Padma Lakshmi In Workout Gear Is “Balancing the Pasta and In-n-Out”

Former Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi prepared for the Emmy Awards with a very specific (and hilarious) workout. Lakshmi, 53, shared a video of herself exercising in purple workout gear, each move designed to offset an indulgence. “Come do an Emmy week workout with me! Roll out the ankles after spending hours in 6-inch Louboutins. 20 lunges on each side because you cannot walk anywhere in LA. 20 hip thrusts to balance the In-n-Out… and the tacos… and the bacon-wrapped street dogs… and the Funke pasta. One minute of rope pulls to help with climbing the ladder faster than your enemies. 16 oblique twists to prep for those ‘over the shoulder’ pics,” she captioned the video. Here’s how Lakshmi is thriving after Top Chef.

1. Normal People Food

Shooting Top Chef caused Lakshmi’s weight to yo-yo, but she enjoyed “normal people food” in between seasons. “I'm usually anywhere from a size four to a size six normally, but I can get up to a size 10 after Top Chef,” she told PEOPLE. “I always go back down to my normal weight, but it takes me 10 weeks to do that… I'm mostly plant-based at home. I'm not saying I'm a total vegetarian, but I tend not to eat that much red meat anyway in my personal life.”

2. Boxing Workouts

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Lakshmi says cardio gets her fit and toned. “My post Top Chef workout [is about] getting back into shape,” she told PEOPLE. “I've been boxing for over 20 years on and off when my joints permit. I love boxing. I mean, as much as boxing has helped me physically, it's done way more for me mentally. And I highly recommend it for anyone who's looking to feel more grounded, more focused and more in their body, as well as have more clarity.”

3. Burning Off Those Calories

Lakshmi’s workouts vary in intensity depending on work. “I do work out more than most people because in order to do my job well on both shows, I need to really experience all the food that’s being put in front of me,” she told Parade. “I go to the gym an hour or two six days a week; sometimes even seven. But I have to remind myself that recovery is important too. I jump rope. I just started doing P.volve [a low-impact workout based on functional movement]. And I lift old-school weights three times a week.”

4. Therapy Sessions

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Lakshmi battles anxiety, and says therapy saved her. “Honestly the best thing I did was go back to therapy,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “I have been seeing the same doctor for over a dozen years, and she has helped me pull through some really rough patches in my life. I believe in good therapy from a highly experienced and well-trained expert. Those folks are great guides, but you also have to do the work yourself and have discipline enough to show up for your own mental health and well-being, even if life pulls you in some very valid seeming directions.”

5. Endometriosis Battle

Lakshmi is an advocate for those living with endometriosis. “By the time I got diagnosed, I was 36,” she told Parade. “I got the help that I needed, which was laparoscopic excision surgery. I didn’t know what it was like to live pain-free until after that third surgery. I was so much more productive. I was so much more calm. I could think clearly. And it made me mad because I realized that this treatment I got at 36 should have happened in my early 20s. As women, you just want to have an equal opportunity at achievement that your male counterparts do, but if you’re saddled with such a severe reproductive issue, you’re starting from way back behind the starting line.”