Kate Rita- Personal Trainer and Diastasis Expert

Last night we busted out a great workout. We didn't start until almost 10PM- it had been a busy day. From our scores clearly we needed the stress relief. My only goal was to beat Ben's numbers and I max rep'ed to that end :) We had loaded up earlier at a Japanese/Korean buffet so we were fueled and amped up. Warm Up Core Trio 30:10 x 6 rounds, 3 exercises Max intensity, Max reps Double Knee Raises 50:10 x 3 Max intensity, Max reps  (I intended to do 4 but they were killer) Triple Kicks 50:10 x 4 L/R Max reps burn! This made for a 410 rep workout for me in less than 12 minutes set time! There was a fair amount of resting in between sets and I was in the gym for about an hour.  We followed this calisthenics set with some Universal machine- I did only 1 set of flys and chest press 20 reps each 10 lbs- high rep, low weight and although I can feel it today I am not overly sore. The guys continued on with their muscle building sets and we all cooled d...

Running is difficult. Improving run performance is more difficult still. This year I ambitiously decided to run 2 half marathons before summer. My Running Room store needed a clinic instructor for The Chilly Half, and since it was the first half marathon clinic in the new store location when asked to do it I took on both clinics. I am always up for a challenge! I typically don't run much in the summer because of the heat. Last September when I started running again I was training 2 new runners who were building up from scratch. This meant some pretty slow running, but it was good to take time to recondition and inspire new runners. When the Chilly clinic started I was surprised how many people started a bit behind (in my opinion) and so we continued to work up slowly.  As I approached race day it did not seem practical after months of slow running to tackle a PB on March 4. I decided to run the Chilly Half with my clinic, slow and easy like a training run towar...

This morning's LSD was a 16K. Here are my stats at RunKeeper - not bad. I am trying really hard to follow the formula to race day. I was in bed early and although it was really hard to drag myself out of bed at 7AM on a Sunday, I was really looking forward to this training run. It rained lightly the entire time and we were drenched at the end. I had one running buddy from clinic who kept pace with me and we clipped along pretty well. On our gentle decline stretches we picked up pace to 4:00 + change. We finished strong and of course had the usual traffic interruptions to factor into our average times. We ran 15:1 intervals, skipping the first walk break (we were barely warmed up and just getting our groove) and using stop light delays in lieu of walks instead of taking both. We were disciplined enough to choke back a Gu gel- plain w/caffeine. It was a great run and I am feeling race ready. Once home I hit a very hot shower to warm up and went straight to my replenishment meal....

Tonight's workout involved 3 buddies trying a new combo that we borrowed from BodyRockTV . Using a Lebert placed on its side we mounted pike. Here's the combo: 50:10 work rest x 3 exercises maximum reps maximum effort 1. Pike Jump Side to Side, Jump to Plank, Reptile L/R, Jump to Side in Pike. Repeat 2. Pike Jump Side to Side, Jump to Plank, Knee Tuck L/R, Jump to Side in Pike. Repeat 3. Pike Jump Side to Side, Jump to Plank, Jump to center, Jump to Center, Jump to Side in Pike. Repeat Here are the numbers. Not bad at all for a new combo. It was also Rob's first calisthenic plyometric set and he really held his own. I did a 202 rep workout, 62 of which were plyo, 140 were straight strength. Before we hit the gym we took a Friday twilight journey in Toronto's west end for some take out. Ali Baba's  at Dundas/Roncesvalles has been a favorite place of mine since the early 1990's. I was thrilled upon my return to Toronto (after a 7 year move to BC) to fin...

It is 3 weeks to my 2nd Half Marathon of 2012. I am focusing on nutrition and sticking to a solid strength and flexibility routine. We have been working on the garage gym and it is really shaping up- equipment is slowly being added and it is getting organized and more functional. We are gearing up to make a push with cross training this summer. When it gets too hot to run I typically lean towards plyometric, strength & cycling routines.  30:00 PM late last night set. Get it in! Warm Up Head to toe + 2 sun salutations L/R Stationary Bike 4:00 Pike Jump Overs 30:10 x 6 = 4:00  (I averaged 20/interval, peaking at 30 2x, low 18) Lebert Knee Raises x 20 Curtsey Lunge Jumps (inspired by Audrey!) 30:10 x 6 L/R  (I averaged 10/interval, peaking at 13, low 9) Chest Flys on Universal 15 x 20 lbs 5-1-5-1 tempo (slow) perfect form Stationary Bike 4:00 Cool Down Head-To-Toe This home gym used to be just a mat, stability ball and mounted cycle in my garage, so I am extr...

Fresh Potato Patties in 10 minutes Ingredients 9 small Idaho or russet potatoes, peeled 1 small onion, peeled 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 cup oil Directions Grate potatoes, then the onion using the large hole of a box grater. Place grated vegetables in the center of a large clean kitchen towel. Bring up the ends of the towel and twist together to form a pouch. Hold the bundle over the sink, then squeeze out as much excess moisture from the vegetables as possible. Place vegetable mixture in large bowl. Add egg, flour, salt and pepper; mix well. Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Carefully drop tablespoonfuls of the vegetable mixture into skillet; spread each into thin circle with back of spoon. Repeat to cook 2 to 3 latkes at a time. Cook 3 to 4 min. on each side or until golden brown on both sides. Remove latkes from skillet; drain on paper towels.

Here are a couple of simple go-to recipes that get made quite often around here. They both accompany a variety of meal plans, adding both nutrition and simple deliciousness. What I especially love about these recipes is that we quite often find the produce on sale- cucumbers & tomatoes, often mushrooms on the reduced rack. I am surprised at how long mushrooms will keep in a brown paper bag in the fridge. Buying bulk when on sale is a cost effective way to make a batch of salad or soup that will last all week for side dishes. Go-to recipes like these provide inspiration on the spot when I spy deals in the grocery. A website like All Recipes  is a great resource for finding ways to prepare produce, especially on sale when you can buy a bulk. It has proven to be pretty simple and tasty, as far as we have found. The recipes are easily adaptable, and it includes a search where you can type in the ingredients you have to find a recipe that will work- handy! I brought a few s...

A client saw this meal posted on my FB and asked for the recipe so I thought I'd post it here. This was about 400 calories- pan fried pimento cod, beets & greens, vegetarian stuffing/dressing and spinach cassava casserole. Here is the recipe for the casserole: Boil the frozen  cassava until a fork can pierce it easily. The centre of cassava is very fibrous, so remove any stringy bits.  Cut into 3\4 inch pieces.  Add defrosted or lightly steamed spinach and any partially cooked veggie you have, and cover with sauce. Top with bread crumbs and or parmesan (any cheese will work).  Bake for 30 minutes at 325 covered and then uncovered until it browns on top. To make the White Sauce: heat 2 cups of milk in the microwave until it boils (it will burn the bottom of your pot on the stove)  In a medium sauce pan on med/low heat melt 4tbs of butter.  Add 4 tbs of white flour and stir constantly for 3 minutes. The flour must cook but not burn.  It should ...