10 Minutes With SportsCentre’s Kate Beirness

If you’re not familiar with Kate Beirness yet, get ready to start wishing she was your best friend. She’s athletic, goofy (seriously, follow her on Twitter and get ready to laugh), smart and fit … and just happens to be one of the most recognizable sportscasters in Canada. She has served as an anchor on SportsCentre, the flagship program of TSN (the ESPN of Canada) since 2013 and is currently a brand ambassador for Under Armour, and although the former college basketball player has always been fit, she’s recently undergone a bit of a body transformation, dropping 16 pounds and 10 percent body fat as she embraced strength training with a focus on interval training, squatting and lifting.

Between being a badass at work and a boss at the gym, we knew we had to pick her brain a bit, and we think you’re gonna dig what she has to say about fitness, nutrition and kicking butt in a male-dominated field.

Fit Bottomed Girls: We love that you’re a fellow girl who lifts and isn’t afraid to get really sweaty. What are your favorite exercises? Got any that you hate (but do anyway)?

Kate Beirness: I really try to mix up my workout routines, but like everyone I have my favorites! I love anything to do with strengthening my core: planks, ab wheel, V sits, Valslides … you name it, I’m in! I also love squats, most recently I have focused on front squats! I try to get as low as I can go all while making sure my form is perfect. Walking lunges and RDLs are a couple of my least favorite exercises, but I know they are so important for keeping my legs strong and toned so I suffer through them once a week.

FBG: What do you do on days when you seriously don’t feel like hitting the gym? How do you get motivated?

KB: Honestly I don’t really have a problem with self-motivation and I try to make it to the gym every day! If I’m tight for time I always try to get some type of cardio in. I love the stair climber; to this day it is the machine that makes me sweat the most. I never go at the same speed for 30 minutes; I mix it up by starting slow with no hands and then crank it up to almost a jogging pace. I will also challenging myself to see how fast I can climb 200 stairs; competition (even with myself) has always been a motivator for me.

FBG: You’re a total rock star in a realm that’s fairly traditionally male, and you seem like you’ve always belonged there. Was it ever a struggle to find your place? And if you had any issues with job-related self confidence, how did you overcome them?

KB: It was never a struggle to find my place, but I’m not naive to the reality of being in a male-dominated field. I think the difference is there is more pressure on women to prove they know what they are talking about. For example, if I mispronounce a name, I feel like there will be more backlash then if a male counterpart did it. I hate it, but it is still prevalent. For me I just work my butt off to make sure it never happens so no one has the chance to question my abilities or knowledge.

FBG: Do you have any favorite healthy foods, recipes or tips for healthy eating you’d like to share?

KB: Fitness has always been part of my life, but when I changed the way I ate and thought about food, my body went though its biggest transformation. I like to tell people it’s 25 percent exercise, 75 percent diet and the expression “you are what you eat” perfectly sums it up! I have a few simple rules that I try really hard to live by … I can’t do it all the time, but I try as hard as possible!

1. Nothing processed
2. As much color as possible
3. Organic
4. Variety
5. Avoid SUGAR! (This is the hardest one as I have the WORST sweet tooth.)

FBG: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

KB: I think the best piece of advice is work harder than everyone else and never be satisfied. You can be happy and proud of what you have accomplished, but it doesn’t mean you can’t dream bigger or do more than what you are currently doing. I love this because it applies to so many aspects of my life.

FBG: What new and exciting projects do you have on the horizon? And what’s the best way for our readers to keep tabs on what you’re up to?

KB: I would really like to expand on the health and wellness aspect of my life! I will continue to post on my social media feeds (like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) about all the different fitness and food experiences.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Kate! —Kristen

More Can’t Miss Content on Fit Bottomed Girls:

• Podcast Ep 22: Kate Beirness
• 7 Questions With Instructor of the Year Amy Dixon
• 3 Inspiring Women Who Are Everything FBG Is About