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Olympic Hopeful Practices What She Teaches!
Melissa Rittenhouse is a Powerbar Team Elite Athlete with a focus on the marathon. She has competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials and is currently training to gain a spot in the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials. Melissa’s primary goal is to run a sub 2:40 marathon.Melissa has won a handful of marathons including The Akron Marathon and the Gulf Beaches Marathon; in addition she has placed in the top three females in the Columbus Marathon, the Baltimore Marathon and the Vermont City Marathon.Melissa is a registered dietitian and is a certified specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD). She currently is an assistant professor at James Madison University in Virginia. Her primary responsibilities include teaching various nutrition classes, including: Introduction to Nutrition, Nutrition Assessment, Introduction to Patient Care, Research Methods and Nutrition and Exercise. In addition, Melissa coordinates various nutrition research projects for undergraduate and graduate students.Most recently Melissa and the rest of the James Madison University nutrition faculty started an online master’s program for working nutrition professionals which has been a huge success and has students enrolled from all over the country and even one in Iraq. In addition to her role as an assistant professor Melissa works closely with the Athletic dept and the health center dietitian to ensure the athletes are receiving accurate nutrition information, are aware of the risks and benefits of the infinite nutritional supplements on the market, as well as banned substances and other sport specific and individual nutrition concerns.Melissa implements her nutrition knowledge into her training schedule on a regular basis to ensure optimal performance and proper recovery. In the marathon she follows a detailed fluid and carbohydrate plan trying to consume 4–8 oz of fluids every two miles depending on the conditions and I try to consume 45–60g of carbohydrate every hour which I get from fluids provided on the race course and PowerBar Gels.She also enjoys helping other athletes learn simple techniques to enhance their performance, such as preparing quick, easy meals and finding desirable, easy snacks before, during and after a workout. Many athletes Melissa works with are confused by all the misleading information and do not know how to cook, so they are afraid to try new things. Once they learn some basic nutrition tips and simple ways to prepare well-balanced meals they often feel better and see performance benefits. Melissa loves when the athletes get to this phase because they get excited and start creating their own nutritional concoctions, and are eager to show them off to her and other teammates, often leading to some friendly team competitions in the kitchen.
New Jersey, United States
Dietitian
As a Sports Nutritionist for PowerBar, I work closely with the nutrition content on the we…MORE
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