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<EM>Power Crunch gets expert feedback on a different workout routine every week. This week, Lisa Raitt, who's running as the Conservative candidate in the riding of Halton, Ont., shares her exercise regimen.</EM>

The word "supermom" comes to mind when describing Lisa Raitt. The 40-year-old CEO of the Toronto Port Authority lives with her husband and two young children in Oakville, Ont., in the riding of Halton, where she is running as the Conservative candidate. Ms. Raitt lost 70 pounds through diet and exercise after the birth of her second child in 2004, but has scaled back her normally punishing workout routine during the campaign.

MY GOALS

"To be leaner and more toned and to have a strong core."

MY WORKOUT

Before the campaign:

Forty-five minutes of cardio training on the treadmill at home, six or seven days a week. Ms. Raitt uses a heart-rate monitor that calculates her training heart-rate zone. "I make sure that I'm keeping my heart rate between 70 and 80 per cent [of my maximum rate]. ... I really believe you do have to do that much cardio."

Weight training at home for 15 minutes, five days a week, using light weights.

During the campaign:

Forty-five minutes of cardio, three days a week.

Weight training two days a week.

Seven kilometres of walking per day while canvassing constituents in the riding.

MY LIFESTYLE

"I get up around 6 a.m. and go down into the basement to work out, and while I'm working out I'll watch whatever reality show I've recorded from the night before. Eventually the kids will come downstairs. ... They see that my husband and I are active and get on the treadmill, too, sometimes. ...

"I eat a low-carb diet, and really try not to eat processed foods and refined foods. ... I try to have healthy snacks in the campaign office. In fact, one of our volunteers just brought us a huge bag of apples."

MY MOTIVATION

"My husband and I are do-it-yourself people, and two books that really inspired me are Younger Next Year for Women and The 5 Factor Diet. They changed my life....

"As I get older, and after having given birth to two large babies, I want to keep my midsection toned and have the energy to keep up with two active boys."

MY WORKOUT ANTHEM

"Beautiful Day by U2 or Ordinary Day by Great Big Sea. Anything by Great Big Sea really gets me going."

MY CHALLENGES

"Being motivated. Making sure I get up in the morning and put in a workout. But you know, you just have to go out there and do it....

"After the election I'd like to look into doing more yoga, to try and slow down a little. I worry that I'm too tense and need to stretch more."

THE CRITIQUE

PUMP MORE IRON

Blair Larsen of the Adelaide Club in Toronto says Ms. Raitt has to be more strategic about her workout if she wants to achieve a strong core and toned body. To be efficient, her resistance training should include multijoint movements that engage more than one muscle group, and last longer than the time she is currently putting in.

"Fifteen minutes of weight training, twice a week, won't cut it," Mr. Larsen says, invoking the adage, "If you don't use it, you lose it." The fact she could lose weight during the campaign means she's also at risk of losing muscle mass. And her age puts her at risk for bone weakening and osteoporosis - all great reasons to make sure she pumps that iron.

MIX IT UP

Ms. Raitt should throw her body a curveball once in a while and play with her heart rate when she is on the treadmill. "If we keep doing the same things over and over again, our bodies adapt and essentially learn to accomplish that 45 minutes of cardio at 70 per cent, with less effort," Mr. Larsen says.

Ms. Raitt can "kick it up a notch" on days when she feels energized and sweat it out at more than 80 per cent of her maximum heart rate. And on days when she feels tired, she can put in a workout in the 60-per-cent range.

RELAX

Ms. Raitt would like to slow down and stretch more. "Yoga can be great for this," Mr. Larsen advises. "So is Pilates, stretching on your own or even a leisurely walk." The more active a person is, the more in tune they become with what their body needs, he says. So be sure to listen.