Tricks to Tone Your Body
One of the most common reasons people start to take exercise and hitting the gym more seriously is because they want to tone up and look better than ever before. Of course, toning up is also great for your physical and mental health too, but how exactly do you do it?
Here are a few tips to help you tone your body faster and more effectively while staying safe and healthy at the same time...
Do the right exercise
Any exercise is a good exercise from a health point of view, but if you want to get really toned, there are a few things that will help you do that quicker more effectively. First of all, you’re going to want to focus on resistance training, which helps to build and tone the body. Weight training is ideal, but kettlebells and weight machines can be used for this purpose too.
Secondly, you’re going to want to take part in a regular cardiovascular activity like running or aerobics because this will help to burn any excess fat on your body. It is also, of course, resat for your heart and lungs, not to mention your general wellbeing.
Keep eating
A lot of people think that they should cut their calories down to a ridiculous level if they want to lose weight and tone up, but this is the worst thing you can do! Obviously, if you do need to lose weight, cutting your calories sensibly can help, but you shouldn’t starve yourself. Why not? Because your body needs fuel to keep your metabolism working efficiently. If that doesn’t happen, your system can get sluggish and you could struggle to meet your goals. That’s why eating little and often is recommended by so many personal trainers.
Eat more fruit and veg
Of course, being toned means losing body fat, and changing your diet is a great way to do that. Often, it’s best to ease into any diet changes you make so that you have a better chance of sticking to them. With that in mind, why not start by adding an extra portion or two of fruit and veg to your meals? Not only do they fill you up while being very low in calories, but they also provide you with essential vitamins and minerals that will help you stay healthy and on track to toning up.
Eat enough protein
Protein is vital to building muscle and muscle is vital to becoming toned. So, it stands to reason that you need to eat plenty of protein if you want to tone up. Not only that but the protein will help you to recover faster post-workout too. So, whether you eat lots of lean chicken and fish or veggie protein including shakes, legumes, and tofu, be sure to have a serving with each meal and as a pre/post-workout snack.
Do yoga
Is you’re looking to tone up and create a body that’s characterized by lean, long muscles, you could do a lot worse than to practice yoga. In yoga, you use your body as weight and that helps you to tone up without bulking up. It can also be a very relaxing experience which is why it’s great for those in-between days when you don’t want to push yourself too hard, but you also don’t want to do anything at all.
Drink plenty of water
Ditch the fizzy drinks. Cut down on the juice and drink as much water as you possibly can. Why? Well not only is water vital to our very existence and the healthiest substance we can possibly drink, but it is also great for flushing out toxins and keeping the skin hydrated. This is important because healthy hydrated skin is more likely to ping back into shape, which means as you lose weight and tone up, your skin will follow suit and you won’t have to worry about sagging.
Stop stressing
It’s often easier said than done, but anything you can do to relax and stop stressing will certainly help you to tone up as long as you’re eating right and exercising too. You see, when you’re stressed, you release higher levels of cortisol which can cause weight gain as well as muscle loss, which would not be good for your efforts. So, take a meditation class, do Yin yoga, hit the spa, and get a good night’s sleep. Not only do you deserve it, but it will actually help your efforts significantly too!
Getting toned takes time, but it can be done and these tips will help!
For information on health, mindset and movement follow me @NadiaMurdock