As fitness professionals, we often get asked this question when we say that we are in the fitness industry. There are so many ways to achieve this result. However, the bottom line is, in order to improve muscle tone, we need to focus on two things: building muscle and lose fat.
The fastest way is hard (crash diets, super crazy workout routines, etc.) and may leave you rebounding to your previous status, or worse, less muscle and more fat. The challenge here is that there has been no behavior change to sustain the “gains” during these programs.
The most effective and long term ways are easier. Consider lower intensity changes paired with consistency, you will see results in a slightly longer period of time; however, you would have changed your lifestyle so that you are able to keep those gains for longer. The changes that need to be made can be simple, but as humans, we get faced with so many options that we have the tendency to over complicate things. Take these action steps to get yourself closer to achieving the muscle tone you desire:
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Eat minimally processed foods, lean proteins, and a ton of vegetables. Fruits are delicious here too. Eat sugary foods/treats sparingly. You can still make changes while still enjoying the foods you love, but just eat less of it.
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Limit alcohol intake to 2 glasses/week. Ideally restrict them to the weekends, as alcohol can disrupt your sleep patterns.
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Get at least 7 hours per sleep. If you are sleep deprived, your body will often store fat to conserve energy.
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Lift heavy things using compound joint exercises (squat, deadlift, press). Adding resistance to your workouts will result in stressing the muscles enough to develop resiliency, strength, and overall lean muscle.
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Complete short bursts of high intensity cardio, also known as HIIT. This will have a muscle sparing effect, and can take way less time than going for long runs. Unless you love going for long runs (which is totally fine too).
The steps above are nothing unless you choose to make a change. So if you are taking these action steps already awesome! You are certainly on the right track. Stick with it.
However, if you have no idea where to start and would like some help, we are here for you. The staff at Hudson River Fitness have the knowledge to implement a program that can help you achieve your goals, while also being consistent. All it takes is one step and then another. Click on this link to book your free No Sweat Intro. This 15-20 minute conversation with a coach will help identify the best way to help you achieve your health and fitness goal.
Ashley
PS- Still not ready to start yet? No worries, we aren’t going anywhere. Keep your eyes peeled for more information about a 28 day nutrition challenge starting the day after Halloween and going into Thanksgiving!
***The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information provided nor will the owner be liable for any accidents, injuries or other damage, howsoever occurring to any person or property arising out of or in any way connected to the use or application of information obtained from this message
