Tone is described as the presence of some muscle on your body and then having body fat percentage in such amount that this muscle is actually visible. The best way to tone your body is to create a balance between the amount of fat and muscle present in your body. Follow the steps and see a difference.
Eat a Balanced Diet
Eating a well-balanced diet is very important in toning your body. Majority of the adults require 2000 to 2800 calories daily for weight maintenance. The calorie intake need to be reduced if you are obese and want to lose weight and has to be increased if you are athletic and very active.
| Foods to Eat |
whole grains, lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables and fat free or low fat dairy |
| Foods to Avoid |
refined sugars, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, fried foods, processed foods and foods with high amount of saturated fats and sodium |
Drink Enough Water
Drink optimum amounts of water. Health experts recommend that you should drink at least eight 8-oz glasses of water every day. If you sweat heavily, you should try to drink additional quantities to meet the needs.
Do Cardio Exercises
Include 30-60 minutes of cardio exercises for at least 3-4 days in a week. Cardio exercises help in melting away the excess fat from your body and make you appear toned. The various cardio exercises that you can include in your daily routine are:
Cross-country Skiing
Cross-country skiing helps you to burn the maximum number of calories. A 145-lb individual can burn approximately 330 calories in half an hour of skiing.
Jumping Rope
Begin by jumping for 1-2 minutes at one time, take breaks in between; march in place and swing your jump rope in a figure eight motion. Continue in this manner for 10-20 minutes and gradually increase the duration of jumping. A 145-lb individual can burn approximately 330 calories by jumping rope for half an hour.
Elliptical Trainer
Elliptical trainer helps to burn large amounts of calories and is a quite popular exercise machine at the gym. A 145-lb individual can burn approximately 300 calories by spending half an hour on elliptical trainer.
Rowing
Rowing helps in working the whole body and helps in burning large amounts of calories. A 145-lb individual can burn approximately 300 calories in a 30 minute workout. You can begin with 10-15 minutes of exercise and increase time gradually as your body adapts.
Step Aerobics
Step aerobics is another cardio exercise that targets your butt, legs and hips and is a great calorie burner. During a high intensity session, you can burn approximately 300-400 calories in a 30 minute session of step aerobics.
Take Toning Exercises
Strength training exercises should be done 2-3 times per week. You can do them by either lifting weight or by using weight resistance machines in a gym. Following are the various exercises that you can do to tone your body:
Squats
The muscles of the thighs, buttocks, lower back, calves, abdomen and back are targeted in squats. They not only increase flexibility and strengthen your body but also help in building muscle fast. To do proper squat your hips joints should go down below your knee level. Begin doing a proper squat form by using a bar of 45 lbs. and doing them twice a week. Start with warm up (10-12 reps with only the bar); next do 5 reps with semi-challenging weight followed by 5 reps with challenging weight. Do 4-8 sets of 2-3 reps each with challenging weight.
Deadlifts
Deadlifts help in strengthening the muscles of your back, butt, legs and forearm. While doing deadlift, maintaining proper form is of utmost importance, since if you are doing the exercise wrong you are making your lower back prone to injury. Never round your back while doing a deadlift.
Bench Press
Bench press is a great exercise to strengthen the muscles of your chest, shoulders and triceps. Your forearms should be vertical while you lower the bar down to your chest. When you lower the bar towards the chest, you should inhale and when you push the bar up you should exhale. Use your legs by pressing them into the ground during the upward lift. It is recommended to always use a spotter when doing bench press.
Shoulder Press
This exercise targets the muscles of the chest, shoulders and triceps. Don’t arch your back while doing a shoulder press as it will make you prone to injury. Shoulder press is great to build both lean mass by doing multiple reps and strength by doing fewer reps of lifting a heavier weight.
