Tone Your Body

Do you want a stronger, faster, healthier body? Toning your body is about more than losing weight; when your body is toned, you have more energy, a clearer mind, and the confidence that comes with knowing you're in the best shape you can be. Get started now!

Steps

Healthy Eating and Drinking Habits

1. Eat more vegetables than you think you need. You've heard that you need to eat your veggies; now is the time to take this advice to heart. Vegetables provide your body with essential vitamins, they aid in digestion, they provide extra hydration, and they deliver nutrition without too many calories. Basing every meal on vegetables will help you look toned faster.
   • Make salad or cooked green vegetables the biggest part of every meal. Eating plenty of leafy greens like dandelion greens, spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts will fill you up and nourish your body with vitamins A, C, K, and other essential nutrients.
   • Eat a regular rotation of other vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, squash, green beans, cabbage, onions, and so on. Try to eat vegetables that are in season, which is when they are the most nutritious.
   • Start your day with a Make a Vegetable or Ice Cream Smoothie. Ditch pancakes and bacon and instead blend almond milk, a few handfuls of spinach or kale, and a kiwi or a banana for a powerful green smoothie to get your day started. Replace daily snacks with raw carrots, broccoli, or another vegetable smoothie.
2. Nourish your body with fruit. Eating whole fruits is another great way to get the nutrients, water, and fiber your body needs to start looking more toned. Make sure to get several servings a day, choosing fruit that is in season in your area whenever possible.
   • Eat whole fruits like berries, bananas, apples, pears, oranges, melons, and so on instead of buying fruit juice. Eating fruit whole gives you the benefit of the fiber; without it, you end up consuming too much fructose, the type of sugar found in fruit.
   • Replace your typical desserts with fruit salad, or try making other healthy fruit based desserts. For a delicious, light take on ice cream, try this amazingly simple dish: freeze a banana solid, then put it in a food processor or blender and whip until it turns creamy. It will have the consistency of ice cream or custard.
3. Choose lean proteins. To achieve muscle tone, you'll need to feed your body with plenty of lean proteins. Protein can come from meat, but it is also found in vegetables, legumes and nuts.
   • Eat plenty of fish. Fish contain all the protein you need, as well as essential fatty acids that help make your body strong and lean.
   • Eat beans and tofu. If you're a vegetarian, try chickpeas, black beans, fava beans, and other legumes to get the protein you need. Tofu is also a healthy choice.
   • Eat red meat sparingly. Steak, hamburgers, bacon, and other beef and pork products are fine once in a while, but they should not make up the bulk of your daily means when you're trying to achieve a toned body.
4. Don't forget fats and grains. A balanced diet also includes healthy fats that promote organ and skin health as well as grains to give your body the fiber and minerals it needs.
   • Choose whole grains like steel-cut oats, barley, buckwheat and quinoa rather than processed flours.
   • Nuts, avocados, olive oil, grapeseed oil, and other healthy oils are important supplements to a healthy diet.
5. Drink mostly water. Drinking water helps your body flush away toxins and stay hydrated, both of which lead to a toned, healthy look. Try to drink 8 or more glasses a day, and more when you're exercising.
   • Avoid drinking too much alcohol. It causes your body to retain water and has other harmful effects that lead to bloating, rather than toning.
   • Choose water over soda, juice and milk. Pure water is calorie-free and healthier for your body than any other drink.

Exercises for Greater Muscle Tone

1. Raise your heart rate with cardio. The best exercise routine for toning your body is a combination of cardio, which gets your heart rate up and increases overall fitness, and weight training, which strengthens your muscles. Do cardio exercises three times a week, alternating between workouts like these:
   • Go power walking or running for 30 - 40 minutes. It's important to make sure your heart rate is raised the whole time. If you're breathing heavily and sweating, you're probably getting a good enough workout. You can buy a heart rate monitor to measure your heart rate and make sure it's properly elevated.
   • Try swimming, biking, hiking or playing a team sport. All of these exercises keep you moving for an extended period of time. Mixing things up will help you stay interested in exercising.
2. Start weight training. Cardio alone won't help your body get as toned as it can be. Incorporating some weight training will help you see results much faster. After a few weeks, the contours of your muscles will be defined, and you'll have more energy than ever.
   • Pay attention to all of the muscle groups. Do weight training that focuses on your arms, back, shoulders, legs, and torso.
   • Lift the heaviest weight you can handle while still using the proper lifting form. For example, choose 10, 15, or even 20 pound dumbbells over the 5 or 8 pounders. You'll see faster results with heavier weights.
   • Don't weight train more than 2 or 3 times a week. You can overstrain your muscles if you don't give them time to heal in between workouts.

Detoxification Methods that Keep You Fit

1. Do some yoga. Yoga tones your muscles, but it also detoxifies your body. The buildup of toxins can lead to water retention and weight gain, so it's important to expel them if you want to tone your body. Participating in a yoga class 2 - 3 times a week is a great way to get stronger and healthier.
2. Try fasting. No matter how healthy your diet may be, over time, environmental toxins can build up in your body and start causing health problems. Fasting is an excellent way to expel the toxins and cleanse your digestive system. This results in improved energy and tone.
   • Skipping the last meal of the day is an easy way to incorporate fasting into your life. Eat your last meal between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, then skip dinner to give your body a rest. The fasting period will last until breakfast the next morning.
   • Intermittent fasting is the practice of fasting for as long as 36 hours to completely cleanse the body. Consult your doctor first if you want to try this type of fast.
   • Juice fasting is another popular type of fast. Again, you should consult your doctor before drastically altering your diet for an extended period of time.
3. Try dry brushing. This ancient exfoliation technique aids the circulation in your skin and helps your body shed toxins. After a few weeks of daily brushing, your skin will look more toned and healthy. This technique is also said to reduce the appearance of cellulite.
   • Buy a body brush made with natural bristles. Starting with your legs, brush in firm strokes up toward your thighs, always brushing in the direction of your heart. Continue brushing your torso, backside and arms.
4. Detox your mind. When you're stressed out, your body releases hormones that cause you to gain weight and look less toned. Do your best to reduce the stress in your life by taking the following measures:
   • Get plenty of sleep. Your body and mind need time to recuperate after your busy days. Lack of sleep has been shown to lead to weight gain.
   • Slow down. Trying to cram in workout sessions around a packed schedule makes it more difficult to achieve the tone you desire. If possible, ramp down your activities so you have more time to focus on your health.
   • Spend time outside. Instead of relaxing in front of the TV, take a walk and get some fresh air. Being outside is equally good for your mind and your body.

Tips

• Do pushups, jumping squats and crunches to help your body look toned.
• Don't push yourself too hard. Take a break if you need to, but try to keep your heart rate up.

Related Articles

• Get a Flat Stomach
• Understand Qi Gong
• Take Care of Your Weights/Dumbbell Set
• Quickly Recover from a Brutal Workout

Sources and Citations

See also

• Improve Your Fitness With Proper Sports Nutrition
• Do Water Aerobics
• Cross Train
• Choose a Personal Trainer
• Get Exercise Outdoors
• Do Core Exercises
• Measure Your Thighs
• Wear a Fitbit
• Switch from Treadmill Running to Outdoor Running
• Burn Fat at Home

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