My Inner Shakti

finding strength in everyday things

Postpartum Fitness – Building Strength with Peloton

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While I’ve always known how important strength training is, I now see how I went about incorporating it into my workouts kind of wrong…at least in terms of my goals. I was definitely someone who loved (and sometimes still do) sweaty workouts that leave me 100% breathless (i.e. cardio). But that is changing…

Recently, I’ve been thinking about my long term health goals, and I recognize that strength training definitely needs to take a top spot in my plan. In all honesty, after visiting California to see my grandparents, it hit me that my future would likely include a lot of muscle/joint pain if I don’t get serious about my physical health. My grandmother, mom, and aunts all have some kind of pain, and while they’re strong women overall, they definitely didn’t focus on their fitness over the years, especially not strength training. Something I can learn from and change for myself.

A couple of notes first:

  • I’m almost one year postpartum. I restarted my workouts around week 6 (maybe 8…can’t remember!) with basic total body strength workouts, cycling classes, and lots of walking and general movement (I don’t sit much during the day).
  • I don’t weigh myself regularly. I did for a while after having Mila and up until a few months ago, but I find the scale deceptive. I may jump on every now and then, but I’m not measuring my progress with it at all.
  • I use Peloton to program my workouts, but you can use whatever you want. If you love running, make that your cardio workout. If you want a free way to include strength training in your routine, go check out BodyFit by Amy on YouTube. She’s amazing! My point is you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. I 100% subscribe to the belief that fitness and health should be simple and affordable.
  • You may find that strength training burns less calories than cardio, and while that may seem to be true from a purely calories burned in the moment perspective, you have to look at what’s happening from a higher level. Check out this article for more information.
  • It took years of hard work to let go of the belief for me that thin is best. I’ll share more another time, but I’m at a point where strength, mobility, and flexibility are absolutely key. If you don’t have those things, life is going to get difficult at some point whether you’re thin or not, so I’m trying my hardest to build a routine that gives me those three things in abundance.

Current Routine

In terms of my current routine, here’s the breakdown of what a typical week looks like for me…

MONDAY: 20 min upper body workout (sometimes arms and shoulders, sometimes chest and back) + 10 min HIIT workout

TUESDAY: 20 min lower body workout + 10 min core workout

WEDNESDAY: 30 minute cycling class (usually something more challenging like HITT + Hills, a climb ride, or a tabata ride) + 5 minute post-ride stretch

THURSDAY: rest

FRIDAY: 30-45 minute total body workout + 5-10 minutes of total body stretching

SATURDAY: 30 minute cycling class (usually something more fun than intense)

SUNDAY: rest

The biggest change with this routine versus what I did in the past is that I split up the upper and lower body workouts and then cap off with total body. I used to do two total body workouts every week, but this allows for more focused strength, and I’m loving the way it makes me feel.

Changes I’ve Seen So Far

I’ve been at this routine since the end of July, and I’m starting to see changes now.

Firstly, my overall strength is increasing. I know this because I’m able to use heavier weights for certain moves that I couldn’t before. Also, my core strength has like tripled. This in no way means I have a six-pack (definitely don’t!), but I can now do core moves that had to be modified before. I can also take a 10 minute class and complete it without any breaks. #smallwins And finally, I am seeing more muscle definition now in my legs and arms, which is so cool. The other day, Vishnu said, “Your triceps look good, Par.” Best compliment ever!

Another change I’ve experienced that’s kind of new to me is that I’m hungrier than ever now. Will talk about my nutrition in a minute, but I’m having to be extra mindful because when that hunger strikes, I’m still eating healthy, but it’s all over the place.

Nutrition plans

This is where I really have a lot of work to do. I eat healthy foods, I make healthy foods, I buy healthy foods, but I eat them in bigger quantities. Sometimes it’s justified I think, but most of the time it’s probably not.

I don’t follow a particular diet (dislike the word itself in that context), but there are a few habits I’m building in to help me be better in this area.

  • Drink 120 ounces of water a day
  • Eat protein forward meals
  • Meal plan (dinner for everyone but every meal for me)
  • Salads for lunch at least 4-5 times a week
  • Practice the pause before eating (am I really hungry or am I bored?)
  • Plating everything (especially for snacks)

Do you strength training regularly? What’s the biggest benefit you’ve seen?

Postpartum Health Journey – Week 1

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Hello hello! I’m excited to share my postpartum health journey on here because these are the kinds of posts I wish someone had written when I had Kaiden.

So here’s the lowdown…these posts will be very personal to my journey based on my experience(s) and recovery. That doesn’t mean you can’t borrow ideas or follow along, but please do keep this in mind. Also, please remember it took nine months to grow your baby. We just can’t expect things to go back to where they were a few weeks after birth. Everything takes time. Something I’m reminding myself of often.

I’m going to be sharing the physical, nutritional, mental, and social aspects of my journey on here because I don’t think you’re truly healthy unless all of these are taken into account. I also need some accountability in some of these areas, so this will be a great way to do that.

Ok so let’s get into it…

My experience and recovery

So for anyone who doesn’t know, this was a repeat c-section delivery for me. I had an emergency c-section with my firstborn, and my husband I decided another c-section would be the best route given my last delivery.

The delivery itself was fine. By the time I got home three days later, I was going up and down stairs and was also fairly mobile. I honestly thought I was in the clear in terms of the worst being over with.

Then, a week and day later, I found myself back in the hospital for postpartum hemorrhaging. This was way harder on me than my delivery itself for many reasons. I won’t go into the details, but I’m thankful for the way things played out. My recovery after this was a little longer and still ongoing in ways. But I’m getting there. I’m mobile and able to be active and keep up with Kaiden, so I’m thankful for that!

Key takeaway – everyone’s experience is different. Don’t compare and GO SLOW. A few days, weeks, or months of rest and recovery aren’t that big of a deal in the long run. Better safe than sorry.

My health journey plan

I’ve had six whole weeks to think about my health journey plan and what I want to do to get back into the swing of things.

This may be the most anti climatic thing to say, but my plan is to keep things simple and go back to the basics. I don’t believe in diets. I’ve tried a few and they never work for me. I don’t believe in deprivation. I don’t believe in cutting out entire food groups or ingredients. None of these methods work. And now that I have little eyes watching me all the time, I want to make sure I’m a good role model for them.

So that said, I plan to exercise 4-5 times a week – a mix of cardio, strength training, and yoga/stretching. In terms of my diet (what I eat, not a specific plan), I plan to focus on the things I need to add in versus remove. That seems like a more sustainable and fun idea versus removing the things I truly love and enjoy. My mental health plan is to keep going with therapy and continuing with 360 degree self-care, meaning not just the indulgent things but other deeper things like creating boundaries, etc. Socially, I need to be more mindful of my time on IG, but this is also about who and how we’re filling our time. Now that we’re in GA, I want to see my friends and family but need to ensure it’s filling my cup and not taking away from it.

So that’s the plan in a nutshell…

Week 1 – Physical health journey

I AM SO SORE! As I sit here and type this out, my legs are so freaking sore! I haven’t felt this way since I started at my gym in 2019!

This week, I got in three solid workouts (this week is Monday-Thursday for the purposes of this blog post). I did a low impact Peloton ride, a postpartum core workout, a full body strength workout, and another Peloton bike ride. I plan to do a Body Fit by Amy strength workout today.

Vishnu felt like I was pushing it a little bit this week, but I felt pretty good except for the soreness. But I figure that’s expected no matter when I start. In terms of the bike rides, I’m not striving for any particular numbers. I just want to get through the workout at my own pace. And with the strength ones, I thought I’d be able to pick right back up where I left off at 37 weeks, but no dice. I used mostly 8 and 10 pound weights for my strength workout on Tuesday, and it was still really hard for me. Baby steps!

Week 1 – Nutritional health journey

So I did great on Monday and Tuesday – lots of veggies were consumed, and I drank a ton of water. Then on Wednesday, I ate a ton of carbs (more than usual) and was ravenous most of the day.

Here’s the thing though – when you’re breastfeeding and/or pumping (I’m pumping), you burn through a lot of calories. For example, I pump 6 times a day and usually have an output of about 6-8 ounces each time. You burn an average of 20 calories for every ounce produced, so if you do the math, that’s roughly 720 calories a day. That’s a lot! And the way this whole thing works is that you have to eat to keep up your supply.

So while, I want to be more mindful in this area, I recognize I just need to listen to my body and let it do it’s thing on some days while still try to adhere to the let’s add in some good stuff plan.

That said, the one thing I need to be better about is meal/snack prepping. We have all the goods ready to go, but I just need to prep little baggies of nuts and chop up veggies the night before or make a batch of hard boiled eggs on Sunday. I know from experience that these small actions add up…just need to motivate myself to do it.

Week 1 – Mental health journey

I had a therapy appointment yesterday…a must in my mind! I love my therapist and really feel like she’s a good fit for me. She’s so empathetic yet knows the exact questions to ask to get me to see things different. Love our time together.

My mom’s also be over a ton to help out, which does wonders for my mental health. I’m so thankful they live close by, know how to handle Kaiden (a big part of the equation), and are able and free to help us. I honestly don’t think I’d be standing without her or Vishnu.

Speaking of Vishnu, we’re doing so much better communicating this time around. He’s also around more, which is just amazing on so many levels. Mostly because he gets to experience parenting in a more hands on way with both K and M. And he’s able to take a lot of things off my plate, which is always good for my mental health!

Other than that, I’m doing pretty good from this perspective, much better than I was with Kaiden. I think the weather also has something to do with it. Even though it’s starting to get chilly, the sunshine does wonders for your mind. The new variant does have my head spinning as does the most recent school shooting. But I’m trying to focus on the steps I can take versus everything that’s wrong with our country.

Week 1 – Social health journey

Let’s not talk about my IG usage. Just kidding…I said I wanted accountability, and the first step is transparency. I need to be more mindful of my usage. Period. I have no reason to be on as much as I am, and I have a few ideas I need to test out for how to stay off more than I am on that I will share next week after putting in place. More to come…stay tuned!

In terms of social relationships, I think I’m doing pretty good. We’ve obviously had to say no to a lot because of Mila and Covid and all the viruses that are spreading like wildfire right now. But I also realize there are different ways of keeping in touch and hanging out – Kaiden and I went out to lunch with a friend and her son, I talked to another friend on the phone for a bit and just caught up, another friend that I hadn’t seen in a while came over and hung out, and some other friends came over on a weekday morning so we could just talk and hang without kids interrupting every five seconds.

The one thing that does ease my mind is that everyone has been great about wearing masks when they come over. Not that I doubted our family/friends, but that does put my mind at ease a little. Also, our people have a lot of common sense and know to stay home if they’re sick or have been recently.

We have some more fun things coming up over the next few weeks, and yet again, I’m just so thankful to be able to experience the holidays with all of our loved ones this year!

That’s week one in a nutshell. These are all changes I want to keep up in the long term, so slow and steady is my motto!

Review: On Cloud Workout Shoes

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I’ve been meaning to share about these On Cloud workout shoes for a while now. In all honesty, I can’t believe I haven’t yet because since I’ve been using them, I’ve had zero knee pain.

Before I go into detail about the shoes, let me share a little context…

My shoe history

Depending on what my exercise regime has looked like, I’ve gone from wearing whatever sneakers I had on hand to getting fitted for shoes.

Up until our move to Chicago four years ago, running was my primary form of exercise. Somewhere along the way, my knees started hurting. I even got an MRI at one point because we didn’t know if I had done some real damage.

Last March, I joined a local gym and started taking classes (HIIT, strength training, spin, etc.). At first, my knees still hurt every now and then, but after seeing how committed I was to these classes, Vishnu suggested I get a pair of On Cloud shoes because he’d read so many positive reviews.

I was hesitant at first because of the price tag, but Vishnu insisted, so I gave in! I ended up getting the Cloud X shoes, which are now only available in red. After using these particular ones for over a year, I wouldn’t hesitate to try the other varieties.

In terms of sizing, I got a 7.5 which is actually a half a size smaller than what I get in running shoes. 7.5 is my true size in other shoes (sometimes I can go down to 7). If you like having a good amount of toe room, I recommend going a half a size up, but otherwise, your true size should be fine.

Pros of On Cloud (Cloud X)

I’m so glad Vishnu convinced me to get these because they saved my knees. I can honestly say that I have yet to experience knee pain like before after working out. And I’ve done some pretty intense stuff over the past 15 months or so.

They don’t have a ton of cushion, but they provide a ton of support. For example, in a lot of the classes I took, we’d be jumping in one way or another for a lot of the class. These shoes took the shock of all that jumping without impacting my joints. The proof is in zero knee pain, people!

Additionally, On Cloud shoes are extremely light weight and comfortable. There’s no bulkiness, which a lot of running shoes have.

Speaking of, On Cloud shoes are pretty stylish. I didn’t think the would be, but I actually love the way they look. A nice little bonus!

Cons of On Cloud (Cloud X)

The only real con I see is the price tag, BUT I do think it’s justified now that I’ve worn and used the shoes almost every day for the past year +.

Final thoughts

Honestly, you guys, these shoes are bomb.com. I can’t tell you how awesome it is to exercise and not feel any pain in my knees. Something I got used to for years.

If you’re in the market for new workout shoes, I highly recommend checking out On Cloud. I guarantee you won’t regret it. And your joints will thank you (and me!).

Let me know if you have any questions (in the comments)!

Kayla Istines Bikini Body Guide – Weeks 1-4

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To be quite honest, I never thought I would actually attempt and stick with Kayla Istines Bikini Body Guide (BBG) workout plan.  It looked too hard.  Too intense.  And like something I wouldn’t be able to get through in one piece.

Well, I’m happy to report that while it was hard and intense, I got through weeks 1-4 in one piece.  Hardly, but I’m here to tell the tale!

Kayla Istines BBG

My overall thoughts

  • These workouts are no joke.  They will make you super sore.  After completing the week 1 abs/arms workout, I couldn’t sneeze or cough or move without some pain.  Oofta!
  • The high-intensity nature of the workouts is what makes them effective.  Even though I knew this, I modified some of the moves to feel more comfortable.  One of my biggest fears going into this whole thing was injury.  I’m happy to report that by understanding and listening to my body I’ve been able to not only stay injury-free but also ward away my semi-regular knee pain.
  • The workouts are designed to be completed in 28 minutes.  At first, I thought, this is awesome…short and sweet!  But yeah…it takes me 35-45 minutes at least.
  • I know I’m making this sound like a miserable chore, but it really isn’t!  I’m the kind of person who enjoys having a plan of attack ready to go, so in this way, it’s perfect.  And it’s totally doable.  You may have to modify and go at your own pace, but you can do it!

Weeks 1-4 results

  • My body doesn’t look different, but I feel so much stronger!  I’m able to complete most every rep with some leftover energy.  And the soreness wasn’t quite as intense as the weeks progress.
  • On a side note, I’m pretty sure I’ve gained some weight because of the steroids I’m only for my allergic reaction (will share more later).  This gives me more reason to keep truckin’ forward with these BBG workouts.

What I plan to do differently for weeks 5-8

  • For one, I plan to keep going with the three weekly BBG workouts.  The schedule works well for me!  I do want to add two lower intensity workouts to the weekly lineup.  The other day, I went for a 45 minute walk and it felt so good.  I loved not having an agenda and just moving.
  • The second thing I want/plan to do differently is improve my food choices.  It’s not that I’m making horrible decisions left and right.  However, I know myself and know I could do better.  And not that it’s an excuse, but the steroids do apparently make you hungrier, so I’m hoping to see an improvement once I wean off this week.  We shall see…

And that’s BBG weeks 1-4, my friends!  Wish me luck with weeks 5-8…it’s gonna get tough(er)!

Kayla Istines BBG

My New Fitness Challenge – Kayla Istines’ BBG Workout

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Everyone around me is participating in some sort of challenging fitness endeavor.  My BIL, Niel, is running the Chicago marathon in October.  My sister, other BIL Adarsh, Vishnu, and few friends are participating in the Tough Mudder in August.  Me?  Nada.  Until now that is!

Enter Kayla Istines’ BBG workout…

Kayla Istines BBG

Ok, fine.  There’s no real end game for me.  BUT, I am challenging myself in a new way.  Why?  Because everyone around me is.  Not the most compelling reason, but there’s nothing like seeing the people around you push themselves a bit to make you want to do the same.

Vishnu, for example, recently joined a gym in our neighborhood and is taking all of these really cool classes like HIIT, spin, boxing, etc.  The plan was for me to join as well, but I ultimately decided not to right now because the timing of the classes doesn’t really work with my work + Kaiden schedule.  Yet another reason for me to start BBG.

What is BBG?

BBG stands for Bikini Body Guide (I literally printed out a PDF guide with all the workouts mapped out).  In my own words, it’s a 12 week fitness program focused on high intensity workouts.  Each week you complete three 28 minute (ideally) HIIT workouts.  For example, I just completed week one, and here’s what the workouts looked like.

Monday – Legs + Cardio (lunges, squats, burpees, etc.)
Wednesday – Arms + Abs (pushups, reverse pushups, bicycles, etc.)
Friday – Total Body (burpees, lunges, squat + press, etc.)

In addition to the above, I did a 40 minute run/walk workout on Saturday to round things out, and I also consider my walks to and from work as solid activity (I walk fast!).

I found week one to be pretty challenging, as evident by my super sore muscles.  Every time I sneezed, some muscle/muscles screamed…usually my abs.

Why BBG?

I chose BBG instead of another program because it perfectly fits my workout criteria – 30 minutes ish, can do it at home, minimal equipment, and is (very) challenging.

Diet?

I’m not following the prescribed diet (I don’t believe in the word diet!), but I am maintaining a few simple rules – LOTS of water through out the day and no snacking after dinner (kitchen closes as soon as we finish cleaning up).  Other than that, I’m going to try to make the best choices I can, eat lots of fruits and veggies, etc.

Goals?

My overall goal is to tone and tighten up a bit.  I’m happy with my weight at the moment, but my tummy area could use some work as could my overall strength and endurance.

Any cons?

The only con I can think of after week one is injury.  A big one I know.  Because the workouts are timed + high rep, it’s easy to focus on that versus form.  Knowing this, I constantly tried to ensure my form was on point, and if it’s not, I’d modify the move.  My motto = slow and steady vs. injured and unable to exercise at all.

I don’t plan on sharing a weekly recap (as I did with T25 and my half marathon training) because, for example, weeks 1+3 and 2+4 are the same.  So instead, I’ll share my thoughts after weeks 4, 8, and 12.

Feel free to share any questions or thoughts in the comments!

 

Year-long workout challenge spreadsheet

How to Get Your Butt to the Gym Consistently – Join a Year-Long Fitness Challenge

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The truth of the matter is I’m no longer waking up at 4:30 am to squeeze in my workouts.  With Kaiden waking up every 2-3 hours EVERY night for the past few months, I decided to prioritize sleep over exercise.  This is not to say I’ve stopped working out altogether.  Even though I don’t love evening workouts, I found a way to get to the gym (or do Barre3 Online!) a few times a week after Kaiden went down for the night…errr…few hours.  I’m also choosing to walk to work on the days I go into the office instead of taking an Uber or the train.  Unless the temperature is in the teens, you’ll find me making that 1.2 mile commute by foot.

Now here’s the thing, my workout standards are A LOT lower than they used to be.  Lately, I’ve been reading old MIS posts, and even though I didn’t feel this way back then, I’m amazed by how dedicated to exercise I used to be.  Again, this isn’t to say that I don’t love it anymore or that I’m not motivated, but time/sleep/sickness all play a much bigger role in my life than they used to.  And sometimes exercise falls to the bottom of the priority list.

So what are my standards now?  Well, for one, workouts max out at 30-35.  And two, my goal is to fit in 3 maybe 4 workouts a week.  I try to make each one count, but sometimes, the goal is to solely move in whatever way feels good and makes sense.

Other things I know a lot of people, mamas or not, struggle with when it comes to exercise are time, guilt, motivation, etc. Been there, done that with all of those plus some…

…insert the brilliant idea to host a year-long fitness challenge!

Now, I can’t take credit for the idea at all.  All the credit goes to our friends Kartik and Rathna.  Back in October, Rathna sent an email to a bunch of people and asked if anyone was interested in joining a year-long fitness challenge group.  Of course, I immediately replied with an enthusiastic yes!  This is exactly what I needed to get my butt to the gym consistently.

Year-long workout challenge spreadsheet

Our group’s challenge works in the following way (taken from Rathna’s original email)…

Challenge – Workout 12 times a month (even if you do multiple workouts a day, you only get credit for one) for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Results – If you hit the 12 workouts (or more), great!  If you don’t, you owe $10 to each person in the group who did.

What’s a workout? – Moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. This can include a run, weight training, a fitness class, yoga, outdoor activities such as hiking/biking/walking.  It has to be a solid workout for at least 30 minutes.

How is it tracked? – Via a Google spreadsheet where everyone inputs their workouts using the honor system.

Fun fact #1 – If I recall correctly, I’ve already made $40 by being a part of this challenge!  Ha!

Fun fact #2 – I read Rathna’s initial email so quickly (in true Parita fashion) that I missed the whole part about this being a year-long challenge.  I thought it was only for the month of October.  It took someone commenting on me doing this as a new mom for me to pull up the email again and read it again…carefully.  Ha!

If you need a little extra motivation to workout, I highly recommend starting a challenge like this one.  The idea of losing $$$ only because I didn’t work out kills me, so I don’t let it happen.  Also, I like being the newish mom in the group who gets her 12 (usually more!) workouts every month!

Your turn – have you taken part in a fitness challenge like this?  Would it be enough to keep you motivated?

How I feel about second trimester pregnancy fitness

A Typical Week of Second Trimester Workouts

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I recently shared my favorite prenatal fitness resources, but I didn’t really talk about what a week of workouts looks like for me.  Prenatal fitness is honestly so interesting because it’s 100% dependent on the woman and her individual pregnancy.  What I share may be way too easy for some and a bit too much for others.

My biggest takeaway in my journey so far is to do what feels right to you.  If you need to slow down, slow down.  If you need to take a rest day, take a rest day.  If yoga and walking feel good to you, do that.  Don’t force fitness when you’re pregnant.  Instead, choose to stay active as much as possible and know that every little bit counts.  That’s my motto anyways.

Also, something obvious I should have expected is that as my body grows and changes so will my workouts.  I don’t know why I thought first trimester Par would be the same as second trimester Par.  Second trimester Par is definitely a lot slower, more tired, and easily exhausted.  And this is noticeably apparent during my workouts.  But every little bit counts, right?

How I feel about second trimester pregnancy fitness

Pretty much sums it up!

As far as my weekly workouts are concerned, I’m doing most of the same things I did in my first trimester and early in my second.  The only difference, like I said, is that I have to be more cognizant of my pacing and the duration of my workouts.

So the following 24 week snapshot is a typical workout schedule for me right now, as it’s both doable and challenging.  My biggest note here (and always) is to consult with your doctor prior to starting any fitness routine or changing your routine dramatically.  Also, ALWAYS listen to your body and stop when something feels off, and don’t forget to drink lots and lots of water – before, during, and after all workouts.

A Typical Week of Second Trimester Workouts 

Sunday – 30 minutes of intervals on the EFX machine  + a prenatal strength workout + stretching

Monday – 30 minute brisk treadmill walk with 1, 2, and 3 level inclines + stretching + extra movement throughout the day (intentional as I worked from home)

Tuesday – 20 minute prenatal cardio workout  + 20 minute prenatal cardio kickboxing workout

Wednesday – Rest day (aka wash my hair day)!  I find that it’s hard for me to fit in a morning workout along with washing/styling my hair. Therefore, I strategically pick my rest days to coincide with hair washes.  Win, win!

Thursday – 30 minute prenatal strength workout + stretching

Friday – 40 minutes of intervals on the EFX machine + stretching

Saturday – 30 minute steady state treadmill walk + 15 minute prenatal core workout + stretching

There you have it…a typical week of second trimester workouts.  Crossing my fingers and toes that the same fitness gods allow me to carry on with similar workouts in my third trimester!  Only 3 weeks away…ahhhh!

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