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Top Tips to Get a Fit and Toned Body

Mr. Tayyab explains how you can develop a fit and healthy body.

Thanks to the increased awareness triggered by media freedom, more people today are keen to achieve a fit body. The close interdependence of the fitness and beauty industry is another reason why many people are striving to get better bodies. With the increase in demand and the growing market, the fitness industry has become highly commercialised over the years. As a result, new players are entering the market intending to make money by exploiting the customer’s perception of a specific body image.

Unfortunately, unlike professional athletes and sportspeople, the general public does not have access to genuine professional trainers who would guide them on the right journey to get a healthy and fit body. Many people recklessly jump on the bandwagon of unhealthy boot camps and crash diet programs, which often lead to severe health problems in the long run. It is commendable that you want to get fit and healthy, but you must do it the right way if you are clueless about how to begin your fitness journey.

The Measure of a Fit Body

We all want great bodies, but the question is, what exactly is a fit body? What defines fitness? One of the biggest misconceptions that people tend to have is that having a perfect body means having some specific weight and body measurements. What most people do not know is their weight, or the size of your waist alone cannot define how fit or unfit your body is.

You can be skinny but still, be unfit. A perfect measure of body fitness factors in your age, gender, height, and weight to give a well-balanced picture of how healthy or unhealthy your body is. Instead of using body measurements or weight, calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) and check what should be an ideal BMI according to your age and gender.

Identify Your Body Needs

Since every individual body is different, everyone has different body requirements. In simple words, this means that a diet and a workout plan which worked great for your colleague might not be suitable for you. You need to identify what body goals you need to achieve, what kind of a lifestyle do you have, and how many calories does your body requires every day to function healthily without exhausting your body.

The best way to identify your body requirements is to calculate your body’s Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your body’s BMR will indicate how many calories your body requires to perform daily tasks. Although you will find many online tools to calculate BMR, it is recommended that you get your BMR tested under professional supervision.

Set Your Targets

The journey towards achieving your desired bloody can be very exhausting and frustrating. People often tend to leave their journey midway because the progress is slow, and they feel their desired body is a far-fetched dream. It is understandable to lose hope when you have got over 50 lbs to shed. The key to staying motivated is to set realistic goals. Set small, realistic milestones rather than setting a highly unrealistic target. Say, you set a milestone of shedding one inch every two weeks rather than setting a target of shedding 10 kgs in three months.

Technically speaking, your body starts to drop inches first much before the weighing scale begins to shed the weight. This is because, in the initial phase, your body is burning fat while at the same time turning fat into muscle. For this reason, while the measurements fall, the weight does not show much change.

Eating Habits

Fixing your eating habits is a vital part of fitness. However, good eating habits do not mean you starve yourself or keep stuffing yourself if you are too skinny. The key is to eat right and eat well. Since you already have your BMR, use it to identify your calorie intake. Distribute your total required calorie intake throughout the day. Instead of taking fewer meals, eat five to six smaller meals at regular intervals.

Your first meal of the day should be the heaviest, and the last should be the lightest. Do not let your body starve. If you feel the need to munch on something, satisfy yourself by taking some green veggies such as cucumbers. Stick to a high protein low-carb diet. Eat everything in small portions to avoid cravings.

Remember, it is okay to cheat. It is natural for your body to crave that chocolate bar or your favourite strawberry ice cream. You will do yourself more harm by resisting the craving for too long. Therefore, it is okay to satisfy your need once in a while but do not overeat.

Additional supplements

Besides eating your meal well, it is also essential to take additional supplements to make up for the nutrition you might be missing out on as you cut down your fats and carbs. Even the most balanced diets tend to miss out on some essential nutrition requirements. Additional supplements such as Calcium, D3, Magnesium, and Multivitamins are highly recommended.

Additional calcium can help to build and protect your bones and also, helps blood to clot, our muscles to contract, and our heart to beat. Magnesium is needed for hundreds of biochemical reactions in the human body. Magnesium supports a healthy immune system, a steady heartbeat, and strong bones. Besides this, it aids in the production of energy and protein. To ease the intake of additional supplements like calcium and magnesium, one could use multivitamins that combine these nutrients.

Workout Regime

Once your diet plan is sorted, decide on your workout plan. Instead of doing random exercises, try to go for well-rounded workout programs. Ideally, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the best full-body workout since it focuses on strength, endurance and cardio and can be modified according to body needs. If you are a beginner, start slow and let your stamina work gradually. Ideally, hire a personal coach. However, if a formal fitness club is not possible, look online for home workouts such as Leslie Walk.

Sleeping Habits

A lot of people associate fitness with keeping on your toes, but they tend to ignore the importance of adequate rest. A well-rested body, ideally night’s sleep is essential for a fit and healthy body. Your workout regime will result in muscle tears, and your body will need adequate rest periods to allow your muscle to recover. Moreover, your body processes and digests your food during the rest period. A minimum of eight-hour sleep cycles is thus mandatory.


Page Reference

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  • TAYYAB, M. (2020) Top Tips to Get a Fit and Toned Body [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article537.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Mr. Tayyab is a Freelance Journalist and writes about Nutrition and Minerals to help sportspeople.