Toning Up Diet Tips!

By Zoe Glass

If you want a lean, shapely body, exercise is vital, but just as important is what you eat. When you are deciding what foods to eat when toning muscles, you need to keep in mind the nutritional requirements and needs of your whole body, and work toward a balanced diet that sustains your energy for exercise, helps your body burn fat, and offers plenty of vitamins and minerals. For special dietary needs, such as those related to diabetes or pregnancy, consult your physician before beginning a new eating plan.

Protein

When toning muscles, you are breaking them down so your body can rebuild them. Protein is the essential ingredient in this process, according to Daniel Burke, author of "Fast Fat Loss Plan." He notes that people who don't get enough protein tend to have poor muscle tone and are also more susceptible to illness because protein is essential for supporting your immune system. Make sure you get plenty of protein from healthy sources such as low-fat dairy, legumes, nuts, seeds and lean meat.

High-Fiber Food

You don't want your toned muscles hidden beneath a layer of fat, so it is important to reach your ideal weight. The Mayo Clinic recommends eating plenty of high-fiber foods because they are known to aid weight loss. High-fiber food promotes digestive health, which is essential for banishing a bloated belly, and it helps you feel full longer. Many fruits and most vegetables are high in fiber, so eat a wide variety, such as leafy greens, asparagus, cabbage and mushrooms. Also eat whole-grain bread, rice, pasta and cereal instead of white or refined grains.

Fat-Burning Foods

Fat-burning foods, along with exercise, will put your metabolism into overdrive and help achieve your muscle toning goals. Vitamin C is one of nature's fat-burning tools, as research reported in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" suggests. Subjects who had adequate vitamin C levels burned up to 30 percent more fat during exercise than people who were vitamin C-deficient. To make sure you're getting enough vitamin C, have an orange or a grapefruit as a pre- or post-workout snack. Not only will it boost your nutrient levels, but the water content will help you stay hydrated.

Meal Planning

When you are toning muscles, you should eat small, evenly spaced meals with approximately equal amounts of protein and carbohydrates. According to "Easy Natural Weight Loss," the protein will boost your metabolism and fill you up, and your body will burn 20 percent of protein calories just breaking it down for fuel. Adding high-fiber foods such as fruit and vegetables to your meal will help promote digestive health, ensure you get the vitamins and minerals you need, and add flavor and variety.

Want Toned, Lean Arms?

8 Minutes to Get Rid of Your Upper Body Wobbly Bits

Whether it's the little black dress in winter or, for men, stripping down to your shorts in summer, those wobbly bits around the upper arms, chest and back can easily spoil the look. Here's our 8 minute body toning workout to banish the wobbly bits.

Equipment Needed

Any exercise aimed at toning your body needs something to provide resistance for your muscles to work against. Most of the exercises below use hand-held weights to provide resistance: these can be as simple as water bottles (or even tins of food) you can grip comfortably, or dumbbells in the range of 1lb-5lb/0.5-2kg.

Timing and Repetitions

10 reps of each exercise should take about 8 minutes. As with all exercise you should warm-up first. Marching or jogging on the spot for a few minutes interspersed with some gentle stretches will do the trick.

Caution

Body toning exercise can be a pretty painful experience if muscles have lain dormant for a while. The problem is, it's not until 24-48hrs after your workout that you'll realise you've overdone it! Body toning exercise should not be painful while you are doing it - if it is you're using too much weight.

If you've not been exercising your muscles recently it's best to start with a weight that feels "very easy" and build up gradually from there.

The Workout

Exercise 1 - Chest and Shoulders

Lie on your back and grasp your weights with the palms of your hands facing up, and your arms outstretched to the sides. With your elbows slightly bent, lift your arms above your chest until your hands are almost touching. Return to starting position and repeat.

Exercise 2 - Chest and Shoulders

Lie on your back and grasp your weights with the palms of your hands facing up, and your arms outstretched above your head. Grip your weights and bring them over your head and down to your hips, by your sides - a semi-circular motion. Lift back to starting position and repeat.

Exercise 3 - Chest and Back

Sitting with your back straight (preferably supported) and legs straight out in front of you, hold your weights in at your chest with your elbows out to the side (parallel to the floor). Push your arms out straight in front of you then pull them back in. Repeat.

Exercise 4 - Back and Shoulders

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms by your sides, gripping the weights with palms facing outwards. Making sure your movements are slow and concentrated, tense your shoulder and upper back muscles, then slowly "shrug" them up and down.

Exercise 5 - Shoulders and Upper Arms

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms raised straight up above your head, grip your weights with your palms facing behind you. Slowly bring your arms forward and down, without bending at the elbow, until level with your shoulders. Lift back to starting position and repeat.

Exercise 6 - Upper Arms, Shoulders and Back

Standing with feet slightly apart, grasp your weights and bend at the waist until your torso is parallel to the floor. Extend your arms towards the floor with palms facing outwards. Lift your arms out to the side, keeping them straight, until parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Exercise 7 - Upper Arms, Shoulders and Back

Standing with feet slightly apart, position your arms straight down in front of you almost against your body - with your weights almost touching. Bend your elbows and lift your weights towards your chin, bringing your elbows out to the side, in line with your shoulders. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Exercise 8 - Arms and Chest

The classic push up. With your hands shoulder width apart place your palms on the floor. Stretch out your body with either your knees on the floor, or if you're feeling ambitious, your toes - so you are supporting your body weight. Keeping your back straight and using your arms lower yourself gently toward the floor until you are hovering just over it. Push yourself slowly back to your starting position and repeat. Remember - don't lower yourself to the point where you come into contact with the floor, it'll be much harder to push back up.

Exercise 9 - Arms

In a sitting position with your back straight, relax your arms in line with your body. Grip your weights with your palms facing upwards and curl them up towards your shoulders, then back down again. Repeat. Keep your torso still and back straight, let your arms do the work.

Exercise 10 - Forearms

Holding your weight with your arm outstretched in front of you, tilt your wrist up and down repeatedly. Try doing this with both an overhand and underhand grip on your weight. Do one arm at a time.

From Weight Loss Resources

Best Foods For Toned Abs!

By Megan Smith

You may not be able to achieve a flat stomach with sit-ups alone. If you have a layer of fat covering your abdominal muscles or you are retaining water in your stomach, abdominal exercises may not make much of a difference. To eliminate bloating, burn fat and increase your muscle tone, incorporate healthy foods into your diet that will eliminate your puffy belly. Consult a doctor before adding new foods into your diet.

Cottage Cheese

Eating low-fat cottage cheese for breakfast may help build lean muscle in the body and reduce belly fat. Cottage cheese, as well as yogurt and other low-fat dairy products, will help you lose weight in your midsection, especially if you are replacing low-fat products with the full-fat dairy products you would normally eat. Strive to eat about three servings of low-fat dairy a day to reduce stomach fat and develop lean abdominal muscle in your midsection.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal and other whole grains that are high in fiber will help keep you full for longer periods of time. When you start your day with oatmeal, you will be less likely to binge on unhealthy snacks before lunchtime. Eating fiber also helps unused calories pass out of the body more easily, preventing them from being stored in your body. Eat at least 25g of fiber every day to maintain toned abdominal muscles.

Egg Whites

Starting your morning with an egg-white omelet may help you achieve the flat abdominal muscles you've always dreamed of. Egg whites are a source of lean protein that helps build lean muscle on your body. If you start your morning with a few scrambled egg whites, you may feel more full throughout the early afternoon. Eat about one egg per day to build lean muscle.

Salmon

Salmon is an oily fish that contains omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon may help your body burn more fat, because eating it may help your metabolism work more quickly and efficiently. If you replace your typical dinner serving of red meat with salmon several times a week, you'll decrease the amount of saturated fat you consume every week, which may help you lose weight in the abdominal area. Eat about two servings of salmon every week to curb cravings and keep your body feeling full and satisfied.

Top Ab Exercises!

..Continued

By Lexi Walters


The Ballet Crunch

• Sit on the floor and extend your legs, pressing them firmly together.
• Lean back 45 degrees from the hips.
• Keep your abs engaged as you bring both your arms overhead like a ballerina.
• Slowly twist your torso to the right, placing your right arm on the mat. Keep your left arm reaching overhead for a slow count of 3.
• Repeat the movement, keeping your left arm on the floor, and keeping your butt and heels on the floor.
• Contract your abs to support your spine as you return to center, bringing both arms overhead.
• Continue alternating sides. Do 2 sets of 6 to 8 reps on each side.

The Climb Up

• Start by lying on the floor with a 3-foot-long scarf or towel wrapped around the ball of your right foot, knees bent, left foot on the floor.
• Hold the scarf in both hands, and extend your right leg, keeping your foot flexed.
• Slowly walk your hands up the scarf as you lift your head and shoulders off the floor. Hold for a count of 2.
• Now lower yourself back to the starting position, walking your hands back down the scarf.
• Do two sets of 8 to 10 reps on each sides Be sure to keep your head neutral -- don't tuck your chin or tilt back.

Squat Thrust with Twist

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and extend your arms in front of you at shoulder height.
• Begin by squatting down, bending your knees 90 degrees, and twisting your upper body to the left.
• Now come up and repeat theexercise to the right.
• Keep your weight in your heels and don't allow your knees to jut forward away from your toes.
• Keep your knees facing forward as your chest and shoulders move side to side.
• For the best results, bend your knees as close to 90 degrees as possible.

The Prone Plank

• Get into a full pushup position with your palms on the floor beneath your shoulders.
• Hold here for 30 seconds, with your abs contracted and your arms and legs extended and your head aligned with your spine.
• As you build strength, hold this position longer, up to one minute.
• Go deeper: Try the one-arm stable switching plank.
  
  
  More ab exercises in the next post..

Top 10 Ab Workouts!

Workout detail by Lexi Walters

Part One

Toned and defined abs are often regarded as one of the most desirable and recognised characteristics of a healthy body. Seeing athletes such as Jessica Ennis and Tom Daley at the 2012 Olympics has further fuelled this interest in achieving the perfect abdominal muscles.
These exercises are bound to get you well on your way to your ideal physique.

The Abdominal Hold -

• Sit tall on the edge of a sturdy chair (or step with four risers) and place your hands on the edge with your fingers pointing toward your knees.
• Tighten your abs and bring your toes 2 to 4 inches off the floor. Lift your butt off the chair.
• Hold this position for as long as you can -- aim for 5 to 10 seconds.
• Lower yourself down and repeat.
• Continue this exercise for 1 minute.

The Side Crunch

• Keeping your weight balanced, slowly extend your left leg and point your toes.
• Place your left hand behind your head, pointing your elbow toward the ceiling.
• Next, slowly lift your leg to hip height as you extend your arm above your leg, with your palm facing forward.
• Look out over your hand while bringing the left side of your rib cage toward your hip.
• Lower to your starting position and repeat 6 to 8 times.
• Do two sets of 6 to 8 reps, and then switch sides.
  
  
  
  Opposite Arm and Leg Raise
• Begin on all fours, aligning your knees under your hips and your wrists under your shoulders.
• Raise your left arm to shoulder height and your left leg to hip height.
• Hold for 2 counts, reaching forward with your fingers and back with your heels.
• Repeat this exercise on the opposite side.
• Do 15 to 20 reps, alternating sides.
• For a bigger challenge, touch your opposite elbow to your knee as you pull your arm and leg in.
  
  
  
  The Cobra

• Lie facedown on the floor with your palms near your chest.
• Lift your head, shoulders, and chest off the floor, pulling your shoulder blades down and together.
• Hold for 2 counts and then lower back down. Repeat 8 to 10 times.
• For a more difficult exercise, try lifting your thighs and hips off the floor.
  
  
  
  
  
  More exercises in the next post..