EBOOST® Brand Ambassador Natasha van der Merwe comes from a family of athletes. Her father was a national cricket, field hockey and table tennis player in South Africa and her mother is a nationally ranked Masters tennis player! Natasha, who now lives in Austin, Texas, has been devoted to triathlons since 2009. In her first year of this grueling sport, she was the top-ranked woman in the USA Triathlon’s South Midwest Region and earned her pro card in the 2010 Ironman Kansas. Today, Natasha not only prepares for her own races (and wins them!), but she also trains a number of other triathletes, including fellow EBOOST Brand Ambassador Patricia Walsh.
Why do you use EBOOST?
Because it works! Whenever I feel like I am dragging, and that happens often with my busy schedule. I take an EBOOST packet in water or an EBOOST shot and BAM, I am wide awake and feel amazing. With EBOOST, I’m able to get a lot more done or hit that workout session I otherwise would skip. I use is before every race. It has me always fired up and ready to go when the gun goes off.
What’s your workout routine?
A lot of my training these days consists of working with the triathletes I coach at Austin Aquatic and Sports Academy (AASA). Here’s what a typical week looks like:
- Monday – Easy run with hills and form work, then a lunchtime swim at AASA
- Tuesday – Hard interval bike workout and strength training and sometimes an easy run in the evening on my own.
- Wed – Run track workout and a lunchtime swim at AASA
- Thursday – Easy ride, run and swim on my own
- Friday – Easy run and midday swim at AASA
- Saturday – Group ride with AASA athletes and run off
- Sunday – Group run with AASA athletes
Before working at AASA I was doing about TRIPLE this workload since all I had to do was train, recover and do online coaching for Tridot, which I still do outside of running the tri program for AASA.
What do you eat in a typical day?
- Pre-workout: Scoop of chocolate protein and coffee
- Post-workout: 2 eggs, 2 pieces of sprouted toast with almond butter
- Snack / Pre 2nd-workout: Scoop of chocolate protein or steel cut oats with almond butter mixed in
- Lunch/ Post-workout: Chicken with vegetables and barley, lentils, and quinoa salad
- Snack/ Pre 3rd-workout: Oatmega bar and EBOOST Shot!!
- Dinner: Lean steak, a lot of mixed vegetables and a sweet potato
- Before Bed: Casein (whey protein) powder with almond milk and handful of granola and decaf coffee or tea
As with so many of our other EBOOST Brand Ambassadors, living life to the max is just another day for Natasha! And her efforts are paying off! This year she’s had two personal records and coming in first or or second in FOUR out of five races she’s entered. Follow Natasha’s progress on Twitter and her website. Stay BOOSTED, Natasha!
