Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi, 43, may be built like a supermodel, but she gains weight like the rest of us (and is willing to admit it!). The Indian-born actress and cookbook author recently revealed to Fitness magazine that she gains 15 pounds—two dress sizes—by the end of each season of the cooking show.
She’s been hosting for 7 years. And she still looks ah-ma-zing. So how does she regain her svelte bod after weeks of over-the-top eating? “I strength-train, use the treadmill and elliptical, and box three times a week,” Lakshmi told Fitness. “I also do planks at home and jump rope. I carry a jump rope with me everywhere.”
Wait a second: Boxing…really? Definitely not what you’d expect from a celeb whose face is as much an asset as her cooking skills.
But she may be onto something: A new study in the journal Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics analyzed the effects of a kick-boxing match on athletes’ bodies, and found that the challenge was intense enough to recruit both aerobic and anaerobic energy. The athletes’ average heart rate by the end of three rounds? 182 beats per minute. In fact, the researchers compared kick-boxing to high-intensity interval training, a form of exercise known for its fat-blasting ability.
Ready to start swinging? Begin with the warm-up used in the study: 5 minutes of light running, active stretching, and jumping, then 5 minutes of stationary cycling at 50 to 60 RPM with 5 sprints mixed in (pedaling all out for 4 to 6 seconds). Once you’re ready to spar—even if it’s with a bag, not a person—mimic a match: Engage in full-contact, all-out punching and kicking for 2 minutes at a time, followed by 1 minute of rest. Complete 3 rounds. (You can also try this do-anywhere boxing routine!)