For the time being, when I travel from Boise to Scottsdale to train on my hunter, I stay in hotels. Adhering to my regular diet, which consists primarily of whole and low glycemic foods can be challenging. Fortunately there is a Whole Foods near the stable and I stock up my hotel refrigerator with items like raw almonds and protein bars and I often return daily to the market after I ride for a “grab and go” lunch including sushi or a fresh green salad. My lessons are in the morning to early afternoon, so my evenings are spent at the hotel gym finishing my cardio and core cross training exercises.
One of my peeves is that sometimes I actually am teased about my over decade long commitment to nutrition and daily exercise. While spending the holidays away, I had a family member question, “Are you still eating weird” when I made a leafy salad with raw almonds for dinner as my entrée. Even statements like “she won’t eat that” when cookies or sugary treats are set out at horse shows bother me. In a perfect world, I would love to dive into a holiday Prime Rib or indulge in a plate of chocolate brownies at the stable set-up, but the end result would be that I just would not feel well. I know from years of business travel and a busy schedule that my mood and energy level are directly related to how I manage my diet and exercise.
Fortunately, social media has the ability to join individuals with similar lifestyles and it also creates a positive tool that can be used to inspire and inform a community that can easily connect. Last month I discovered an Instagram account called thefit.equestrian and I immediately knew that this was an individual that shared a similar vision and faced some of the same challenges of balancing nutrition on-the-go with cross training and riding. In fact, right after I started following thefit.equestrian, I noted she had just posted a picture of almost the identical sushi I was simultaneously eating at the grab and go counter from the Scottsdale Whole Foods. Besides actual photos of specific meals and their benefits, other posts include detailed gym exercises specifically for the equestrian and her personal photos from horseback. I continuously follow theft.equestrian because the author is authentic and posts actual images of her daily life along with helpful information to better manage a healthy lifestyle.
Recently, I connected with Lauren Rose, the founder of thefit.equestrian and I was impressed with the knowledge behind her posts. Lauren is majoring in Exercise Science with a minor in Equine Science at the University of Delaware and she is also a NASM certified trainer. Originally a ballerina, she now is a collegiate equestrian. From a nutritional perspective, she was identified with the celiac gene, which forced her to dramatically change her diet. The aggregation of these components has helped her to create an exercise program (available on her website www.thefitequestiran.com) that enhances riding performance, especially for individuals that can not ride daily. My favorite types of Instagram post by Lauren are the images of actual meals she is eating, from feedback on a dinner bowl to reviews on nutrition bars.
Salut!
MEET LAUREN ROSE, THE FIT EQUESTRIAN
Explain what you post on Instagram and why you choose these topics?
On Instagram, I mostly post about fitness, food, and horses because these are my three main passions. I think these three topics embody The Fit Equestrian brand and help attract riders who have similar interests
Was there a singular event that inspired you to eat healthy and inspire others to live a healthier lifestyle?
I don’t think that there was a singular event that inspired me to start eating healthier and working out, but there were definitely a few things that combined that pushed me to change my lifestyle. While I was doing ballet, I never had to exercise because I was so active but when I quit, I slowly realized that I was starting to gain weight. Soon after that, I found out that I have Celiac Disease, which means that I could no longer eat gluten. Although I do not believe gluten free food is necessarily healthier than non-gluten free foods, it did help me to become more aware of my health. Most typically unhealthy foods, like pizza, cake or fried foods, have gluten in them so I was obviously not able to eat those anymore unless I could find or make a gluten free alternative. My family had always been very healthy, but I personally never went to any great lengths to eat “healthy” until after I was diagnosed with Celiac.
You were a serious ballerina and you now focus on riding for your equestrian team. Do you find any similarities in the diet and exercise between riding and ballet?
In ballet, strength was required, but it was definitely not as important as it is in riding a horse. Ballet is more about technique than strength and appearing thin on stage is most important to them. On the other hand, riders must have a solid foundation of strength in the saddle and body type is not as important. Ironically, ballet dancers value crosses training much more than riders do, even though strength is not their main concern. Although both ballet and riding aren’t traditional “sports”, they both require a great deal of athletic ability.
You carry the celiac gene. Can you explain how this diagnosis impacts your diet and any changes that you have felt since incorporating this way of eating?
I am pretty used to it now, but it was definitely a hard transition to make from eating gluten to not eating gluten. It causes me to eat a lot healthier than I would like to a lot of times, especially when I’m out at restaurants. A lot of times I’m in the mood for pasta or a sandwich, but have to order a salad instead. I usually prefer to eat at home because I can pretty much make anything I want with gluten free alternatives. Although it’s frustrating at times, I am somewhat thankful that I can’t eat anything I want because I think I would be very unhealthy if I could!
What products do you offer on your website (TheFitEquestrian.com) ?
Right now, I offer a core strength program and a free goal-setting guide. The core strength program is amazing for riders because core strength is extremely important in the saddle. The free goal-setting guide is great not only for setting goals for your fitness, but also setting equestrian-related goals as well. I am currently working on creating more programs and should be releasing several great products this summer. I am most excited about the full Equestrian Fitness Guide that I am creating. This guide will have over 4 weeks’ worth of workouts for every day of the week to target each muscle group. We are also working on getting items like stickers and hats for The Fit Equestrian for the summer as well.
Do you only explain beneficial exercises through your guide or do you also explain counter productive exercises?
My workout programs mostly explain beneficial exercises, as those are the exercises being used in the program, but where necessary I will explain why a certain exercise is better than another. I don’t think there are that many exercises that are especially detrimental to riders, with the exception of exercises that isolate the quadriceps muscle. This muscle can cause you to pinch with your knee in the saddle. Usually I will talk about types of beneficial vs. counter-productive exercises on my Instagram account, more than in my programs.
CONNECT
Founded by Lauren Mahr, The Fit Equestrian strives to help riders unleash their full potential in the saddle using exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Many riders neglect their fitness due to a lack of time or simply the misconception that it isn't necessary for riders to cross-train. The Fit Equestrian serves to provide equestrians of all ages and disciplines with exercise programs made specifically for riders that are simple and effective. Lauren is a NASM certified personal trainer and is pursuing a degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Equine Science at the University of Delaware. At home, Lauren rides in North Salem, NY and at school she enjoys riding on the UD Equestrian Team. As a rider and a personal trainer, she is knowledgeable about all aspects of training and is well equipped to design workout programs for other equestrian athletes.
Website: https://thefitequestrian.com
Instagram: @thefit.equestrian
Twitter: @thefiteq
Pinterest: @thefitequestrian
Email: shopthefitequestrian@gmail.com