Rebecca Staynor is a third year student, who began UVic as a Biology and Psychology major but is now transferring into Business. Rebecca is a committed triathlete who usually trains up to three times a day for her competitions. On top of school and her athletic ambitions Rebecca is also an entrepreneur, creating the Calorie Thief a product that helps remove fat from foods.
What is the Calorie Thief?
It’s an absorbent pad you can put onto food, it absorbs the fat without absorbing any other ingredients. It’s similar to a paper towel but it doesn’t absorb water, it is just a little white pad.
Why call your product Calorie Thief?
It was originally called Lipid lifter but I have changed the name to Calorie Thief, it steals the calories.
Can your product be used with any type of food?
Pretty much. It was originally intended for taking the drippings off gravy. Instead of having to skim the fat off you can put the Calorie Thief on. It’s a much quicker and easier way of blotting the fat off soups and pizzas.
Where do you sell your product?
I sold it in two stores when I first came up with the idea. But it was a little bit too much demand to keep up with, for just me producing them myself. This year I am taking it onto a bigger level. I am taking a year to plan it all out and then I am going to do a major manufacturing run in January 2013.
Moving to your athletic career, how did you become a trialthlete?
My mom has always been a runner and I have loved sports since I could walk. I did my first triathlon when I was nine; it was a pretty early start to the sport.
Do you race competitively?
I am competitive. I race as an elite athlete. There are several different types of triathlon. There’s Iron man and Xterra, an off road triathlon, and there’s professional triathlon, which is when you watch people on TV during the Olympics. I do the Olympic distance triathlon and I also do Xterra.
How do you balance your training and your schoolwork?
I think just a lot of planning and being really organized mostly. Right now I am training usually three times a day, but some days I train two times a day. I don’t really get a lot of days off.
What does your training consist of?
Yesterday, for instance, I did an hour and a half run with intervals, I did a 5 km swim, I had classes and then I went and did an hours spin on my bike.
What is the hardest about being a triathlete?
I think it’s just every day having to be your best. You have to look in the mirror at the end of the day and know you gave it your all, and if you didn’t it’s hard to face up with. You have to be very honest with yourself.
Is there any way to be involved in triathlons on campus?
I believe that there is a UVic triathlon team. I am not part of it but that would be a good place to start.
I train with a team LiveFit, it’s an elite team. That’s probably a good route to go. There are people out there who train on their own, but there’s something good about having a coach telling you what to do because it’s an unbiased outside perspective. When you a have 25 or 30 hour week of training it’s easy to slack off if you don’t have a coach.