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Welcome to Iron Pine Health: A Different Kind of Healthcare
If you've been following our journey, you know that our passion has always been helping people become healthier, stronger, and happier. Today, we're excited to officially welcome you to Iron Pine Health—the next chapter in that journey. We're opening both a telehealth and in-person clinic because we believe healthcare should be personal, accessible, and centered around you. Too often, people feel rushed through appointments or struggle to get in to see their provider when the
Mai Smith-Trau
Jul 53 min read


Sleep, Stress, and Exercise: The Trio Nobody Talks About Enough
Stress shows up in our bodies in more ways than most people realize. It doesn’t just feel like being overwhelmed or mentally drained—it has real, physical consequences that can affect nearly every system in the body. When stress becomes chronic, it can impact: Cortisol levels Cardiovascular health Immune function Mental health Inflammation levels And here’s where things get a little more serious. When cortisol stays elevated for too long, the body can shift into a state where
Mai Smith-Trau
Jul 43 min read


My GLP-1 Journey: The Truth No One Tells You
Let's talk about GLP-1s. By now, most of us know someone who is taking one. Maybe it's Wegovy. Maybe it's Zepbound. Maybe it's Mounjaro. Maybe it's your neighbor, your coworker, your cousin, or the person who suddenly lost 50 pounds and claims they "haven't changed a thing." As someone who has been on a GLP-1 since 2023, I wanted to share my experience—the good, the bad, and the "why is my body doing this?" moments. I'll also share some of the information I discuss with patie
Mai Smith-Trau
Jun 115 min read


The Truth About Using a GLP-1 on a Fitness Journey
We’ve all heard it. Or we know someone who’s on it. The “magic” medication conversation. “They’re losing weight so easily.”“They didn’t even change their diet.”“It just melts off.” And yes—some of that is true. GLP-1 medications can significantly reduce appetite and help with weight loss. That part isn’t the myth. But here’s the part that gets left out of the group chat: Medication alone doesn’t build long-term lifestyle change. And when the medication stops, research is show
Mai Smith-Trau
May 303 min read


Why Motivation Is a Liar (and Why Discipline Always Wins)
Motivation is often described as the internal or external driving force, reason, or desire that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behavior. In simple terms? It’s what gets you started. This absolutely applies to those of us trying to change our lives and get healthier. We imagine we’re supposed to feel motivated all the time—to show up for every workout, every run, every strength session like we’re living in a fitness commercial. But here’s the problem no one rea
Mai Smith-Trau
May 233 min read


Pain, Gain, and the Occasional Random Creak
Ah yes, getting older—the magical phase of life where you can injure yourself simply by sleeping. One minute you're fine, and the next you're wondering why your neck locked up because you dared to glance over your shoulder too enthusiastically. Pain, unfortunately, becomes one of those uninvited guests that tends to stick around as we age. And honestly? It’s one of the biggest reasons people hesitate to start exercising or focus on their health. I hear it all the time: “Exerc
Mai Smith-Trau
May 164 min read


Grumble & Grind: Reno Runs, Good Eats & Questionable Life Choices 😂🏃♀️🍀
Alright friends, buckle up—because this one is a two-for-one special: a little running, a little chaos, and a whole lot of “why did we sign up for this again?” energy. As most of you know, my family and I have a slight obsession with running—especially trail runs and anything in Reno. Why Reno? Because it’s close, it’s easy, and honestly… it keeps calling us back like a toxic ex with really good snacks. This year we’ve done two races hosted by the Reno Running Company, and le
Mai Smith-Trau
May 93 min read


Excuses, Time, and Choosing Yourself: A Real Talk on Starting Your Health Journey
Let’s have a real conversation—no judgment, just honesty. Why is it so easy for us to come up with reasons not to start? “I wish I had time.” “I wish I had your energy.” “My pain is just too bad.” I hear these all the time. And truthfully? I’ve said them too. Because life is busy. It’s overwhelming. It’s exhausting. When you’re juggling being a mom, wife, provider, daughter—and everything in between—it can feel impossible to add one more thing to your plate. So this isn’t abo
Mai Smith-Trau
May 24 min read


The Final Disneyland RunDisney Weekend: A Bittersweet Goodbye and What Comes Next
Sadly, I have to share that Disneyland will no longer be hosting RunDisney events . We do know this is temporary, but there’s no clear timeline on when they’ll return. For those of us who live in California, this means traveling to Florida to get our RunDisney fix. It also means that for runners dreaming of earning their Coast to Coast , that goal is being placed on the back burner for now. Our Metals from Wine & Dine 2025 You can feel sad about it—or you can use this time to
Mai Smith-Trau
Feb 223 min read


Kicking Off the Year: Our First Big Races of 2026
We’ve officially completed our first run of the year —well, technically our second. We started 2026 strong with a New Year’s Day run on January 1st in Auburn, California , and followed it up with what felt like our first big race of the season: a 10K and a Half Marathon . After coming home, we took a well-earned recovery week. That doesn’t mean we stopped moving entirely—we still focused on stretching and light gym workouts—but we did step away from structured treadmill trai
Mai Smith-Trau
Feb 72 min read


My Lifelong Weight Journey & How RunDisney Helped Me Break My Plateau
As some may know, I have struggled with my weight my entire life. Even at a young age, I understood I would never be the “skinny girl.” I wasn’t built like a ballerina—I was built like an athlete. In high school, I was incredibly active: basketball, volleyball, track, and softball . But as adulthood rolled in, everything changed. Work, responsibilities, parenting, and exhaustion slowly edged out my fitness routines. 🔁 The Cycle of Diets, Successes, and Setbacks Like many peo
Mai Smith-Trau
Dec 6, 20253 min read


✈️🏃♀️ Bags, Brooks, and a Bit of Pixie Dust
Prepping for Our Walt Disney World Run Weekend! It’s finally here! We’re leaving for Walt Disney World in just a day or two, and I can’t believe how fast this trip snuck up on us. We’ve been planning this for about six months, and yet somehow I’m still double-checking everything like it’s the night before finals. Hotels? Check. Flights? Check. Bags? Sort of check. Running gear? Probably scattered around the house somewhere. This trip has been months in the making, and I can’
Mai Smith-Trau
Nov 29, 20253 min read


Our RunDisney Journey: How We Started & Why We Keep Going
As some of you already know, our family has jumped headfirst into the magical (and sometimes exhausting!) world of RunDisney . From 5Ks to 10Ks and now even half marathons, this journey has transformed our health, our habits, and honestly—our lives. This is how we got here… and why we’re still going. 💍 From a Disney Wedding to Realizing We Needed Change The photo below is from our wedding day in February 2022. We celebrated in our favorite place—Disney, of course! We were ha
Mai Smith-Trau
Nov 22, 20253 min read


Whiskeytown Lake National Recreation Area: Nature, Paddleboards, and the Great Life Vest Crisis
Let’s talk about Northern California—the state's best-kept secret (and no, I’m not just saying that because the SoCal folks forget it exists). This place is a total movie set come to life: trees that look like they were sketched by Bob Ross, lakes so clear you can see your regrets at the bottom, and trails that make you say “I totally work out” even when you don’t. We recently took the chaos (aka the family) to Whiskeytown Lake National Recreation Area—one of only sixteen of
Mai Smith-Trau
Jul 25, 20252 min read
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