Kate Rita- Personal Trainer and Diastasis Expert

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...

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...

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 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...

Core Breath Level 2- Dynamics This is the 2nd installment of my core breath field report from earlier this year. The 3rd installment will apply to advanced strength training. I will be writing another report soon which will build on these fundamentals functionally as I have experienced in the field training, so stay tuned if you'd like to geek out with me :) Pfilates 101- Introducing dynamics Once PFM release and contraction are mastered we can progress effectively to Pfilates 101 which introduces dynamic movement into core control and synergy. Seated and side lying core breath refine the form with a control that we do not have during dynamic movement, and therefore we have built functional memory to support the increased dynamics. I typically begin with the lunge as it is an easy position to connect to. In a wide scissor stance my clients sync PFM work to the lowering into lunge and pressing up- inhale, release, lower; exhale, contract, press. I begin in an isometric s...

I was absolutely mortified to see this video on facebook yesterday; it literally makes me sick to my stomach: Crossfit- do you pee when you workout? I seriously cannot shake this off. I am rattled to the core. I wrote this on the Crossfit Facebook page and also emailed it to CrossFit Toronto: Stress incontinence is no laughing matter and what these women are doing is wrong. The pelvic floor is a muscle which supports the organs in your body and when it is not functioning it is no longer supporting exercise, and possible meaningful everyday activities. These women train HARD! Why are they not training their pelvic floors in the face of such obvious dysfunction? Would you train through an injured bicep that could no longer support the weight of your arm? This is madness. Are you aware what will likely be next to start falling? Poo. Really funny! Then next? Your pelvic organs- think bladder, intestines, uterus. Your body is showing you it is no longer supporting you....

For the past 8 weeks I have been taking my workouts in another direction. With the help of a workout buddy I am pushing weights to maximum, trying to get stronger faster with more definition in my muscles. This is a body sculpting approach that is targeting and isolating muscles which is very different than my signature calisthenics compound-all-over-all-the-time workouts. Going into this program I was acutely aware of my lack of experience in this area. I have been enlististing support to delegate aspects of my training program, like bringing on a dedicated nutritionist to counsel me and deferring my strength routine to someone who has had success body building in the past. I am also on the hunt for a boxing coach. I am spreading out the hats, so to speak- not easy for me the control freak, but a good exercise in recruiting help and not spreading myself too thin. Also with a spotter's help I am able to push my weight load far beyond what I can safely do on my own. We started w...

My blogging attention was devoted to Core Expectations this week, as we trainers submit articles for publication on the company's blog. It gives clients, both new and existing, a sense of who we are as trainers, and the insights we have to offer. I am posting it here to pass it on! Postnatal training – Becoming a mother can inspire you! – by team member: Kate Rita I am very happy to be writing this article as this topic comes up often in my work and this is a perfect forum to share that conversation with many more women. Women are very understandably concerned about the long lasting impacts of pregnancy on the body. The transformation we undergo physically to carry a baby is staggering; delivery is a difficult, physical, painful although wonderful experience which leaves us injured to some degree without exception. Compound that with the new emotions we must understand, increased demands on our depleted resources, as well as social pressure to be a bikini babe in 3...

I have been meaning to write this blog for weeks, as I am at another juncture with my running (currently barely running) schedule. Last year after completing the Mississauga Half Marathon in May I took my typical summer off from running, as I cannot run in the heat. It's the Newfie in me I suppose :) Usually fall rolls around and I get back in the swing of running. This year that did not happen. As a single mom I am finding it difficult to make time when I do not have my kids. I am busy with life and work, but really that is nothing new. I recognize that like everything, running is a matter of priority and I just haven't been making it one. I even have fancy new running gear! So what's the problem? As I weigh in I am 8 pounds heavier than I was last year at this time. It's all muscle. I work so very hard for my strength improvements- why am I always losing weight when I run? It must be a simple calories in and calories out break down. If I am unable to keep up wi...

It is Thursday and at 6PM tonight I started wondering why I am so TIRED! I am eating consistently with a huge focus on protein, and sleeping 6-7 hours solid every night. I realize I am a single mom who is effectively run-off-her-feet, but yesterday I had all my clients cancel with sickness and I had a down/administrative day AND a 1 hour nap. WTH? I decided I should count up my trainer reps for the week, and big surprise, I have logged +2000 reps in the past 4 days with 1 dedicated rest day. That is +500/day average, +650 for the 3 days I worked. No wonder I am tired and my core is sore :p I suppose when I have clients like this logging +700 reps/session it should be expected and I should feel fortunate to be challenged by my clients! How many reps are YOU up to this week? Please compete with me and get ripped!

In 2013 I am trying to quantify my "trainer reps"- reps I do every day in sessions with clients. I recognize that I work out all day every day, but my reps are as a trainer- I don't always complete the sets as I am spotting; I don't do every set with every client; the reps are not hard and fast, but they are reps nonetheless. This week I logged about 3800 trainer reps! That's an average of 545/day. For my personal fitness these reps manage my maintenance and contribute to small improvements. My dedicated workouts are gravy and 100% towards improvements. That is very motivating. It's easy when I have clients like this logging 600+ reps per session! Thanks to my clients for helping me to stay in shape!

Yesterday was a write off. I seemed to get behind the 8 ball early somehow,  and although I was mostly on time I seemed to be scrambling the entire day. I drove by an accident where a teen had been hit by a car at 8:15AM in my neighborhood. She was in the "recovery position" with 6 or 7 people assisting; the ambulance was on its way. I stopped my car to see if I could help but the situation was under control with a CPR person already attending. The poor girl looked really hurt. As I wasn't a witness I left the scene and tried to shake it off. By the end of the day clients needed particularly extensive notes and I actually had to cancel a PM session as an investment in getting my paperwork done- sorry Will! I am trying to get a solid 6-8 hours of sleep each nigh- these 2AM days are killing me! Yesterday I logged +600 trainer reps with 3 clients- full body as well as deep core work. Those add up! Today I am on track with the ladies tearing it up, logging 1100 reps b...