ripped in 30 Archives - My Inner Shakti

10 Random Updates

Mom’s new job – First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you for your sweet comments on the post about my mom, her job, and her big message. We loved reading them and marveled at how amazing perfect strangers can be! I’m happy to report that mom’s absolutely loving her new job! She loves her boss, she loves her team, and she loves the work. Win, win, win!

Minted – Thank you for all the feedback on the Minted post. I loved reading about why you chose the picture you did. So after going back and forth for a while, Vishnu and I decided to go with the Georgia picture! We may also purchase a similar print once we find out where we’ll be headed come June. More on that to come (along with a giveaway)…I promise!

Big Little Lies – Big Little Lies is the book I’m currently reading, and it is SO good so far! Liane Moriarty also wrote The Husband’s Secret which I really enjoyed. If you’re looking for a book that will grab you from the start and keep you guessing the whole time, Big Little Lies is for you.

House of Cards – This weekend + Vishnu + Me + Couch + Season 3 of House of Cards. Enough said!

Italy!!! – For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to visit Italy and take in all its beauty – the sights, the people, the FOOD! And in a little more than a month, Vishnu and I will be doing just that. I. Cannot. Wait!

I plan on sharing more about our trip and the cities we’ll be visiting. But in the meantime, if you have any suggestions (and I mean anything!) for the following cities, we’d really appreciate it — Sorrento, Naples, Rome, and Florence.

Puerto Rico – But before Italy, there’s Puerto Rico! I’m so excited to celebrate my friend Sweeti on a beautiful island with beautiful beaches. And it’s my first time visiting PR!

Highlights – For the first time in 31 years, I’m doing something drastic with my hair. And by drastic I mean highlights! My stylist promised she would keep things as natural as possible since I’m going for more of a sun-kissed look. To be quite honest, I’ll be happy as long as my grays are covered. They’re out of control right now…like give me a few months and I’ll be sporting a full on salt n’ pepper look. I’ll post the after picture on Instagram. Fingers crossed that my new look turns out ok…eep!

Work dinners – One of our sub teams met in Miami this week. I’m not a part of this particular team, but they were kind enough to invite me to some of their dinners and lunches. I’m happy to report that I stuck to my dairy-free ways (it was so hard to say no to baked brie!). I did not, however, say no to the wine!

Healthy eating at home – After our trip to Atlanta, Vishnu and I vowed to eat better and cleaner. Well, I’m happy to report that we’ve been doing just that. Lots of salads for lunch, veggie centric dishes for dinner, juices in the late afternoon (check out our latest juice – recipe included!), and fruit for dessert. I know this sounds boring, but you’d be amazed by what a little coconut oil and spices do to vegetables.

Ripped in 30 – So far so good! I did level one three times last week and started level two this week. I’ve also been running and walk a ton. I plan on writing a more detailed post about my experience with levels one and two soon. For now, I’ll say this. Even though Jillian’s super annoying, she knows how to put together a good workout!

Well, that’s all I have today. I hope you have an amazing weekend – enjoy!

Ripped in 30 + Back to the Basics

written by Parita 7 Comments

Ripped in 30

I’ve been intuitively exercising since my half marathon. Basically, this means my fitness routine lacks structure. I do what I want when I want.

This also means that my motivation to workout has been anything but consistent lately. Quite frankly, I just work better with a plan. I also work out better when someone else is telling me what to do.

Enter Jillian Michaels’ Ripped in 30.

Source

As you all know, I’m not the biggest JM fan as evident by my open letter to Jillian. I am, however, a fan of her workouts. I really do love them! When I was in Atlanta last week, I did level 2 of Ripped in 30 and was sore for two days. Like so sore that it hurt to get out of bed.

When I thought about it some more, I realized that this DVD is exactly what I need right now. The prescribed program is only four weeks long. The workouts target all body parts and incorporate strength, cardio, and abs. And really, all you need is thirty minutes, some floor space, and a set of dumbbells. Perfect!

Now for the sake of transparency, I have to mention that I’m going to Puerto Rico in a little less than a month for my friend Sweeti’s bachelorette party and wanting to look decent in my bathing suit may be a big motivator right now. It’s not that I’ve completely let go of my healthy habits or anything like that. But ever since our team meeting earlier this month, I haven’t been making the best choices. I’m hoping my plan + my trip will help kick my butt into high gear!

JM’s Ripped in 30 workout plan suggests doing 5-6 days (in a row) of each level before moving on to the next. I don’t like doing the same exact workout (except running) on consecutive days, so I’m customizing it to fit my style.

Here’s a rough outline of what a given week will look like:

Ripped in 30 + 20 minutes of cardio on non-consecutive days. Once I’ve done each level 4-5 times, I’ll move on to the next.
Running/walking/elliptical on the in between days for 30-45 minutes
One longer run on the weekend
One full rest day
Lots and lots of stretching

If you’re in the middle of a winter workout rut, I highly recommend this DVD. It’s one of her best ever. Quick and effective!

Back to the Basics

As I mentioned in a past post, Vishnu and I are officially “cleansing” right now because we ate a lot last week. And not all of it was healthy.

Our definition of a cleanse is probably different than most people. We’re basically going back to the basics with most of our meals. This means we’re going to be eating lots and lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and lean proteins. I’ve also recommitted (for real this time!) to the dairy-free way of eating.

We stocked up on lots of fresh produce on Monday night, and I’m going to the farmer’s market on Saturday to buy more of the good stuff. And so far this week we’ve enjoyed salads, stir-fries and a new-to-us green juice (recipe to come!). I feel better already!

Are you a fan of JM workouts? What’s your favorite?

A Little Glimpse

written by Parita 21 Comments

As y’all know, I don’t blog about every single detail of every single minute of every single day. And really, that’s for no reason other than the fact that my life is not that interesting. I’d rather pick one particular thing that’s on my mind and elaborate on it.

I do, however, share more of my every day life on Instagram, a photo sharing social media program. If you’re not already signed up, do it now – so fun. And if you’re already an Instagrammer, follow me!! I also regularly share random pictures and videos with my family. Some of these never make it to the blog. Shocking!

With all that being said, I thought it would be fun to show a glimpse of what happens around these parts on a regular basis. Note: Instagram helps make ordinary things look interesting!

This picture is an old one. It’s from when Vishnu was doing his fantasy football stuff. One of his leagues (I think that’s what you call it) video conferenced him in, and when I walked in to say hi to the guys, I was told to leave! How rude!

Our new chair! As I was going through my pictures, I realized I never shared this one on the blog. But yeah, I love this big, comfortable chair…worth every penny!

I called dibs on the chair, so that left Vishnu with the ottoman. Kind of like poor Michael Scott on The Office. Ha! Jusssst kidding!

If you’re on Instagram, you’ve probably seen a bajillion pictures like this one. Something I learned very quickly is that people love sunsets and clouds. I took this one during my flight from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale. And yes, I am one of those people.

This quote, along with a bunch of others, is posted in my cube. Inspiration at it’s finest!

This one y’all will love! That shoe rack is actually a bookshelf that we bought at Ikea. Between the two of us, we have A LOT of shoes, so this is a cool way to keep them organized.

Speaking of shoes, my boss gave me two pairs of almost brand new Christian Louboutin shoes. Just because she can’t wear them anymore. No words.

My cousin sent me this picture the the other day. Some things never change – like my face!

Narrow parking spaces annoy the crap out of me. On this particular day, I had to climb in through the passenger side, and I think I banged my knee in the process. This was something I couldn’t just laugh off. Probably because it happens at least twice a week. Grrr!

My new favorite workout DVD! I’ve only done Levels 1 and 2 (out of 4) and let me tell you – they are killer! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an effective, quick, at home workout that can be done in your living room.

My reminder to drink more water! And for those of you who are wondering if a simple note works, I am here to tell you that it does. I drink a minimum of 50 ounces of water between 7:00 am to 4:00 pm.

I’ve been meaning to post this soup recipe on the blog but just haven’t gotten around to it. I made it on a day where the temperature was a little lower than we were used to (i.e., Florida has turned us into a couple of wusses).

Kale chips! This was my first time attempting to make these, and I couldn’t believe how great they tasted. Vishnu and I ate them all (two bunches worth) in one sitting. Vitamin overload!

I got a pedicure this past weekend. It was MUCH needed. The minute I sat down to soak my feet, I looked at the lady and apologized for the grossness. She laughed and assured me it was fine, but I know what she was thinking!

For the first time in years, I gave myself a manicure. The whole experience made me realize what I was missing out on – a relaxing activity that helps save money! Win win! When I sent my mom a picture of the finished product, she laughed and said the color looked like S***! Hahahahahaha. She’s a fan of reds and maroons, while I prefer neutral colors on my hands. I don’t care what you think, momma, I’m giving you a manicure and painting your nails THIS color!!