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finding strength in everyday things

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When to Eat

written by Parita Leave a Comment

Hello hello!  If you don’t already know, I am a huge Jillian Michaels fan.  I have four of her workout DVDs, I try to catch the Biggest Loser whenever I can, and her newsletter is delivered to my inbox on a daily basis. 🙂  Laugh if you will, but I truly believe motivation comes in all different forms, and Jillian is definitely one of mine. 🙂 

Anywho, in one of her newsletters this past week, she addressed the question of whether it is better to eat a meal before or after a workout.  She says that training on an empty stomach in order to burn more fat is absolutely FALSE!  Our body needs blood sugar to help fuel our workouts in addition to what it uses from our fat stores.  If you don’t have any blood sugar present, your body will turn to your muscles for energy (glycogen or stored glucose).  Low blood sugar will also make you feel tired and lethargic during your workouts.  Jillian suggests eating something 45 minutes prior to working out.  She also states that 45 to 60 minutes after a workout is the golden hour, where muscles absorb the most nutrients, so eating a small meal, protein and carbs, during this time is crucial.

I am currently transitioning from PM workouts to AM ones, so I (try to) get up at 5:15 every morning to workout.  If I were to follow Jillian’s advice, I would have to be up by 4:30 AM, so that I could eat a pre-workout snack.  I don’t know about y’all, but that just isn’t going to work for me!  Personally, I find that my body is ready and energized for morning workouts when I eat a substantial, nutritious dinner the night before.  I understand the science behind what Jillian is saying, but I think (and this is just my opinion) that not eating something before an early morning workout is ok, AS LONG AS you properly fuel up the night before and you eat a hearty, well-balanced breakfast afterwards.  It’s all about listening to your body and giving it what it needs when it needs it. 

See, I don’t blindly follow everything this woman says!!!  But I still love her. 🙂

Source

What are your thoughts on this topic?  If you’re an AM workout person, do you eat something beforehand? 

Written on March 13, 2011 Related:Workout

Start Strength Training NOW!

written by Parita 8 Comments

I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far!  I’ve been meaning to talk about this awesome bread my aunt gets from a co-op here in Arizona called Bountiful Baskets.  She buys 5 loaves for a total of $10.  It is seriously the best bread I’ve ever tasted.  It’s very earthy, light, and sweet, and with a little nut butter, it’s perfection!  Yay for delicious breakfasts after eating not so healthy food for a week!

Strength Training

I picked up a copy of this month’s Women’s Health at the airport and was happy to see an article titled “Lose Your Fear of Lifting.”  It talked about the 12 reasons why we should incorporate lifting into our workout routines.  All of the points made me really want to amp up my strength training and ensure that I get in at least 2 sessions a week. 

12 Reasons to Strength Train

1. You’ll lose 40 percent more fat.
2. Your clothes will fit better.
3. You’ll burn more calories.
4. Your diet will improve.
5. You’ll handle stress better.
6. You’ll be happier.
7. You’ll build stronger bones.
8. You’ll get into shape faster.
9. Your heart will be healthier.
10. You’ll be way more productive.
11. You’ll live longer.
12. You’ll be smarter.

If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, you know that I am a huge Jillian Michael’s fan.  I even have 4 of her DVDs.  My favorite one is “No More Trouble Zones” because it is a great whole body workout, including your shoulders, triceps, biceps, inner and outer thighs, abs, glutes, hamstrings, back, and more! 

Jillian’s philosophy is based on circuit training, so you do 2 sets of 5 moves that target specific muscles using 3 pound weights.  I love that each move targets more than one body part (compound exercises) because you burn more calories that way.  For example, she’ll have you do squats with shoulder presses, lunges with bicep curls…you get the point!  It’s so fun and challenging, and the great thing about it is that I don’t have to count reps – Jillian does it for me!.  I know that not everyone is really motivated to workout at home, so maybe this is not for you.  But I really think that finding a way to fit in these types of workouts is important, regardless of what that looks like for you.

Personally, since I’ve started strength training more seriously, I have seen more muscle tone and a significant improvement in my running.  I can run farther for a longer period of time with no pain.  I really do attribute JM’s DVD to that!  I know many of us absolutely love cardio, but did you know that the afterburn of strength training lasts for up to 39-48 hours after you are done exercising!  If that doesn’t get you to start now, I don’t know what will!

Have you incorporated strength training into your workout schedule?  If so, how do you think it’s benefited you?

Written on February 26, 2011 Related:Food, Workout

Creature of Habit

written by Parita Leave a Comment

Today was a really fun day because our team had the opportunity to meet the Chief of Staff of a House member, visit the office of a House member, and go on a tour of the Capitol Building.  My favorite part was when our tour guide showed us a part of the building where if you walk to one end of the room and essentially whisper to the ground, people on the other side of the room can hear you.  She said it had something to do with how the sound hit the ground, got absorbed, and travelled to the other side.  It was bizarre!  Here are some pics of the things I was allowed to photograph.

View from the Congressman's balcony

Beautiful chandelier

Honest Abe!

Dinner

I’m not exactly what you would call a creature of habit when it comes to food, but today was different.  I usually jump at the opportunity to try something new, but today I was craving sushi, so back to Cafe Asia I went!  This time I started with a coconut soup with mushrooms.  I love coconut soup, and I think it’s a hard item to mess up, so it was delicious…as expected!  And then, being a creature of habit for today, I ordered the same sushi for my entrée – the veggie roll and the avocado roll with cream cheese.  SO DELISH!  Have I told you guys that I love sushi?!

Refreshing iced tea 🙂

Coconut soup

 
Sushi galore!

Side note:

Fitting in workouts while traveling (especially for work) is really hard for me…usually.  This week my plan is to get in at least 4 runs in the AM, so that way I don’t have to worry about fitting them in later in the evening.  Before I go to bed I give myself little pep talks that go something like this, “You will get up and go run, even if it’s for 30 minutes because it will give you energy and make you feel good about the rest of the day.”  Let’s see how successful my self talks really are!  I am happy to report that I ran 4 miles this morning.  🙂  My goal is to switch from PM workouts to AM workouts moving forward, so this week is my transitionary period. 

Do you find it hard to workout when travelling for work or pleasure?  What do you do to motivate yourself?

Written on February 22, 2011 Related:Food, Restaurant, Travel, Workout

To Gym or Not to Gym

written by Parita Leave a Comment

First and foremost, I just want to put it out there that I know my blog has no pictures!  I promise I am not trying to be boring on purpose! 🙂  Here’s the 411…I let my parents take my camera to India because their old one wasn’t working, and now I think I am just going to let them keep that camera.  I want a new one!  I think this new blog deserves a new camera (at least that’s how I justify it)!  So, I promise in couple of weeks (if not sooner) my blog posts will be full of fun pics. 🙂

And now, onto the prompt of the day – to gym or not to gym.  I think a lot of people struggle with that thought because they feel like the only way to get a solid, heart pumping workout is at the gym.  I am a firm believer of the opposite.  I think you can achieve a lot at home with the right tools and some motivation.  I used to think that I “needed” a treadmill because no other form of exercise would give me the same benefits.  I would occasionally use the elliptical, but regardless, my cardio workouts had to come from a machine.  Even when I was training for my first half-marathon, ALL of my short runs were on the treadmill.  I only ran the long ones outside on a trail.

Only after moving to Tucson, not really liking my apartment gym, and discovering the local parks and canyons, did I fully gain an appreciation for outdoor running.  And oh my gosh do I love it!  It’s so refreshing to be outside after spending 9 hours in an office building.  Now, I know what most of you are thinking…”you live in Tucson where there is no snow, no ice, and really no cold.”  And I agree with you 100%.  I am blessed to have had the opportunity to live out here and enjoy the outdoors in January, but my non-gym workouts aren’t always at the park.

Just recently, I discovered the fun-filled world of workout DVDs.  And I know that working out in front of the TV all by yourself is not everyone’s cup of tea.  BUT, I do think that everyone should at least give it a try because you don’t know what you don’t know.  Here are a couple of tips:  1. Netflix has tons of fitness DVDs that you can try – just add one to your queue.  2. I believe most local libraries carry fitness DVDs…go to your library, PEOPLE!

Personally, I am a huge fan of all of the Jillian Michael’s DVDs that I own (as you can probably tell from my previous posts).  I know this sounds lame, but Jillian really has taught me the value of strength training and using my own body as an enabler and tool.  Supplementing my runs with these DVDs has made a world of a difference for me.   I feel stronger than ever before.  So, with that being said, here are my own personal reviews (and opinions) on 4 of Jillian Michael’s workout DVDs:

1. No More Trouble Zones – You start off with a ~5 minute warm up that gets your blood flowing and your heart pumping.  Jillian then uses circuit training to work both your upper and lower body to target different muscle groups.  For example, in one circuit, you will do 5 different sets of tricep and quad moves 2x.  You do 6 different circuits 2x total.  It’s an all over body workout that will definitely help you define muscles you never knew you had!  I like this one because it targets everything…abs, quads, hamstrings, glutes, inner and outer thighs, shoulders, triceps, biceps, and the chest.  It’s definitely challenging, but it also really works.

2. Blast Fat, Boost Metabolism – Again, you start off with a warm up that loosens up your muscles.  You then move into a circuit training cardio workout that gets your heart pumping.  This is an extremely challenging workout that incorporates plyometrics, kickboxing, and dynamic moves to help burn fat.  The idea is the same as No More Trouble Zones with the 6-7 different circuits repeating 2x.  I utilize this workout when I don’t feel like going for a run or when it’s too cold to run outside.

3. 30 Day Shred – I feel like this is one of Jillian’s more well-known DVDs.  The premise is pretty simple.  There are 3 different levels of workouts that increase in intensity as you move from 1 to 3.  You do the workout for 30 days (level 1 for 10 days, level 2 for 10 days, and level 3 for 10 days).  Each level is about 25 minutes including the warm up and cool down.  Jillian uses a 3-2-1 system to give you the biggest bang for your buck.  You go through 3 different circuits 2x that include 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs.  Sounds easy, but I promise it’s not!  I have read that people who stick with this workout for 30 days really do see significant results, as in inches off the waist, etc.

4. Yoga Meltdown – This is the newest addition to my collection, and I must say that it does not disappoint in terms of giving you a good workout.  There are 2 levels that accommodate both someone who is just getting into yoga and someone who has the ability to do more advanced poses.  Each level is about 30 minutes including the warm up and cool down.  I have only used this DVD once, and since I have only really done yoga about 3 times in my entire life, level 1 was tough.  I definitely felt sore today, especially in my arms.  As a note of caution, I would recommend that anyone who wants to use this DVD regularly attend a few “regular” yoga classes first because this is a fast paced workout with minimal emphasis on form.

So there you have it…my review of 4 challenging and in my opinion, fun workout DVDs!   So, the next time you think “to gym or not to gym” just know that there are other fun options out there.  All it takes is a little creativity and a little motivation!

If you have other suggestions or tips for non-gym workouts, please feel free to comment.  Or, on the other end, if you feel that gym based workouts are the only way to go, please feel free to share your thoughts as well.

Thanks!

Written on January 24, 2011 Related:Workout

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