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Power Crunch gets expert feedback on a different workout routine every week. This week, former Olympian Silken Laumann shares her exercise regimen.

Silken Laumann, the former world championship rower, is best remembered for winning a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics just 11 weeks after suffering a severe leg injury when another rowing scull cut across her path.

Today she lives in Victoria, where she runs a charity, Silken's Active Kids Movement, that works to combat childhood obesity.

My goal

"I would say [it is] to be active five days a week, to continue to stay flexible and strong, and to have a base of endurance."

My workout

"I'm a big believer in a high level of movement through the day - I walk my kids [ages 10 and 8] a mile to school in the morning and sit on a physio ball at my desk. I keep my sneakers in my work bag so if I have a 20-minute break I can take a walk. ... After school we'll run around the playground, walk to the grocery store to get dinner and then walk up a steep hill."

Goes to one two-hour Iyengar yoga class a week and practises at home three mornings a week for 45 to 90 minutes.

"My body became very rowing-specific, with a very forward posture, shortening of chest muscles, overdeveloped back muscles. Yoga really allowed me to realign my body and change my posture."

Power walks, with and without poles, for 10 to 15 kilometres on weekends, and for five to 10 kilometres two other times a week. Mixes walks with calisthenics, push-ups, lunges and work on the physio ball.

"I exercised and trained really, really hard for 20 years. Now it has to fit into my life and bring me joy."

My lifestyle

"I believe in going to bed at the same time as often as possible. I go to bed at 10:30, get up at 6 and do yoga, though if I'm really tired I'll get up at 7.

"I eat a lot of vegetables and I don't eat a lot of red meat. My son is lactose-intolerant, though we do have some lactose-free milk and cheese sometimes. We eat wheat-free most of the time. ...

"Dinner's probably my biggest weakness. I miss it a lot - probably a couple times a week, or if the kids are with their dad on weekends. I'm a big believer in family dinner: salmon, asparagus, rice, potatoes, a big salad."

My motivation

"I know that when I'm active I feel so much better. For me, I haven't lived a day if I haven't been outside. ... It changes my mood and releases stress. I'm often speaking in front of thousands, and I built a charity from nothing. That's a lot of pressure. Yoga is a fantastic balance of that adrenalin and that stress. To me, movement is as essential as eating."

My workout anthem

"My kids like the B-52s' Love Shack. My daughter loves Abba too. One of the things we do in our house fairly spontaneously is have dance parties."

My challenges

"I have permanent damage in my leg, so I can't run. Jumping can be difficult - I sometimes skip on one leg, so my left leg is stronger than my right. I can't do basketball or volleyball or anything with lateral movement, because I don't have stability laterally in my leg. I've reached a place of peace with it. I know this is probably not the decade that I'm going to be in as good shape as I'd like to be - it's the busiest decade of my life with kids, business, the charity. In 10 years I will have more time to climb mountains and take bike rides."

The critique

Pump up the cardio

Brisk walking offers cardiovascular benefits, but Ms. Laumann should consider changing two of her walking days to something slightly more structured, says Joanna Zdrojewska, a trainer at Toronto's Totum Life Science.

One of those could incorporate cycling - on a stationary bike during bad weather and outdoors when the sun is shining. Since she can't run, cycling would be a way to elevate her heart rate without putting weight on her leg.

"It would also recruit muscles in different patterns than walking, while reducing stress on her joints," Ms. Zdrojewska says.

Increased stability

Another day of walking should be replaced with Pilates. "It's a great way to teach your body to recruit stabilizing muscles," Ms. Zdrojewska says.

The trainer says Ms. Laumann's muscle patterning and stability - which have suffered since her leg injury - could improve through proper Pilates training.