Top 5 Ways to Get Toned

Being toned is a function of how much body fat you have. Getting toned requires that you take steps to burn excessive body fat. One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to get toned is attempting to spot reduce certain areas of the body. Spot reducing, trying to burn fat from a specific area of the body, is impossible. The only way to burn fat is by combining a diet that moderately cuts calories with a strength training and cardiovascular exercise routine.

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1. Calorie Deficit. A calorie deficit is a state in which you burn more calories than you eat. Creating a calorie deficit is a must when getting toned. When you burn more calories than you eat, your body is forced to make up the shortfall from sources other than food, body fat. Over time, this causes a lower body fat percentage. You can create a calorie deficit by either eating less, exercising more or combining the two.

Eat Less. Moderately restricting your calorie intake is an important step. Moderate means up to 500 calories under what your body burns per day. For example if your body burns 2,500 calories per day, you should cut no more than 500 and eat 2,000 calories per day. Cutting your calories too drastically can cause your metabolic rate to slow which will impede rather than help your fat burning goals. A good way of cutting calories is to replace junk with healthy food options (read below). A much more efficient way to create a calorie deficit is by exercising more.

Exercise More. While restricting your calorie intake too much can cause your metabolism to slow, exercise will speed it up. Exercising burns calories because: 1)you are moving more and 2) it increases your basal metabolic rate for 24-48 hours after you finish exercising. Exercising also builds more muscle. Since muscle burns calories even at rest, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn throughout the day. This will further increase the size of your calorie deficit and burn fat faster.

2. Eat Healthier Foods. The best way to cut your calorie intake is by replacing unhealthy junk with healthier food options. The biggest consideration is how quickly a food is digested and absorbed. Foods that move through the digestion process quickly are much more likely to add to your body fat. The body isn't good at utilizing calories when it absorbs a large amount in a small period of time. In this scenario, the body will store a big chunk of the calories as fat because it has no need for them. Eating foods that are digested slowly will help your body avoid this problem. Foods that are digested slowly give your body a slow trickle of energy rather than a quick flood of it. Your body is much more likely to burn off that slow trickle of energy rather than storing it as fat. Foods to eat: salads, vegetables, fruits, 100% whole wheat bread/pasta, brown rice, legumes, oats, chicken, low fat dairy, lean cuts of beef and fish. Foods to avoid: sugar, fruit juices, soda, pastries and chips.

3. Build More Muscle. Burning fat is associated with cardiovascular exercise, however completely ignoring weightlifting will slowdown your toning process. Weightlifting is the main way to build muscle. Since muscle burns calories even at rest, the more muscle you build, the more calories you burn throughout the day, even when you're not exercising. Focus on compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, pull ups, rows and presses. These exercises involve more than once muscle group which burns more calories and saves you time.

4. Circuit Training. A great way of combining weightlifting and cardio is to do circuit training. Pick a group of exercises that target different muscle groups and do them one after another with no rest. This will burn a large amount of calories and combine your daily need for cardio and strength training.

5. Be Consistent. Once you take all the steps outlined above, make sure you follow them consistently. Nothing will eat into your gains more than cheating on your diet or skipping days at the gym.

The End

Getting toned requires that you combine calorie restriction with an increase in physical activity in order to create a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit (burning more calories than you eat) is the only way to force your body to burn fat stores which will lead to a more toned appearance.