Kate Rita- Personal Trainer and Diastasis Expert

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!

On Saturday I went to my friend's place for dinner with the kids. He made a seafood feast with lobster pasta, crab and beautiful veggies. It was photo worthy and warranted some blog props. While I did not eat any of this handsome little fellow, the lobster pasta was to-die-for. Here is his recipe, c/p'ed from his FB page :) Cooked the shells for an hour with some chicken stock. Strained the shells. Reduced the liquid until it started to stick to the pan. De glazed it with a quarter of a cup of white wine. Added a cup of cream and simmered until thick. Served with chopped lobster bits on top of some penne. Steamed green beans tossed in garlic butter.   Thanks again, Ben!

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!

I was training this week with a client who is 29 weeks pregnant and I was struck, as I am often am, at how functional prenatal training is. Look at these positions my client is using to add challenge to her gentle exercises. Sitting on a ball with 2 feet on a BOSU doing arm lifts is hard for any of us! Why don't we do more functional, slower, stability challenging exercises? Prenatal training requires us to slow down. This does not mean we have to make it easy! Pregnancy is a perfect time to work the fundamentals as a huge investment in synergy and coordinated function. In our non-pregnant condition working out seems to become about the "hard and fast". We want the burn and often at the expense of the 101's. Everyone who trains with me knows that we build up, and in the first few sessions/weeks we cover a lot of 101's. As a trainer, it is my job to ensure that the functional form is in place to support the higher intensity workouts. I think I'll have eve...

I could live on soup. Seriously- it is an infusion of goodness full of electrolytes and soluble nutrition. It is hard to f*%$ up soup :) It's a go-to healthy choice. A small serving is very filling. It can be topped with bread, shredded cheese, sour cream or yogurt. It is a 2:00 reheat and great for a fast meal at home. It is a great "healthier" restaurant choice. I order soup all the time! It is delicious :) Ben made this amazing asparagus and broccoli soup. He brought me 2 containers which = 4 servings for me. I have 2 left for the weekend. It is a jam packing 300 calorie infusion- perfect fuel for training and a healthy food plan. Here is his recipe: Four cups of each potato, asparagus carrot and broccoli 1 bag of milk 2 cups chicken stock. I think he blended it. Serve with greek yogurt. After adding the cheese I thought it was a bit salty so perhaps 1 cup of stock could be replaced by 1 cup of water? Regardless, this is a simple and delicious healthy recipe t...