.
Most importantly I think 8 year old Starla would be happy to know that running brings me joy and is a *part* of my life rather than my life.
See in Chicago, Familia 🫶🏼

05/08/2023

Finished my first long run workout today for CHI this morning 😎
Started conservatively and went off effort and feel today to help my body adjust to heat and humidity in Houston. This one or my first workouts in this heat since May/early June and I feel proud of my body for handling it
—-
Going into Grandmas Marathon I felt really exhausted and knew something wasn’t right. Looking back at all the work and training I’d done things just weren’t adding up and the fatigue I would feel during workouts wasn’t familiar. So I *dug deeper* and found a doc that would help me confirm some hormonal challenges I was experiencing from my IUD.
Turns out I was experiencing hormonal dysregulation so my sports doc and I decided it was best for me to remove it after Grandmas marathon.
Looking back there were signs and symptoms that I was experiencing for years that could have been linked to my hormonal IUD but could never pin point exactly the same way.
So now with the IUD being removed I feel better overall, less fatigued during training, and my period even returned about 32 days after removal!🥳
I feel optimistic about the fall marathon training even though I’m in the thick of summer in Texas 🤠. I also want to make it clear that I am NOT anti birth control bc many women do feel better using it for various conditions. I ALSO DO want to encourage you to prioritize your well being. And if something feels off it’s best to WORK WITH YOUR body than against.
To get my period back I took 2 weeks off complete + my coach kept my mileage lower for 2 weeks after my break. My nutrition did not change bc I wanted to get my period back ASAP and I strength trained 2-3 times per week so I wouldn’t get hurt in the mean time(esp if my period didn’t come back for 3-4 months).
Thank your body today. Work with it. Take care of it. It will pay you back 10x later this fall 😎😌😉

13/07/2023

~life and running lately~
Ran a lot of miles.
Lots of flights.
Escaped houston heat.
Made new friends.
Met long time IG friends IRL.
Finding joy in morning coffee and margaritas on a summer night.
Sticking with hard things.
Getting back out there just cause I love it.
☀️Summer 2023: Just going for it and taking it all in.

09/04/2023

“I get to do this”
….for a living
….like lining up for a marathon
….when I wake up at 5am to meet my run group
….help runners check off their running goals
Today I got to help Boston Marathon bound group with their nutrition for race day and finally give back to this group in ways that will hopefully stick with them similarly to the ways their encouragement has for me.
In 2018 this group welcomed me and helped me prep for my first Boston. It doesn’t matter to me what the weather was like that day. All that mattered and still matters to me is that I fearlessly made to the start line and that I finished (I had a PR day too!).
I haven’t gone back to Boston solely for the reason that I’m proud of what I did in Boston. It’s one heck of a story to tell and that makes me happy.
My hope for you is to line up happy, proud, and most of all excited for yourself on Marathon Monday. Head high🦄

04/03/2023

Lined up this morning half and came away with 1:18:11-a new official PR for me!
I knew going into todays race that I wasn’t feeling very fresh since 6 weeks ago but wanted to get an idea of where my fitness is and start laying some ground work for the next marathon build 🧱
I got through todays race with the help of and who always add to my confidence and energy at the starting line! Lucky to have two people to run and dig deep with.
Thanks to my coach for always believing in me and encouraging me that the best is yet to come! Putting my head down and ready to keep working!

The Healthy Shine