Building Your Muscles
Be active every day to prime your body for toning. You'll need to get in basic shape before you can start really toning your muscles. If you move directly into intense exercise, you're much more likely to get overwhelmed and quit or even injure yourself. Start building your endurance by getting off the couch and being active in your everyday life. Take the stairs when you have the choice. Stand instead of sit while you use the computer or study. Walk to places that are a mile or less from your location, instead of taking the car. Go for a relaxing walk or jog instead of watching TV. There are lots of ways to get active in your everyday life without even exercising.
Start with basic exercises to build your endurance. Begin toning your muscles by doing some basic exercises. These will increase your endurance and help get you in better shape, so that you can move on to really sculpting your body with more targeted exercise. For exercises you can do on your own, try walking, riding a bike, or going swimming. Then, as you get stronger, you can gradually walk up to more intense exercises like jogging or running. These basic exercises should take up about three hours of your day, everyday, for the first week or two.
Do "monkey arms". "Monkey arms" is a great exercise for your arms and upper body. Do this exercise by putting a weight in each of your hands. Start by holding the weight at your armpit with your elbows out. Then, swing your arms out to straighten them, keeping them up and level with your shoulders. Swing the weight back to your armpits and repeat. If you don't own weights, you can cheat and use cans of food or other lightly heavy objects. Pair this with a squat or lunge to make it a full body workout.
Do planks. Planks are one of the more efficient exercises you can do, significantly increasing the strength of your core muscles and legs in much less time than other core exercises. Start by getting into a push-up position. Now, lower your body so that instead of resting your weight on your hands, your whole forearm is resting on the ground instead. Just hold that position, with your back and legs as straight as possible, for as long as you can. You should try to hold this position for as long as you can, but you should know that holding it for a minute or more takes very strong core muscles. Start out holding the position for 10 seconds, resting for 30 seconds, and then repeating for about 10 minutes. Slowly work your way up to holding the position for 30 seconds to a minute.
Do squats. Squats work your core muscles and your legs, and can even work your arms if you lift small weights while you do them. A squat is done by standing with your feet about a shoulder's width apart and then crouching down, as if you're sitting in an invisible chair. Keep your back straight in order to do this exercise correctly. If you're new to squats, using a chair or table to balance can make it much easier.
Do a pike roll-out. After a few weeks of exercising frequently, you can start doing exercises which are a bit more strenuous. This exercise requires an exercise ball but it is a good full body workout. Start in a push-up position but instead of having your feet on the ground, let your shins rest on top of the ball instead. Pull your hips up, so that your butt goes up into the air, rolling the ball down your leg as you go until your toes are resting on the ball. Then, roll back down so that the ball moves slowly up your body to reach your hips. Your body should be kept in a straight line, legs up in the air, so that your create an upside-down "V" shape in profile. Exercise balls are pretty cheap but you can cheat a bit and just buy a big rubber ball from a toy store, which are often sold for $10 or less.
Do burpees. Burpees look complex but they're actually easy once you get used to the motions and they're one of the best full body workouts that you can do. Start in a standing position, feet apart. Put your hands down on the ground in front of your feet, jump your legs back so that you go into a push-up position, and do a push-up. Now, jump your feet back, then lift your hands above your head and jump straight up as high as you can. Repeat for at least 10 minutes. You can skip either the push-up or the jump, but both really add to the effectiveness of the exercise, so it is not recommended.
Expect that you can't spot reduce. In general, you can't exercise a certain body part to only lose weight there. There are exercises that can target specific muscles, but if you want to get toned quickly, it's best to focus on your whole body using the full body exercises that we've recommended above. Focusing too much on one area and using some exercises (like lifting weights) puts you at risk of adding a lot of bulk, instead of just defining the muscles that you have. In some cases, if you have a metabolic syndrome that causes fat to build up in your muscles, you may be able to work away the fat through exercise.
Maintaining a Healthy Diet
Follow the diet that's right for your body. There's a lot of information out there about the "best" way to eat. However, you have to find what works best for you, which is based on your genetics, the micro-organisms in your body, and even your ethics, like whether you prefer to avoid animal products in your diet. Talk to your doctor about a fast to clear out your digestive tract. Then, start adding in foods based on a Paleo or low-FODMAP diet. Wait a week or so to see how you feel, then gradually add in more foods in to determine what diet makes you feel the best. For instance, you may find that eating soy makes you feel bad, or that dairy tends to bother you.
Fit your portions to your activity level. If you're trying to get toned, you'll want to start by burning any excess fat that you might have in a healthy way. Regardless of the weight you're at, eating the right amount of food for the amount of activity you get is a healthy choice. Talk to your doctor about the recommended calorie intake for your size, age, and activity level. You don't have to count calories but you should use your recommended daily intake to get an idea of roughly how much food you should eat. You might be eating too much but you also don't want to end up eating too little. For most people, our bodies will start burning fat when we burn more calories (a form of energy) than we take in. If you have fat that you need to burn before you can look toned, you'll need to make sure you're taking in slightly fewer calories than your body really needs. Don't make the change too dramatic, however. Too few calories and your body will think that there's a famine going on, causing it to absorb and create as much fat as it possibly can. For example, an average height 16 year old girl who weighs 120 lbs and exercises about once a week would need around 1800 calories a day to maintain the weight that she's at. If she wanted to lose weight, she might want to lower that amount to 1300-1350.
Avoid unhelpful foods. To burn fat but also to take care of your overall health, you should avoid foods that are bad for you or that add a large number of calories without adding any nutrition. These tend to be some of our favorite foods, but they are often what pushes us over the edge into overeating. Generally, you want to avoid unhealthy fats (trans fats), sugar, and carbohydrates with very few nutrients. These include items like butter, chips, french fries, commercial baked goods, candy, commercial pizza, mayonnaise, soda, processed meat, and white bread. You'll also want to watch out for some “health” foods. Smoothies, for example, often contain a huge amount of sugar. For example, even Jamba Juice's healthy options still contain the equivalent of 24 sugar cubes. If you want to have a smoothie, make sure no sugar is added and that it contains mostly greens and soy or almond milk. The fruit content should be minimal. To promote healthier digestion, try to choose foods that help fight inflammation in your body. For instance, you might eat more tomatoes, leafy greens, nuts, fruits, and olive oil. Avoid fried foods, red meat, and foods that are high in sugars or refined carbs.
Focus on nutrient rich foods. Instead of these unhealthy foods, make sure you eat as many nutrient rich foods as you can. Vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can give you all of the nutrients you need, although some fruit and dairy can be good too. Healthy vegetables include: kale, chard, collard greens, broccoli, spinach, edamame, carrots, brussels sprouts, and peas. Healthy grains include: brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, bulgur, buckwheat, and barley. Healthy proteins include: lean proteins such as salmon, turkey, anchovies, sardines, soy nuts (and other soy products), almonds, walnuts, eggs, and lentils. Healthy fruits include: lemons/limes, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, and pears. Healthy dairy products include: cottage cheese, low-fat yogurt, and milk.. EXPERT TIP Steve Horney PT, MPT, MTC, CSCS Steve Horney PT, MPT, MTC, CSCS Licensed Physical Therapist Steve Horney is a Licensed Physical Therapist and the Owner of Integrated Health Sciences, a New York City-based company that provides continuing education, health care products, and manual and movement physical therapy. Steve has over 15 years of academic and professional physical therapy training and specializes in the assessment and treatment of athletes with the goal of helping them become pain-free and less susceptible to injury. Steve is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He received a BS in Health Science from Quinnipiac University in 2004 and a Masters of Physical Therapy (MPT) from Quinnipiac University in 2006. He then completed his Manual Therapy Certification (MTC) from the University of St. Augustine in 2014. Steve Horney PT, MPT, MTC, CSCS Steve Horney PT, MPT, MTC, CSCS Licensed Physical Therapist Our Expert Agrees: Eating less processed foods is a great place to start with diet. The most important thing that you can do for yourself is to find the foods that support your digestions and are free of food allergens or intolerances. This can only really be done with a "removal" and "re-introduction" diet.
Drink plenty of water and avoid unhealthy fluids. You body always needs water to perform properly but water will be especially important while you work on exercising to build your muscles. If you're not hydrating your body very well right now, getting enough water can actually help you lose weight too. Pass on the coffee, energy drinks, sodas and juice, in favor of water and you'll help ensure that your body can stay healthy and hydrated. How much water you need depends on your own unique body. The recommended eight glasses a day is just a rough estimate. A good rule of thumb is that if your urine is coming out pale or clear, you're getting enough water. If it's bright yellow or dark, you need to drink more water. You'll want to maintain your electrolytes while you exercise but don't feel limited to sports drinks like Gatorade. Electrolytes are essentially any "salt" in the presence of water. For example, mostly anything with ingredients in the first or second group of the periodic table (like Sodium, Potassium, and Magnesium) will act as an electrolyte when consumed with water. Such salts can be found in table salt (sodium chloride), bananas (potassium), and mineral rich vegetables like kale. Eating a banana and munching on some salted nuts while staying hydrated is a much healthier way to maintain a crucial electrolyte balance without consuming artificial dyes and sweeteners.
Try not to rely on fad diets. You'll see loads of advertisements on the internet and in magazines, telling you that this diet or that diet will get you looking like X celebrity in two weeks. However, these diets are at best unrealistic and at worst, dangerous. Starving yourself is definitely not an option. Eat fewer calories than normal, yes, but you do need to eat. You also shouldn't use any diet which forbids a food group, like the Atkins diet. Your body needs a wide range of nutrients and dietary diversity is key to making sure that you stay healthy. It is recommended that you eat at least 1,200 calories a day. You should never go below 1000 calories a day, as this significantly increases your chances of health complications like gallstones.
Making a Routine
Schedule your workouts to build up over time. You have to be careful how you schedule workouts and really pay attention to the strain that you put on your body. Doing too much too fast or only doing exercises which build your legs, for example, can lead to injury. Start slow when you begin toning to reduce the risk of injury, especially if you're not currently in shape. Rest your body between exercises, never doing intense exercise for more than two hours at a time. Rotate which muscle groups you work on, between legs, arms, core, etc. Pacing yourself like this will also keep you from getting overwhelmed. For example, try monkey arms for ten minutes in the morning followed by twenty minutes of push-ups, jumping jacks, and burpees. Try going up and down the stairs for half an hour at lunch, and then swimming after school for an hour. Another example of a schedule would be riding your bike for half an hour to get to school, taking an extracurricular gym class that meets every day, and doing half an hour of light cardio before doing your homework. Aim to do between thirty and sixty minutes of light cardio, such as walking or cycling, a day. You can do more intense exercise regimens a few times a week.
Set aside time devoted to exercise and eating right. You can overcome a lot of the "I don't feel like it today" hurdles by making yourself a schedule and letting that schedule become habit. Just like you have a time of day devoted to brushing your teeth or eating lunch, having a time of day that's for making a healthy breakfast or a time of day that's for exercising. With some determination, if you stick to it then it will just become habit and "normal" to do these things. For example, add an extra half hour onto your "getting ready for bed" routine. Before getting in the shower and brushing your teeth, do an exercise like jumping rope for half an hour. Give yourself incentive to meet these time goals. For example, for every week that you stay on track, take yourself and a friend out to a movie. You can even use food rewards, like a single cookie (try a fancy cookie from the store to ensure you only eat one), to both reward you and help keep you from feeling deprived. There are even apps you can use to help you meet these time goals, like Pact which rewards you or punishes you based on how well you do.
Make exercising part of your lifestyle. Another option is to choose an exercise that can be fun and a hobby for you, something that you do every day because it is a part of how you live your life. You'll see this often with rock climbers, who have a gym date at least once a week and go out to the mountains every weekend, or runners, who start each day off with a jog. For example, let's say you're really interested in martial arts. You can take up judo. Find a class at your local YMCA and go for practice every day. Classes from your local community center or YMCA (or similar charity health club) will be much cheaper than going to a specialty gym. They often even have scholarships, meaning that you can take the class for free if you qualify.
Stay motivated. The most important part of maintaining a healthy weight and getting toned, is to be consistent with a healthy diet and lots of exercise. This means that one of the best things you can do to get toned isn't a special move or eating a secret food: it's finding a way to stay motivated. You'll have to find something that makes you want to exercise and eat right every day. There are lots of ways that you can go about that. Try: Doing exercises you like and eating foods you like. Doing exercises that are fun for you or finding healthy food combinations that you think are tasty can make a huge difference in keeping you motivated. Try to find an exercise that you enjoy doing, even if it isn't the most effective exercise. That you'll do it for a long time and consistently is more important. Exercising with other people. Start a jogging ground or even sign up for a yoga class at the local health club with your mom. Having another person to exercise with you will make you feel responsible and you'll be more likely to stick with it on those days when you're really tired or lazy.
Focus on long-term solutions. It's beach season and you want to look good in a bikini. We know. But it's important to understand that quick solutions like getting fit in a month do not last. Unless you make significant changes to how you live, the weight will come back and you'll lose muscle tone all over again. Going back and forth, yo-yoing your weight like this, can be very harsh on your body and dangerous for your health, inducing diabetes, heart disease, and hormone problems. It's best to focus on long term solutions and make lifelong goals, not just focus on looking good for your brother's wedding.
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