Kate Rita- Personal Trainer and Diastasis Expert

For all of you chocolate lovers, here are some things that have satiated my cravings! Chocolate Avocado Pudding: 1 avocado 1 Tbsp Coconut Milk Cocoa to taste Honey to taste Serve with bananas, strawberries, on toast, crepes, etc mmmmmmmm Hot Cocoa: 1+ Tbsp cocoa  1 + Tbsp coconut milk Honey to taste Eat chocolate with nuts! Try semi sweet chocolate chips mixed with raisins, cashews, walnuts, almonds, pecans, or sesame snacks. The protein will satiate your appetite and reduce your craving. The flavors are delicious!

Here is my go-to smoothie recipe for everyone who has asked me for it. I blend all the powders, oils and liquid before adding the fruit. Add water to thin to taste.  This is always very sweet and yummy and full of nutrient dense choices. I make a 9 cup batch each week and keep it refrigerated in the blender carafe. When I need a serving I throw it on the base and whip it; sometimes adding ice. I'm sure you could try any variation of this recipe, adding or omitting ingredients. I swear by this concoction; it keeps me feeling like a lean mean metabolic machine :) Smoothie  recipe: (my go to) 1/3 cup coconut milk powder (base) 1 cup water 1 cup almond milk (protein) 1 cup OJ (I use concentrate + 1 cup water) 2 frozen bananas (potassium + sweet) 2 scoops natural hemp powder or ancient grains powder (quinoa, millet etc) 1 Tbsp Coconut oil (energy) 1 Tbsp Flax oil (inflammation) 1 avocado (super food + healthy fat) 3/4 cup frozen fruit- I like pineapple, s...

In support of Incontinence Awareness Month June 2015 Is it Safe to Run with Pelvic Organ Prolapse? I was a recreational runner pre-baby. Post-baby, I suffered stress incontinence when I returned to the sport. I was fine while running, coughing or sneezing, but if both happened simultaneously I peed my pants. Although it improved as I recovered, it never fully resolved until I addressed it with a restorative exercise program. From a pelvic floor assessment I found out I have both a grade one cystocele and rectal prolapse . There are many moms who run with symptoms of incontinence, from a few drops to full bladder leakage. The solution is not to wear a pad, it is to address the obvious weakness and strategically strengthen the muscles to support the sport. Here’s what you need to know. 1. Running involves impact and requires the core strength necessary to support it. Stress incontinence is a symptom of core dysfunction and often related to diastasis recti (althoug...

My latest contribution to the Maternal Goddess Community: Returning to Plank After Diastasis Diastasis Recti is a separation in the abdominal wall caused by an excess of intra-abdominal pressure. Movements that we know create such excessive intra-abdominal pressure include crunches, sit ups, v-sits and supine leg lifts. These movements are contraindicated. While rehabilitating a DR, front loaded positions are avoided because the abdominal wall does not have the strength to support the weight of the organs. Once the core is functional, plank position can be reintroduced as a “go-to” for core strengthening. A functional core is one that creates enough tension to support the abdominal wall through meaningful movements as well as exercise. In order to support plank position the core must have both the strength to create tension and the endurance to maintain it with the extra weight of the front loaded position. Core strength and endurance exercises to ...

Years ago I proudly used the tagline: “I can help you get your pre-baby body back!” I no longer use that language as I think it is flawed. You’ve had a baby and your body has changed. My new slogan has become, “I can help you make your postnatal body stronger than your pre-baby body ever was!” Your core needs retraining . Organs have shifted, ribs have moved, the abdominal wall has stretched beyond belief and the pelvic floor has carried an incredible amount of extra weight. Core rehabilitation has to be the underlying focus of your strength routine. Not sure where to start? Here are 5 of my go-to exercises for every postnatal client to help achieve a strong and healthy postpartum body. Activating and training the glutes is imperative to pelvic stability control, which is why exercises involving the glutes are key to attaining postpartum fitness. 1. Squat: If your quads are more sore than your glutes, you are not squatting cor...

It is Fall again and with the cool weather I have the itch to run. I have not run much since completing the Mississauga Half Marathon in 2012. I took the summer off as I usually do, then began focusing on weight lifting through 2013. I never run in the summer, so here I am in the fall of 2014 feeling the itch. I do believe that a 5k 3x week run program is the perfect cardio component in a comprehensive fitness program. I have certainly been lacking my cardio component since focusing on lifting weights. I also have been busy and as a single mom it can be hard for me to get out to run- the garage home gym is easy access when my kids are sleeping. I have been feeling inclined to reintroduce running for fitness balance, maintaining not only my cardiovascular health but also increasing the effectiveness of my strength training by incorporating more rest on my run days (I do tend to over train when I get motivated and goal driven).  I have done a lot of studying and field work on ...

Studying with Marc Lebert at the CanFitPro conference this summer I learned a new way to set goals. Marc's lecture was titled "flex your mental muscles" and I found it very interesting. The conscious minds drive the unconscious, and we live mostly in our unconscious mind. Think about brushing your teeth, driving your car, and other daily tasks that we do on automatic without conscious coordination. It's how we learn and function. It has a place, but we live too much in our unconscious mind. Let's analyze a goal such as "I want to lose weight". The only word that we can visualize is "weight". You cannot visualize "want" and "lose" is a negative thing. This encourages the conscious mind to drive the unconscious with images of "weight" and most likely, that weight you want to lose. This will create a mental image of an overweight self, accompanied by all the feelings surrounding that image. Beca...

Many factors contribute to non-optimal pelvic stability control, which can result in pelvic girdle and lower back pain. Today I was lucky enough to take a lecture from the Chek Institute on SI joint pain. I loved what Dan Hellman said about "SI" pain, as I have said the same thing. It is an ambiguous term for a generalized feeling of pain in the lower back area. I always say "SI" pain is like "IBS" to me- it's a very non-specific description of symptoms. One thing he discussed today in regards to assessing and strengthening to eliminate SI joint pain was sling systems. The posterior sling is comprised of the glute maximus and the contralateral latissimus dorsi. Another consists of the working relationship between the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, ipsilateral adductors and contralateral QL. These (and other) slings comprise the functional "outer unit" . Understanding the functional relationship between muscles across these slings c...

Working out together is great for your relationship. I am lucky enough to have several couples on my roster and I absolutely love seeing the dynamic between them. One couple hires a babysitter so they can train 1 evening a week with me, followed by a post workout restaurant dinner. I ask them each week where they will be eating that night. It makes for a great date night. It can also be a quality hour on the weekend; one couple I train, workout on Sundays while their daughter naps. It is quality time. Whether it’s a home gym, basement or full facility, working out is intimate and provides a great forum to talk openly. I always say, “what happens in the gym stays in the gym.” There’s something about pushing ourselves physically that opens up emotions and dialogue. Partners who stay fit together stay young together and continue to nurture their physical relationship in a proactive way. Partners inspire and motivate each other to maintain the fitness status quo, and to n...

The Lower Body & Pelvic Stability Control The gluteus medius is an upper anterior buttock muscle with some of its posterior fibers situated beneath the gluteus maximus. It originates from the part of the pelvic bone beneath the crests known as the ilium, and inserts onto the side of the thigh bone, or femur. The main function of the gluteus medius is abduction, or moving the leg away from the body. This is a function rarely performed alone in most sports. The more important role of the gluteus medius is that of pelvic stabilization during single leg stances such as when walking or running. This means that a strong gluteus medius can stabilize the pelvis and prevent it from dropping when the opposite side is not supported by that side’s leg. A weak glute medius can place excessive load on the piriformis (posterior) and psoas (anterior) muscles as they work to assist in pelvic stability control. The primary action of the ITB is to abduct the thigh (move it away from the...

I have blogged extensively about Core Breath for the rehabilitation of diastasis recti and pelvic floor strengthening. This repatterning of the core provides a solid foundation upon which an ambitious strength program can be achieved. I have observed that connecting to the pelvic floor muscle to release it is often the most difficult part of the exercise. We have many visualizations and suggestions to help a client connect, and sometimes we need to use various cues to avoid a client becoming "saturated" with the imagery, disconnecting again. I am constantly looking for new ways to describe this intra-abdominal connection, and when I stumble upon a good one it excites me This week I learned a new cue for PFM release. I really connected with it right away and have been suggesting it to clients with a disclaimer "humor me and give this a try, I really connect with it". With inhalation through the nose, place your tongue against the back of your top front teeth ...

My new favorite ingredient is coconut milk powder. I mix 1/4 cup of powder to 1 cup of warm water and blend it. It is an excellent milk substitute that is vegan/lactose free. It is creamy and tastes great with cereal, in coffee, and in smoothies. I have been enjoying this vegan smoothie lately: 1 cup coconut milk (from powder) 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 cup almond milk 2 frozen bananas 1 avocado 6-8 cubes frozen pineapple 1 Tbsp Coconut oil 1 scoop of hemp protein powder It's tropical, delicious and vegan! Lactose free always makes for improved digestion I think :) Try it and enjoy!

Shake recipe, makes approx 9 cups: 1 cup milk (or substitute- almond milk, coconut milk (1/2 cup), soy milk (not my favorite) rice milk) 1 cup juice (sometimes I use a scoop pf frozen concentrate + 1 cup water)   1 cup yogurt 1-2 bananas ( I freeze brown ones for smoothies and microwave them for 30 secs to peel) 1/2 avocado (this cuts the sweetness of the protein powder and makes it creamy) 1 tablespoon coconut oil 2 scoops whey protein powder 1/2 cup frozen berries Blend well. Keep in fridge in blender. I give it a quick blend before serving each time. My kids also love it. You can mix it up from here. Today my smoothie has 4 kiwis, 1 banana, no milk, and raspberries. Use this as a basic guideline and get creative! *Use the protein powder as just a fortified ingredient, not a base.

Pumpkin Soup Recipe:   My workout buddy LOVED this so apparently it IS as delicious as I thought and easy easy easy. I made it up :) Clean Pumpkin meat and steam, sprinkled with 1:2 nutmeg:curry powder, a little salt + a little onion salt.  Pan fry 1 celery stalk + onion in coconut oil until browned. Add pumpkin + celery/onion mix to the steam water and simmer on low.  Add 1 tomato, 1/2 can coconut milk, 3 dates and simmer 1 hour.  Cool and puree in blender Reheat and garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds 

 I have been sorely absent from this blog due to my very busy schedule. I aspire to write full length articles on all of the activities I am preoccupied with this year, but for now I'll short hand it in point form: Bodybuilding: I have gained 5 lbs of muscle in 7 months. We started in April once/week and quickly bumped up to 2x. After a couple of months we started adding a 3rd weekly workout whenever we could. We started out on the universal machine and transitioned to free weights almost exclusively in August. I train with a friend of mine and defer to him regarding our set and workout formats. We always push to max.  Strength training has become the big physical push and mental checkout time that is keeping me sane.  It has been very demanding on my sleep and nutrition routine, which has forced me to improve my discipline in these areas, or risk suffering major recovery setbacks post workout. Hypopresives: Another intra-abdominal exercise program involving...

Strength 201- Performance benefits of core breath Core breath control improves pelvic stability control. Once it becomes mastered through movement dynamics it can be applied to advanced strength exercise training for improved results! When performing a set of 15 L/R pistol squats (1 legged squats with full ROM) on a BOSU ball assisted by side bars, I was tiring by 8 reps. Cueing core breath and PFM made the reps less difficult and I had a noticeable increase in strength. That is incredible! Not so unpredictably, as with the 101 of seated core breath it is the release that is the most difficult with advanced movements. We engage the core during exercise and when intensity and difficulty increase it can become hypertonic, resulting in a weaker PFM contraction, often cued from the transverse. A weaker PFM contraction results in less strength and increased difficulty. When we release the PFM the contraction has more ROM and is stronger, resulting in improved performance. Excellen...

Strength 101- Application of core breath to strength training Once a client has worked through Pfilates form I begin to apply core breath to simple bilateral exercises. A good example would be a standing front and lateral arm raise. The client stands with feet hip width, untucked in active posture, arms with 1-3lb weights at sides. The exercise begins with an inhalation and PFM release followed by exhalation and PFM contraction while raising arms to sides shoulder height. With inhalation and PFM release the weights are lowered back to sides. The grip rotates and the movement is repeated to the front, shoulder height. Alternating lateral and front arm raises, the client syncs core breath for perfect exercise form. Increased Pelvic Stability Control: Progressing into unilateral exercise, the focus is on improving pelvic stability control. We already know with the weight/load transfer test that core set will improve pelvic stability control. This becomes even more apparent as ...

In response to the Crossfit Video that has been in circulation recently, I contacted the Toronto Crossfit HQ to bring awareness to the issue. As far as I understand, Crossfit has released a statement in which they stand behind this horrible video: "....Mr Newburn insists. "You have actually had a dig at a video that has actually brought light to the situation and made a lot of women feel like they are not alone," "  This is disappointing. I did receive a reply from CrossFit Toronto which happily surprised me. Here is the ongoing correspondence: Hi Kate, My name is John Vivian and i am one of the owners of CrossFit Toronto. Thank you very much for your email and i apologise for not replying sooner. We really appreciate you sharing this information with us, as well as your concern for what you saw on the video. i can assure you that at CrossFit Toronto we prioritise the health and safety of our members above all else. Urinati...

 It's been 4 months of a solid push 1-2x week in the gym weights to max with my buddy. A few weeks ago I wrote this blog post on the challenges of recovering from the workouts. I am doing my best to keep up with demands of calories and rest to support this program. I am not suffering the extreme symptoms as I was a few weeks ago, although the post workout fatigue on the following day is pretty noticeable. I have noticed some tendon soreness post workout. My elbows feel as if they have been struck- tender to the touch. I mentioned it to a body building client of mine and she suggested wrapping to provide support as the tendons strengthen with the muscle growth. The only way to make these big improvements is to push the envelope, but I want to train smart, as always! Here is my gimpy exhibition in the gym- wrapped and pushing hard. I've been able to max at 100lbs once. 90lbs is my new consistent max, with increasing ROM. I tend to cheat to get the reps, and form nazi tha...