Eat Healthy Food To Get a Lean and Toned Body!

A healthy, manageable weight is the goal of many women. Once you’ve achieved the right weight for your height, BMI (body mass index), and body type, though, the next thing you’ll want is to firm and tone that new body you’re so proud of. Firming your body means having long, lean, well-defined muscles and reasonably smooth, taut skin. Eating less fatty foods and more protein will help as you build lean muscle tone. Although diet alone won’t lead to a toned body, careful healthy food choices will help you achieve the firm body you’re after. These five fitness tips and techniques will help as well.

1. Avoid The One Size Fits All Mentality

No single workout class, personal trainer, or specific set of exercises is right for everyone. Choosing the right workout for you – one you enjoy – is key to its effectiveness. If you hate cycling, for example, you’re unlikely to stick with it. By selecting a workout regimen you’ll actually enjoy and look forward to, you’ll give yourself an automatic head start. Experiment with different types of firming workouts until you find the one that’s right for you.

2. Make Your Workouts Consistent

Consistency is one of the keys to effective toning. Doing the right kinds of exercises every blue moon won’t do you any good, but getting into a regular routine will help you see faster results. A one-hour workout session geared toward toning and done three times a week will produce better results than the same workout done for ten hours, but only once a month. Opt for a realistic schedule and stick to it.

3. Don’t Resist Resistance

Adding resistance training to your workout routines increases muscle strength through endurance. Endurance has the added benefit of increasing the rate of your metabolism and speeding up fat burning, which helps with muscle definition. Resistance training includes a variety of elements like, using free weights, weight machines, resistance bands and even your own body weight to strengthen and tone your muscles.

4. Skip The Gym or Health Club

Tired of the gym or just craving the great outdoors? Vary your workouts to help break up boredom and avoid workout fatigue. Try taking a swim, giving yoga a try, going for a hike, biking along neighborhood bike trails, or jogging or power walking through your local park. You might also consider joining sports teams that offer effective, whole body workouts. Try softball or volleyball for starters.

5. Give Some Old Standbys A Try

Remember high school gym class? The physical education instructor had it right with those good old standby exercises, like pushups to firm up arms and abs, squats to tone legs, and sit ups to firm your tummy. Don’t eschew jumping jacks, jump rope, and other exercises that offer body weight resistance and build muscle tone.

In addition to the firming and toning strategies above, make sure you include cardio as part of your regular routine. If you’re giving your best effort to the toning and firming portion of your workout, your metabolism gets a boost – and stays boosted – even after your workout session ends. During that time, you gain the lean muscle tone you want. Adding beneficial cardio to the end of your firming workout activates the energy burning features you need, helps burn stored fat, and helps you gain added strength. A good rule of thumb – toning first, cardio second. You’ll love the results, look good, and feel amazing.
Make sure you incorporate healthy food into your daily diet. For many, poor eating habits have led us to become “out of shape” and lethargic. Eat healthy whole foods and limit sugars and simple carbohydrates. Pay close attention to your portion size and the time in which you eat. When you combine the basic workout routine and healthy eating, the fat will disappear in no time, and you will become leaner and healthier.