I worked out like Ina Garten and Giada De Laurentiis for a week and preferred the younger chef's routine (2024)

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Day one: I started my experiment with Garten's workout routine.

I'm used to intense workouts, whether it be my own or someone else's regimen that I'm trying. When I learned that Garten's approach to fitness is more relaxed, I was looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone and being more mindful.

According to a 2017 podcast episode of "How to Be Amazing" with Michael Ian Black, the cookbook author loves practicing yoga to quiet her mind. But Garten doesn't pressure herself to do traditional yoga poses.

I saved this routine for the end of my day since I'd spent most of it sitting. I wanted to clear my mind while stretching my body.

I did an eight-minute meditation for mental clarity using an app. From there, I followed a 10-minute yoga flow for beginners that I found on YouTube.

Although this routine was less than 20 minutes, it was just what I needed after a long Monday.

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Day two: A long walk did my mind some good.

Garten told Eater in 2015 that she loves her long walks, specifically 45 minutes on the beach, to clear her head. I don't do this enough and I admire those who make it a part of their daily routine.

I decided to wake up earlier before it got too hot out to go for a long stroll.

I would normally listen to music but I decided to use the time to clear my head and observe nature. I walked at a fast pace to get my heart rate up and break a sweat.

After 45 minutes of walking around my neighborhood, I mentally felt lighter.

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Day three: A yoga-sculpt routine helped me kick things up a notch.

By the third day of Garten's routine, I was itching to up the intensity.

I followed another yoga routine, but this one was more fast-paced and incorporated light weights.

Throughout the workout, I did moves such as the warrior pose with shoulder presses and chaturanga with a push-up at the bottom. Each flow had me sweatier than the last, but this was just what my muscles were craving.

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Day four: I swapped today's walk for a long bike ride.

To keep with Garten's low-key style of workouts, I swapped her long walk for a bike ride.

I wasn't planning on riding for 45 minutes, and, to my surprise, I ended up biking 7 miles.

I left my headphones at home again to be one with nature and get out any stresses or frustrations I woke up with.I felt just as good as I did after my head-clearing walk.

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Day five: I opted for the elliptical to avoid another long walk.

Surprisingly, my legs felt sore from yesterday's bike ride, meaning I pushed myself harder than I planned to. At this point, I was enjoying the less intense approach to fitness.

I wanted to go on a walk, but due to the rainy weather, I opted for 30 minutes on the elliptical instead.

I normally do cardio in intervals but since Garten uses her workouts to de-stress, I chose to go at a steady pace, letting my heart rate rise without pushing too hard.

I was surprised that I kept up with the pace without feeling the need to slow down or take breaks, which is what normally happens. I put on some light background music that was quite different from my usual workout playlist.

The 30 minutes flew by and, by the end of it, I almost felt like I could go a little bit longer.

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Day six: A midday walk was just the pick-me-up I needed.

I've been enjoying this slower routine, but I got a little bored with all of the walks and yoga routines. It felt redundant after a while.

I don't take enough breaks throughout the day to clear my head and breathe in the fresh air, so I really respect Garten for doing so.

I scheduled my long walk in the middle of my workday to give myself a break from sitting at my laptop.

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Day seven: I ended this week with another relaxing yoga routine.

I decided to end my week of workouts with a relaxing yoga routine. I took deep breaths while stretching my muscles to decompress from this long week.

Even though my muscles weren't sore, it still felt great to show my body some TLC.

I followed another yoga routine that I found online. After doing some breath work, the flow led me into moves such as downward dog and child's pose.

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Day one: I started De Laurentiis' workout routine with a resistance band.

According to a 2013 interview with Health, the famous chef ditched the cardio and strength-training routines she used to do regularly for low-intensity exercises.

De Laurentiis doesn't use much equipment aside from resistance bands and a mat.I figured I'd kick off this week of workouts with a full-body routine using the same tools.

I began with some mobility work before grabbing my light band to do some upper-body exercises. I put the light band around my wrists and held them shoulder-distance apart and lifted my arms straight ahead for three sets of 12 shoulder raises.

I grabbed my medium band to do bent-over rows for another three sets of 12. Then I grabbed my light band to do overhead tricep extensions, which had me sweating.

To work my lower body I did squats, clamshells, and glute bridges using my heavy band. I did the same rep and set count as the upper-body sequence and, by the last exercise, my quads and glutes were on fire.

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Day two: I started with an energizing yoga routine.

Considering the week before was a lower-intensity routine, just using bands in yesterday's workout definitely did my muscles in. I woke up feeling sore all over.

De Laurentiis loves doing yoga with some additional core work. To keep her energy up, the chef likes to start her day with a sun salutation.

Sunrise yoga was the perfect way to start my day. It helped stretch and wake up my body before I sat at my desk working.

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Day three: I tried boxing and worked up a sweat.

De Laurentiis is a girl after my own heart for many reasons but mainly because she enjoys boxing.

I signed up for an early virtual class this morning by one of my favorite studios, Rumble.

The 45-minute class consisted of 10 rounds of boxing — shadowboxing if you're taking a virtual class — and strength training. I did everything from snatches and lunges to bicep curls and shoulder presses.

I was a sweaty mess by the last round of the class.

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Day four: Foam rolling my tight muscles was not fun.

After yesterday's tough workout, I was ready to show my sore muscles some love.

According to De Laurentiis' website, foam rolling has done wonders for her posture, breath, and tight muscles. I was more than happy to try this out.

Typically, I never time myself, but I made sure to spend a good amount of time on each muscle group. I rolled each body part for 45 seconds, and my upper back and glutes hurt the most.

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Day five: I opted for the elliptical to avoid another long walk.

De Laurentiis also seems to go on hikes, according to her Instagram posts.

I wasn't planning on hitting any trails so I opted for a walk in the park that had biking tracks on hills.

Although this probably wasn't the sort of hike the celebrity chef regularly does, it was really nice to get some fresh air while also breaking a sweat.

I typically walk around my neighborhood, so climbing the hills was definitely a challenge that I felt in my glutes and hamstrings. Almost 45 minutes later, I checked my watch and was surprised to see the calories I burned and how many times my heart rate spiked.

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Day six: I gave my legs a break and focused more on my upper body.

My legs were sore from yesterday's walk in the park and the last thing I wanted to do today was work out. I debated on skipping today, but I eventually decided to break out my resistance bands.

Since I worked my lower body yesterday, I focused on my upper body and core.

I did the same exercises I did earlier this week — overhead tricep extensions, banded rows, and I added in bicep curls and superman holds. I did it circuit style — 60 seconds for each exercise for three rounds.

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Day seven: My body was sore all over by the end of the week.

This week of workouts definitely kept my muscles guessing and I was sore everywhere.

I ended this week by doing a yoga routine first thing in the morning. I was yearning for a slow-paced routine, so I found a 15-minute morning yoga video to follow on YouTube.

The routine included simple stretches for my sore muscles and breath work to wake up my body. I yawned a few times and was tempted to lay back on my mat, but I kept moving. By the end of it, I felt great.

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After reflecting on the past two weeks, I preferred De Laurentiis' routine over Garten's.

I appreciated how both chefs use fitness as a way to clear their minds. I prefer my workouts to be more on the intense side, so it was nice to slow down and be present.

The first few days of Garten's workouts were nice but by the fourth and fifth day, I was bored of yoga and walking.

On the other hand, De Laurentiis' workouts of boxing, resistance-band training, yoga, and hiking kept things more interesting for me. She likes to switch things up, which is how I approach my fitness routine as well.

Overall, I learned from both chefs' regimens to slow down and be mindful of how I treat my body. I also learned that sometimes less intense routines can be better.

Click to read more celebrity workouts that we've put head-to-head.