I want to “tone up” is something I hear on a daily basis. And, I know that if you’re reading this, you likely want to change your body. For that reason, I wanted to talk to you about exactly that. Not just about “losing weight”, but about creating a better body. One that’s “toned”, “defined”, has curves in all the right places, and less fat on the areas you don’t.
See, it’s a very common mistake for people to think weight loss = better body, but often that’s not the case. In my experience, many people, women in particular, tend to focus so hard on weight loss, that they end up forgetting that the goal is actually to have a better body, (and not just to lose weight). Often this ends up in disappointment, as you don’t end up looking quite how you imagined. Even if you did get to that “goal weight”, you feel like somethings missing, like you’ve missed a trick. If this sounds like you, I have 5 tips for you.
They aren’t things I haven’t said already, but sometimes a little reminder can go a long way…
1. Focus on weight training. If you want to tone up, building some muscle is going to be key. Above all else, it gives you something else to focus on. Rather than constantly focussing on your body and how much or little it might be changing, you can focus on how much stronger your getting, how much weight you are hip thrusting, or how you are slowly noticing yourself becoming more “toned”, even if your weight may not be changing. Weight training will be a key factor in seeing your body become more toned and defined, period.
2. Track your calories. In order to “tone up”, tracking your calories would be my number one recommendation to someone who isn’t seeing the results they want. Generally, people will underestimate the calories they’re consuming, and overestimate the calories they’re burning. Tracking will help you understand how many calories you’re actually consuming, and stay accountable to that. This will ensure you see the changes in your body that you want, and stay more consistent with your diet.
3. Ensure you’re following a plan, and progressing as you go.If you’re already weight training, then that’s great. But the next things to consider are…- are you following a programme, or just doing random sessions? Are you progressing what you’re doing? First of all, if you’re not following a plan, how do you know you’re getting better? Random HIIT workouts or random weight training sessions might be okay for a short while, but they won’t get you the results you want. You won’t see progression, and because of this, chances are that you’ll lose motivation. Ensuring you’re following a plan, and that you’re progressively lifting heavier and getting stronger are key to seeing changes in your body (and boosting your motivation to do so).
4. Don’t try and do too much. It’s very easy to get caught up on constantly trying to do more and more, constantly trying to burn more calories. As I mentioned, you will never be able to out-train a bad diet. Focus on performing your weight training sessions 3-5 times a week. On top of that, you could do a little cardio if you wanted, but I would focus on ensuring you’re training with proper intensity and challenging yourself with the weight you’re using. 4 intense sessions where you can give it 100% will beat 6 sessions where you are giving it 60% (100% of the time 🤪).
5. Have someone to guide, support, and hold you accountable.Getting a coach was 100% the best thing I did. Yes, it’s an investment, but it helped me progress more than I ever would without him. Having a coach has helped me avoid mistakes, it’s helped me stay on track way more than I ever would have, it’s helped me learn, and most of all, it’s helped me achieve the things I said I would (even though I often doubted I could).Knowing someone is there to answer any questions and to have my back has been invaluable, and I know I couldn’t have got to where I am now without the help of my coach.
I truly hope this article has helped. These are my 5 top tips to help you lose fat and “tone up”, which I have helped 100’s of females do. If you want to hear from me, take a look at the links below…
If you want to know more about working with me directly on a 1-1 online coaching basis, please visit https://www.finlaycarmichaelpt.com/onlinecoaching/
If you want to calculate your calories, get a free training plans, or listen to my podcasts, click here… https://liinks.co/finlaycarmichaelpt
Or check out my client results on Instagram, by clicking here (@finlaycarmichaelpt)