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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 increased demand and a growing market, the fitness industry has become highly commercialised. As a result, new players intend to make money by exploiting the customer's perception of a specific body image.

Unfortunately, unlike professional athletes and sportspeople, the general public cannot access 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 right 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 people tend to have is that having a perfect body means having specific weight and body measurements. What most people do not know is that their weight or the size of their waist alone cannot define how fit or unfit their body is.

You can be skinny but still be unfit. A perfect measure of body fitness factors is 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 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 workout plan that 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 lifestyle you have, and how many calories your body requires every day to function healthily without exhausting it.

Calculating your body's Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the best way to identify your body requirements. 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 goals can be very exhausting and frustrating. People often leave their journey midway because progress is slow, and they feel that their desired body is a far-fetched dream. It is understandable to lose hope when you have 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 before the weighing scale sheds the weight. It is because your body burns fat in the initial phase while turning fat into muscle. For this reason, while the measurements fall, the weight does not change much.

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 regularly.

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 eating 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. Resisting the craving for too long will do you more harm. Therefore, it is okay to satisfy your need once in a while, but do not overeat.

Additional supplements

Besides eating your meals well, taking additional supplements is essential to compensate for the nutrition you might be missing as you cut down your fats and carbs. Even the most balanced diets tend to miss some essential nutrition requirements. Additional supplements such as Calcium, D3, Magnesium, and Multivitamins are highly recommended.

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

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 impossible, look online for home workouts such as Leslie Walk.

Sleeping Habits

Many people associate fitness with keeping on your toes, but they 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 muscles 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 who writes about nutrition and minerals to help sportspeople.