Kate Rita- Personal Trainer and Diastasis Expert

I have a client who regularly makes us a cup of BulletProof coffee before our workouts. I have come to enjoy its flavor. BulletProof Coffee is simply black coffee blended in a blender (not mixed with a spoon), with clarified grass fed butter (Ghee) and a medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil (Coconut oil works). Apparently there are benefits to brain function by blending healthy fats with your morning coffee. Also it has ketonic diet sympathies, as the fasted body in the morning continues burning healthy fat as energy, reducing hunger and helping with weight management. This is my understanding, anyway. I find it tasty and it perks me up :) Interested in making this for myself, I went to Amazon looking for products. Here is what I found- typical of protein powders and health food supplements, I found a lot of packaging and marketing. This BulletProof coffee package which costs $75.99 for coffee and some hyped up coconut oil? Then there is this Ghee at $57.99. As I added thes...

I had an opportunity to try a food delivery service called Hello Fresh. A lot of people have been talking about it and it is becoming a popular option for people who are too busy to shop and plan for meals. It is a much cheaper and healthier option to eating out.  Most meals cost approx $12 per person and the portions are generous. I am always nervous about subscription services, and in order to redeem the coupon I was gifted I had to signup with payment information. I reviewed the cancellation policy which seemed very uncomplicated. Further to, I can skip weeks as I choose, pausing my subscription. It seemed fair. My resident kitchen helper Ben volunteered to blog about the meal preparation. Ben is a fantastic creative cook and hobby chef. As we have prepared more Hello Fresh meals he has “beefed up” the ingredients to make extra portions from the same recipe, as well as kid friendly (plainer) versions. Here is Ben’s review of our first Hello Fresh Meal, a Pork Schnitzel...

I get asked this question all the time! Here is my answer: Research has shown that 100% of pregnant women will develop some degree of diastasis recti. A diastasis is a lateral separation in the abdominal wall between the recti or “six pack”, due to a stretching of the midline connective tissue or “linea alba”. Although some diastasis will heal postpartum, in many cases a separation will remain without restorative exercise. Distention from DR will present as a doming in the midline. Women who heal a diastasis spontaneously or through restorative exercise may still find that their abdomens are distended, particularly after a meal and/or at the end of the day. If there is no diastasis, why is this? This abdominal distention does not occur in the midline, but rather across the entire abdominal wall. This is due to a weakened hypotonic TVA- transverse abdominis muscle. The TVA is the deepest anterior abdominal muscle, wrapping around the midsection like a girdle, with a left an...

Without rehabilitation, the postnatal body has a non optimal core. From Diastasis Recti to pelvic floor dysfunction, inhibited multifidus/lower back muscles (especially in the lumbar spine), thoracic immobility (tight ribs), and possibly abdominal adhesions from a C-Section incision- there are a multitude of maternal physiological impairments to consider. The body continues to perform by enlisting non optimal biomechanics to compensate for the lack of core strength. Compensatory strategies help to achieve the stability, strength and endurance that the core is not providing, but exacerbate deteriorating movements in a snowball effect. This is very evident in the pelvis. When the deep stabilizing core is unable to provide adequate pelvic stability control, the smaller muscles that are designed to help the core take on too much of the task. They become stuck, gripped, and can cause referred pain throughout the body. Knowing to stretch the common overused and v...

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...

My latest contribution to the Core Expectations blog : Surgery is often suggested to repair a Diastasis Recti (separation of the rectus abdominal muscles). My clients often ask me if they are candidates for surgery, and there is both a short and a long answer to this question. The short answer is “unlikely.” In my experience, surgery for a Diastasis is a rare case scenario.  What determines the small percentage of women who require surgery to repair a Diastasis Recti? The inability to create any tension in the linea alba with proper core cueing may be a surgical situation – with no functional core support the system is weak and vulnerable to injury – but it is still a long process to say that definitively.  Here’s the long answer. If after teaching a client effective cues to recruit the core 4 muscles (diaphragm, pelvic floor, transverse abdominis and multifidi), she is unable to generate tension in the linea alba, more work is prescribed as homework in...

I love teaching. It is one of my passions and I am working towards incorporating more of it into my professional repertoire. As a personal trainer I teach 1-on-1 all day every day. When I present to groups, I reach more people at the same time. Since 2006 I have been giving talks at the Running Room to clinics of all distances. I love educating runners about core, effective cross training, incontinence, and the importance of training smart. Knowing they all want to be uninjured and still running in 10 years, they are a captive audience and I am always very well received. My runners give me great feedback, they love my talks, and the instructors keep inviting me back. I think my genuine enthusiasm comes through, and is a tremendous strength of mine when teaching. In 2014 I designed a Trainer Trainer Workshop to educate other fitness professionals on Diastasis Recti, pelvic floor wellness, and safely training the pre and postnatal demographic. It's a 4 hour presentation that I...

Part 2 of my latest contribution the the Maternal Goddess Community : Once cleared for running, you may absolutely love sharing the experience with your baby! It is fun for them – they love the speed! It is incredible for you to finally be back in your happy place. Having a co-pilot is fun. Packing snacks and making picnic adventures en route is a bonus. Cooling off at the splash pad in the summer becomes a great option. It can make your worlds collide as the new “Mom” finds common ground with the old “Pre-Mom Runner” you. I ran with both of my kids, up until about age three. Here are some practical tips from experience for running with babies and toddlers: 1. Posture! I cringe when moms push strollers up hill in a forward flexed position, bent forward at the waist. Ouch. Please do not run that way either. Test the handle height of jogging strollers you are considering – does it adjust? Does the handle sit just below your boobs? That’s where you want it. Hold the han...

My latest submission the the Maternal Goddess Community : From the moment we stop running when prenatal, we are counting down the months, weeks, days and hours until we can resume our favorite sport. After my second baby, I began running five weeks postpartum, adhering to what I considered to be a gentle conservative “return to running” program that I designed for myself. I ran a half marathon in 2:05:59 five months postpartum. Do I recommend this? No. Looking back I did my body no service, only my ego. The core has taken a beating during pregnancy and delivery. The abdominal wall has stretched, the recti (six pack) have likely been displaced (diastasis recti) and the pelvic floor has supported the weight of a baby, stretched to 10 times its size in vaginal delivery or surgically impacted with a C-Section surgery. Pregnancy and delivery requires rehabilitation, which takes much longer than six weeks. Once a diastasis is closed and/or functional, the core has stren...