Natasha Chandel works out using Beach Body's Insanity routine, a high intensity body weight cardio circuit at Lakeshore Promenade Park in Toronto, June 25, 2011......Sarah Dea/For The Globe and Mail
Natasha Chandel is one busy lady. The 27-year-old New-York based producer for MTV News spends her free time working on her cheeky comedy web series, Landing in Mumbai – which she not only writes and produces but also stars in. Given that her web role as the socialite daughter of a spiritual guru includes the odd dance number, Ms. Chandra needs a dependable supply of energy – which she gets with the help of her high-cardio workout.
My goal
"Maintenance and to be generally fit."
My workout
"I had been doing Indo Jazz [a jazz technique infused with contemporary Indian and hip-hop]for several years as an instructor – I used to teach five days a week, five hours a day. When I moved from Toronto to New York, I thought Insanity [a DVD set of plyometrics-based workouts]was something that would throw my body into shock with high-intensity training.
"I didn't do the [daily]60-day program. I did it five days a week for five weeks before I thought 'I shouldn't do this any more,' so it's been a week off impact cardio. I'll get back to it. I like the results.
In addition, "four times a week, I do cardio on the treadmill on incline level 15 for 30 minutes.
"After cardio, I do back, lunges, arms and triceps, push-ups and crunches, picking two body parts for a session. I lift five to 10 pounds and do three sets of 12 reps.
"Then I stretch. I always work on my splits, do deep lunges, open up my hips and stretch obliques."
My lifestyle
"At MTV News I'm a digital associate producer. I work the 2 to 10 p.m. shift. I wake up around 8 o'clock, and I have tea and cereal or oatmeal with a banana, then I head to work. My job is to sit down at the computer packaging for the web with old HTML code, which racks our brains. Then it's lunch, often eaten at my desk. I have half a chicken wrap with chips and eat the other half at 7.
"Weekends are spent working on my web series. Writing is sedentary. Half of the producing and directing part is location scouting, getting equipment, doing shoots, getting props and wardrobe together."
My motivation
"My parents. My brother. My girlfriends don't like to work out and I was sporty with my brother and my guy friends, so we push each other. Nicole Scherzinger is my body idol. I love working out, it's a de-stresser for me."
My anthem
" Numb/Encore by Jay-Z and Linkin Park."
My challenge
"I'm 5-foot-2 and 105 pounds and I'd like to be an athletic 16-per-cent body fat. But I like to snack and enjoy my life, and my body type is such that if I have a little junk, I feel fat."
The critique
Mathew Benvie, president of Evolve Fitness in Halifax, says a key principle needs to be applied to Ms. Chandel's workouts.
Get intense
"Natasha needs to increase intensity. If she keeps doing the same weight for the same reps each workout, her body will get used to this and she won't see results."
Mr. Benvie, who holds a degree in human kinetics from St. Francis Xavier University, suggests that with each workout Ms. Chandel try to either increase the weight, the reps or number of sets from the previous workout level.
Add bursts to cardio
"Natasha should add a day of interval training, a shorter fast run and/or a day on the bike or cross trainer to complement her 30-minute runs," says Mr. Benvie.
He adds that keeping a journal will help Ms. Chandel with motivation and accountability because she can identify training weaknesses, which serve to help her progress.
This interview has been condensed and edited
Special to The Globe and Mail