Taylor Ryan

Getting A Toned, Tight Body

You've heard it before... do this or that exercise and you will see instant results. Most of those promises are falsely made and people are just trying to give you what you want instead of what you need.

There are plenty of workout routines for toning that work. And though you may not see overnight changes in your body... you will get real results that last.

When it comes to "toning" it's really just a less intimidating word for saying adding muscle. Any woman talking about getting into shape speaks in terms of toning up and losing fat.

So that is exactly what workout routines for toning is going to do! Tighten up your body, get rid of the arm jello that continues to swing in the air long after you have stopped waving good-bye and much more.

Lose fat... gain muscle. Did you know that simply putting on a pound of muscle will burn an additional 50 calories per day? Well, it does and that could mean you get to enjoy one more Hershey Kiss after dinner!

If you have been running on a treadmill or pedaling away on an elliptical and haven't seen ANY real changes in your body then you have probably realized that this isn't a workout routine for toning that works... so what does work?

While cardio workouts (running, biking, ellipticalling) is very important for heart health and staying in shape it isn't the gold medal winner for toning up. That honor goes to strength training.

Strength training isn't just for bodybuilders, for too long it has played the intimidation factor to the every day gym goer wanting to make their body better but those days are finally starting to end.

Strength training not only builds lean, toned muscles but it burns calories (up to 24 hours after your workout is finished!) and promotes fat loss. The factor is just having a program that is set for your goals.

A few tips for setting up a great workout routine:

1. Work harder not longer. 3 days a week, 45 minutes (max) a time is all you need.

2. Workouts should include total body exercises. Great moves includes: squats, pull ups, bench press, shoulder press, deadlift, and many more. These big movements work multiple muscle groups so you don't spend hours moving from machine to machine. Plus they blast fat and burn a ton of calories.

3. Rest... muscle takes time to build since during workouts you are causing them to work harder than they want and get little micro tears... its these tears that repair that gets you increased muscle.

4. Don't be afraid to lift. Put down the 5 lb weights and grab something that pushes you to work. Aim for a weight where you can lift it 12-15 times (reps) but no more. 3 sets of this is normally great per exercise.

5. Eat healthy. You can workout all the time but if you pig out on ice cream and fried chicken afterward you're just simply not going to get the workout you want. Clean eating is key... good proteins, complex carbs and unsaturated fats is what you aim for.

These are only 5 great tips for putting exercises to lose weight that work together. But these are the fundamentals that everyone needs to know if you really want to be on the path to success and start to wave without embarrassment!